So Christmas is just a few days a way. In the midst of all the hussle and bustle I feel like God has been teaching me a simple lesson recently. About a month ago I began getting involved in an association called bras ouvert or open arms in english. Some of our friends who attend a different church here lead this outreach. This has actually been an answer to prayer because we have been trying to find places to serve in the local community to be a blessing to others.
This association gives out clothes and food to needy families in Grasse, which is a city 10 minutes from us. Grasse is a city of about 50,000 and is the perfume capital of the world. It also has a very large north african immigrant population living in the old city center which is mostly muslim. Many of these families are just struggling to survive here in France. I have been helping with the clothes store every Tuesday along with Vincent, and I have been slowly getting to know some of the people who come each week. Almost all are from North Africa, and each of them has a story. Samantha and I have received so many baby clothes and the like from families over the years. Compared to most people in the world we are truly rich. It's truly disturbing how much inequity there is in the world isn't it? It has been such a joy to pass these clothes and the like along to others. Each time we have been able to give some of these things away it brings joy to our hearts and reminds us like Jesus said that it is more blessed to give then receive. This is such a simple yet profound truth. I must confess that I don't often feel very generous and feel that I have forgotten this truth. As followers of Christ we have been blessed to be a blessing in this world. Each week that I go the Lord teaches me something or helps me gain perspective on something. It is such a privilege to be involved in the community this way.
