The wonderful Christmas season is here, and I'm thinking of the familiar carol: O come, let us adore Him; O come, let us adore Him; O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord! May we indeed come and adore Him, and may your Christmas be blessed in every way!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

This is another familiar song, and it has an interesting history. In England, during the period from 1558 to 1829, Catholics were prohibited under pain of death from practicing their religion publicly or privately. Anyone found with a Catholic Bible or Catechism would be drawn and quartered. To get around this law, a clever Irish priest penned the song The Twelve Days of Christmas to serve as a verbal catechism. In the song, "gifts" refer to teachings, and the "one true love" is really Almighty God. The "me" refers to baptized believers. The symbols of the "twelve days" meant the following and we can certainly all benefit from knowing these as we sing the song:

1. The Partridge in a Pear Tree refers to Christ who once likened himself to a hen wishing to shelter its chicks.
2. The two Turtle Doves refer to the Old Testament and the New Testament.
3. The three French Hens are faith, hope, and charitythree theological virtues.
4. The four Calling Birds are the four gospels and/or the four evangelists mentioned in the New Testament.
5. The five Golden Rings are the first five books of the Old Testament: the Pentateuch, the history of the fall.
6. The six Geese A-Laying are the six days of creation.
7. The seven Swans A-Swimming are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
8. The eight Maids A-Milking are the eight beatitudes.
9. The nine Ladies Dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
10. The ten Lords A-Leaping are the ten commandments.
11. The eleven Pipers Piping are the eleven faithful apostles.
12. The twelve Drummers Drumming are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed.

A Celebration

On November 5th the Gullah New Testament was dedicated at the JAARS Center (Wycliffe's partner organization near Charlotte that provides quality technical support resources to speed Bible translation). Gullah is a Creole language formed from English and West African languages, and spoken by approximately 250,000 descendants of West African slaves brought to America to work on plantations from the Carolinas to northeastern Florida.

"Gullah was thought to be a broken language, but Bible translation brought respect to it," said one speaker at the dedication. The New Testament was released at the Penn Center Gullah Heritage Days celebration on November 12th on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Pray that the Gullah people will read and obey God's Word. Here is John 12:46 from their New Testament: .Jedus say, "A come eenta de wol same like light, so dat ebrybody wa beliebe pon me ain't gwine nebe be lef een de daak."

My Upcoming Schedule

I will be working with the graduate faculty at one of our "partner institutions" for two weeks in JanuaryPayap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Representative faculty from several of our other Asia Training Programs have also been invited to attend. I won't be teaching "content," but rather the "how to" of effective teaching. The courses will be Enhancing Instruction and Implementing Strategies, and materials will be available for Planning Institutional Development and several other titles.

After my time in Thailand, I have been invited to spend approximately five to six weeks in India, teaching at several locations and doing various seminars, workshops, and days of reflection and prayer. There are still several things to work out if this trip comes together, so I would appreciate your prayers.

A New Year's Prayer

Eternal Father, God of love, you have placed us into a world of space and time, and through the events of our lives you bless us with your grace. We praise you for the blessings of this past year and pray that you will cause us to know and seek your presence in the new year, so that we can see your love at work in our lives and in our world, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

In Joy I Serve Him,

Seasonal Greetings From Evelyn Davis' Advisory Board

This is the time of the year that Dr. Evelyn Davis would like to thank each of you for your support. It is how she is able to continue her Wycliffe ministry. We hope that your family experiences Christ's love, and the joy that Christmas holds for you. The Advisory Board would also like to thank you for your support, and as you have done in years past, when you consider your giving at the end of this year, your special gifts for her can be directed as listed below.

John Hrisak for the Advisory Board

1. Support for her regular, on-going needs should be sent to WBT, P.O. Box 62800, Orlando, FL, 32862-8200 and marked "for Evelyn Davis."
2. Gifts for her travel, equipment, and other special needs should be sent to WBT at the same Orlando address and marked "990051 for Evelyn Davis. 44410 YTRC54 account."
3. Contributions for her medical and dental expenses, and to provide a stipend to persons assisting with the preparation of her training materials should be sent to Carmel Presbyterian Church, Attn: Director of Operations, 2048 Carmel Rd, Charlotte, NC 28226-5098 and marked "for Evelyn Davis."

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