Love Gives

Shortly before Thanksgiving I was reflecting on people I am grateful for and one of the people that came to mind first was my Great Grandmother. Although she is with the Lord now, I still think of her often. She was a very special woman who left an incredible legacy for her family because of her faith in God and the way she lived her life.

Two things that came to mind when I was reflecting on her life were how she LOVED and how she GAVE! She had a big family and she was not only a Great Grandmother but also a Great, Great Grandmother. However, this never stopped her from pouring out love on all of us! I don’t know how she did it but she remembered EVERYONE and EVERYTHING! Birthdays, holidays, special events- anytime anything happened in our lives you could always count on receiving a phone call, a card, a card with money in it, or a gift from her. She never forgot anyone! She didn’t have a lot of money but she had so much love and her love compelled her to give- sacrificially.

As I pondered this I was reminded of a verse that many of us may have heard hundreds, if not thousands of times. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. No matter how many times we read or hear this verse, I pray that we never take for granted the significance of it.

“God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His one and ONLY Son!”

“God so LOVED the world that He GAVE!!!

In the midst of all the ‘hustle and bustle,’ as we prepare for Christmas, may we not forget to give thanks for those special people that have impacted our lives over the years and pour out love on them. It doesn’t have to cost anything- a phone call, or even an encouraging note can mean the world to someone.

Most importantly may we truly remember the reason for this special time of year; our Savior Jesus Christ, the most precious GIFT this world has ever received! He is our ultimate example of LOVING and GIVING- Sacrificially!

Praise:

• For the Student Leaders and other students at LHS who have been so committed to pray for and serve their school faithfully each week! We feel so blessed to be able to partner with them in seeing God do amazing things in the lives of students and staff at LHS! –Ian and Tabitha

• For the many lives that have been impacted by Jesus throughout Sioux Falls. Some stories may be personal or not able to be shared, but God is moving and it is an honor that He would chose to use us, students, and people like you who support us, to make a difference and see lives forever changed!

• Some students shared the gospel with their families over Thanksgiving break. We are grateful for the impact that empowering the youth to share the gospel has on the schools, as well as families. A middle school student led his mom to Christ over the break.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for the many students who don’t have families, or have difficult family situations, or have suffered great loss. Pray they would feel God’s love surrounding them- especially during this holiday season and that they would know that they are remembered and that they are special!

• Pray for more people to be compelled to partner with individual Collision staff members through prayer and financial support and for year-end giving to the organization.

• Pray for all of the students, teachers, principals, and staff at all the different schools in Sioux Falls to be encouraged and have strength to finish this part of the school year well.

• Ask God to reassure and empower students who are hindered by objections to sharing the gospel, like fear, not knowing enough, not feeling good enough, and shame.

• Pray with expectancy along with us that 2000 disciple-making movements will be fruitful by the end of 2020.

#TabithaSadler