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Victor,
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful
story. It is really quite moving and speaks volumes to me of the great
love and compassion our Savior has for each of us.
Randy Miller
Southwest Region
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 11:53
AM
Subject: [RR] Two Babes in a Manger
The following is
shared by two missionaries serving in Russia, whose primary focus was
providing medical help (and the gospel) to many of the orphanages that were
so badly under-staffed and under-funded. This is their story; the story of
Misha and the Two Babes
in a Manger.
It was nearing the
holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the
traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving
in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where
the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.
Throughout the story, the children and
orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of
their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the
children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child
was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with
me. No colored paper was available in the city.
Following instructions, the children tore
the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares
of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away
as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was
cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States.
The orphans were busy assembling
their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went
well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about
6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy's
manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger.
Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two
babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this
completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very
seriously.
For
such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related
the happenings accurately--until he came to the part where Mary put the baby
Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending
to the story as he said, "And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus
looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no
mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told
me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a
gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so
much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I
thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.
"So I asked Jesus, 'If I
keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?'
"And Jesus told me, 'If you keep me warm,
that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.' So I got into the
manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with
him---for always."
As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears
that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his
head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and
sobbed.
The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon
nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him - FOR ALWAYS.
Forwarded from an email received fron The Institute for
Motivational Living, Inc.
web: http://www.discinsights.com
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