Mary Letter Day Fifteen

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God,

 I put my trust in you; 

let me not be humiliated, 

nor let my enemies triumph over me. 

Let none who look to you be put to shame; 

let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes. 

Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths. 

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation; 

in you have I trusted all the day long. 

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, 

for they are from everlasting. 

Remember not the sins of my youth 

and my transgressions; 

remember me according to your love 

and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. 

Gracious and upright is the Lord; 

therefore he teaches sinners in his way. 

He guides the humble in doing right 

and teaches his way to the lowly.

All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness 

to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 25:1-9

Dearest Elizabeth,

We have been preparing all day and finally we seem to be ready for our trip to Bethlehem. A friend of Joseph came just a few minutes ago and packed up all our provisions. He will carry them on to his home where we will meet up with him, our supplies and the donkey. And we begin our walk tonight or tomorrow night. Auntie, I am both excited and scared! I have never traveled anywhere without Mama and Papa, let alone with my new husband! One minute I know it will be fine and the next minute I am thinking of all the things that can go wrong. I am a muddle of feelings. I wish you were here right now to comfort and guide me. Mama loves me so much, but she can't hold back the tears in her worries. I try to comfort her, but she knows how dangerous this will be for us. It's all too much!

Papa and Joseph have plotted out our trip quite well and are sure everything will be fine. We have places to rest and stay along the route with family and friends. They have contacted everyone and let them know our situation. They are most afraid of when we leave together. They fear that our neighbors will try to hurt us, especially me. They believe me to be the worst kind of sinner and Joseph too! I still wonder how faithful people can carry so much hate. Following the Lord means humility and not judging. We seemed to be surrounded by religious arrogance and judgement. Please pray for us as perfect plans are destined to go awry. 

Love,

Mary