To Receive a Child

As Your Own!

The song ”Prendre un enfant par la main, Pour l’emmener vers demain” (To take a child by the hand and lead it towards tomorrow) with Yves Duteil really hit home as I was cleaning up in the kitchen the other day. The picture with Birgitta and the little child in her lap came to mind immediately!

Her holding the child is perfectly described in Yves Duteil’s finely tuned lyrics, ending with the phrase ”Prendre un enfant pour le sien – To receive a child as your own”. You can listen to the song by clicking on the bar below. Beautiful – even if you don’t understand French. mqdefault

Christmas

Christmas is really about receiving a child – God’s wonderful gift to the world – Jesus. No longer a child but someone called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Indeed something to take to heart in an increasingly wicked and turbulent world.

Having just landed and left Loki behind, where so many children often lack a warming lap or food or something to cover themselves in times of chill and rain, and where absolutely nothing reminds about a Christmas drawing near, the contrasts cannot be more pronounced as we arrive in Nairobi with thousands of lights and girlands decorating supermarkets and shops and with black Santas being photographed with children, or to a Sweden with even far greater extravagance in all sorts of Christmas decorations and commercial abundance!

That’s why it feels like a special privilege to know that we will be able to continue the work in Loki, together with many faithful supporters, and to be part of impacting the lives of both young and adult for a better and worthier future.

From January 2016 we will be working under Children’s Mission, barnmissionen.se, which will be our prime partner in the work, since our contract with MAF has come to an end. Children’s Mission has a world of experience and a good track record from similar projects in many parts of the world and we believe that their support and input will enhance good stewardship and sustainability. Birgitta and I will continue to be the mission leaders in the field and still today there is no sign of retirement on the horizon!

For those of you who would like to continue or start to support the work in Loki, please write to us and we will give you directions!

Finally Orsa

Before we return back to Kenya and Loki at the end of January, we will have be tremendous privilege to celebrate Christmas with our big and wonderful family. We are 26 by now plus one extra friend joining us. We will all be traveling to Orsa, some 300 kms north of here where the children have rented a retreat center. We will be there for 4 nights. This will be absolutely wonderful!

Finally we want to extend our warmest Christmas Greetings to all of you and a Happy New Year!

Yours
Birgitta & KeA