Greetings and a Merry Christmas from the Stoms family in South Africa! All God’s best to our friends and family this Christmas season. Thank you for your gracious and prayerful partnership with us in the gospel. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! Please pray for us as we are preparing to return to the states for furlough in January.
With Love,
Jay, Laura, Clara, Katherine and Lauren Stoms |
| "Carry each other's burdens" (Gal 6:2a) |
Please see the comment below from our friend DK Byun about the recent retreat for Internationals. International Gathering at Volmoed, Hermanus www.volmoed.co.za (Nov. 17-19/2017)
23 people from 7 countries participated in this retreat for International students at Volmoed in Hermanus in the Western Cape (SA). Together we got to know God better as we heard and discussed stories from Exodus and from Revelation. We also got to know each other better by sharing conversation, meals, fun, hiking and worshiping God together. We especially enjoyed the Kenyan and the Korean foods which added to the multi-cultural flavour of the retreat. The retreat helped us realize how we long to taste the sweetness of the Kingdom of God in this world. We often live separately due to differences of race, culture, age and economic levels but there is ‘better reason’ to live together. There is one multi-ethnic 'Kingdom of God' which has been established by the conquering king and suffering servant, our Lord Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection enables all who have fallen short of God’s glory to join together ‘in Christ’ and enjoy the table together. Our differences need not divide us, but can enable us to form a beautiful harmonious multi-ethnic family! We hope that we can continue to taste this together in this world.
Katherine, Clara and Laruen
DK Byun (Korean Theological Student University of Stellenbosch)Galatians 3:28–29 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. “
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