Mary Letter Day Twenty-Six

Lord, how many adversaries I have! 

how many there are who rise up against me! 

How many there are who say of me, 

"There is no help for him in his God." 

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me; 

you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head. 

I call aloud upon the Lord, 

and he answers me from his holy hill;

I lie down and go to sleep; 

I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 

I do not fear the multitudes of people 

who set themselves against me all around. 

Rise up, O Lord; set me free, O my God; 

surely, you will strike all my enemies 

across the face, 

you will break the teeth of the wicked. 

 Deliverance belongs to the Lord. 

Your blessing be upon your people! Psalm 3

Dear Mama and Papa,

At this point Joseph still hasn't gotten an appointment with the office, although he waits patiently, every day, only to be turned away as the doors close for the day. He has been very patient and so loving to both the baby and me. We are really becoming a family together, despite the challenges of being so far from home. When he is done for the day, we go out walking together and stop at a few market stalls to purchase our evening meal. We have been careful with our food supplies and have been blessed with kind hosts who regularly share their food with us. It's really quite sweet. One (usually more than one) of the children will come with trays of food and say these dishes were left over from our supper. It looks specially prepared! Then the children pass the baby around and stay with us until the parents call them home. I don't mind this arrangement at all! The children bring such joy to our small little space, and we have company which we miss so much.

I expect the wise women will be coming for a visit tomorrow. They come every few days to check on us, checking my belly and the baby's weight. They seem especially interested in this little one! In a city this size, I imagine there are plenty of other new mothers and babies to check on, yet they seem to love being here, bringing me fruit and sweets to keep up my strength. It seems this baby really is an unusual one, as they seem to gravitate to him and he delights them with smiles. They see something extraordinary in him, and they have all told me that. All's I can see is a sweet, demanding, loving baby boy. I guess all mamas feel this way that their baby is special. I can't wait to get home so you can meet him!

Much love,

Mary