Advent 3 - Mary Letter Day 15

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!

The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.

The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.

I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.

And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.

At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord. Zephaniah 3:14-20

Dear Momma,

Our first night of traveling was somewhat challenging but we made it to Uncle Isaiah's and  Aunt Johanna's without much trouble. They kept us here for an extra day because they saw how tired we both were. I hope things have settled down for you both. With us gone, maybe you can have some peace and calm.

Traveling at night was a great idea. Please tell Poppa that the directions were very good, even in the dark. We had no trouble threading our way through the hills with his good details. We haven't had to use up any of the food you gave us as our hosts have fed us so very well. We are packing now for the next leg of our journey and will start out as the sun hides behind the hills.

Joseph and I had a good talk last night and we decided that as we travel we will sing some of the old songs we learned. "Do not fear, O Zion, do not let your hands grow weak", we both love that one. I think that's Poppa's favorite as well. Singing in the dark keeps us from hearing the noises that might scare us. All's we can hear are the ancient promises of our God.

love always,

Mary