Dear Reader:

For the first time since buying their mountain home… Honey and Mike are going to see how staying in the mountains goes during the winter months…a test run this year.

Since I haven’t made it up to Honey’s and the chapel for an entire year…I am thinking I would like to see the Chapel in the winter time…the only season I haven’t been in Trust, North Carolina. I imagine there is a deeper sense of stillness and peace during the more isolated winter months…refreshingly so.

It is “hope” that brings me, as well as, hundreds of other visitors and pilgrims, to this unique, little chapel nestled in the North Carolina mountains. From the moment I walked inside on a hot day in July 2010 I knew I was home. I could feel such a spiritual presence…something I had never experienced before. It is still that “something”…that hope…that keeps pulling me back again and again.

Yesterday I came across an email that I received from a Matt Oliver shortly before Christmas of 2012. It contained a message that made me realize the power and magnetism of the chapel. It is so powerful to some people that it can, literally, provide hope to someone on the other side of the world… who has only seen a painting on Facebook. A person who will most likely never see the chapel ‘upclose and personal.’ It is the magic of  St. Jude’s Chapel.

(It was Beverly Barutio’s hope that the little chapel would provide a safe refuge for reflection, healing, and prayer…this it does…but there is something so magical about this chapel…it provides hope for all who come looking for it. Isn’t that the greatest gift? Can anyone out there imagine living in a world without hope…it is inconceivable for most, if not all, of us.)

…Here is the first email I received from Matt on December 15, 2012…Because of authoring the blog, he mistakenly thought I was the owner of the chapel. Message:

Hi there, 

I have recently acquired an artwork which I have tracked down to be a picture of your chapel. If you are interested I’d love to email you a photo of the painting. Please send me your email. 

I remember being beyond excited …I quickly emailed Matt back and explained who I was and how excited I was about seeing the painting. Little did I realize that I was communicating with someone from New Zealand who had never been to St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope but was drawn to it from the painting.

The next day I heard back from Matt with this astonishing story of hope and faith…the foundations for Christmas.

Hi there

Attached are a couple of pictures, one from the artist when she posted it online, and the other from my wall, where is now sits as an inspiration. 

No, I have never been there, or seen it. The artist, Gerda Smit, posted the picture on facebook about a week ago. I saw it and it just spoke volumes to me, that no matter how tough things get (been going through one of those phases) the reason we believe is hope! Hope for a better life when we pass from this into the future. I guess I could say hope is why I have faith. In a world where I am bombarded by the requirement for absolute proof every day, having faith can be challenging, yet I know the moment God shows himself and provides the absolute proof there is no longer any need for faith.

Anyway, back to the picture. After securing the purchase I asked where it was from…thinking that it may have been small chapel nearby that I could go and see, and perhaps just contemplate in. She said it was St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope and that she painted it from a picture. I just did an internet search to put the pieces together. 

So there you have it, a tiny chapel, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, now hangs on the wall of a house literally half way around the world, in the North Island of New Zealand, where we have another wonderful summer morning, and promises of more sunny weather on the way! A white Christmas is something we’ll never see here. 

Hope you enjoy the picture, and never underestimate just how important a tiny chapel may be. 

Thanks, Matt.

………………………..

Isn’t that a most beautiful Christmas story…a story that tells of the influence of  one “tiny chapel” and how it can change a person’s life halfway around the world. Hope, faith, but the greatest of these is love. 

*Matt, My Christmas wish for you this year is happiness and good health and continued blessed hope! You will never know how inspirational your message to me four years ago has gone on to touch so many lives!

So until tomorrow…We never know when someone’s life is going to intercept ours and leave a lingering memory of the true meaning of Christmas.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Mandy opened up a Santa Workshop for the kids yesterday to keep them busy on a cold, rainy day. She had brought home some extra left-over art supplies and Eva Cate loved it.

Eva Cate’s cute little snow girl! Then using ‘model magic clay’ and cookie cutters the kids made Christmas ornaments.

While Eva Cate made ornaments and Christmas gifts…Rutledge had lunch with mom…and he was clearly “decked to the halls with boughs of holly.” What a handsome lunch date Mollie! He was practicing his letters for his name-good job!… while waiting for the food.

I had two adorable elves stop by and see me yesterday afternoon…Jo and Colby. They always bring a smile to my face! Love my surcies girls but most of all I love you two!!! Merry Christmas!

If you missed yesterday’s blog…my brother Ben’s book is on amazon.com now…just google the title and it will pull right up. We are all so excited! Or click on this link below:

Grace Under Fire: One Marine’s  Journeyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1540875032/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_FRQvyb9W5WZ6W