Fr Themis Christmas message - Christmas Rice sprinkled with the Love of Jesus

[PK4A]

  Remember the poor this Christmas. Help Rev Themi help the Poor.

 Thank you to all who have helped so far with your kind gifts, helping to send "Rice  for the Poor" in EBOLA stricken Sierra Leone. So far you have raised via Paypal  1518 bags plus 4000 bags from 2 corporate donors whom wish to remain  anonymous.

 We are just over half way our target, so please Consider Buying a bag or more of  Rice. For just $10 usd P4K can send a 10 kg bag of rice delivered to Rev Themi  and the people he serves.
 Read Fr Themis Christmas message below and know how blessed we are living in  where we do, and while we all celebrate this Christmas and the New Year season, let us think about Fr Themi and his work and help him to help the poor . 

Choose between 1 Bag up to 200 Bags of rice safe and secure with Paypal using you Credit Card. Please note currency is US Dollars and NOT Tax Deductible  5574 bags funded so far(17/12/2014)  Target 10,000 Bags before Christmas ​CLICK HERE to HELP and BUY a BAG of RICE​

Fr Themis Christmas Message - Celebrating Christmas & New Year in a War Zone

 

“Our nation is at war with a vicious enemy.” (E.B. Koroma, President of Sierra Leone, 17 / 12 / 14).
Except for going to church services all the population of Sierra Leone must stay home this Christmas and New Year. We will be under a semi - lock-down mode the for the Festive Season. No restaurants, no sporting events, no public celebrations, no wedding receptions, no street celebrations, all shops must close on weekdays by 6.00 PM, by noon of Saturdays and no trading on Sundays .

 

Indeed the army will be out in force to enforce this. Violators will face the full weight of the law. Why? Are we facing some sort of anti-Christian campaign? No! Then why these draconian measures during the Holy Season? The simple yet tragic answer is that this nation is at war again.
Jut as ten times in the last twenty years this nation is at war again through Christmas and New Year; But this time there are no AK 47s or bullets killing innocent people; This time there are no rebel forces invading cities, towns and villages and amputating arms and legs.
This time the enemy asks no questions, takes no prisoners and is totally indiscriminate in its killing spree. This time the enemy is silent, invisible and even deadlier. This time there can be no truce or treaties it’s a zero-sum situation. This time the enemy is a virus – a vicious and deadly hemorrhagic fever virus called Ebola!
For this reason and by Government decree all Christmas and New Year celebrations have been cancelled in order to avoid the gathering of a crowd of people in enclosed spaces and thus limiting the risk of body contact – the essential source of Ebola contamination.

 

When I first heard this new decree my initial instinctive reaction was negative. But then I reconsidered the situation from a purely spiritual perspective. What is the true meaning of Christmas? Is it about street dancing? Is it about wild parties? Is it about getting drunk? Is it about carousing all night? Or as the habit here, a street parade by the native “Devil people?” Perhaps these rigorous measure may be an unintended blessing in disguise. By removing all thee unnecessary commercial and un

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spiritual layers from this Christmas and New Year in Sierra Leone, we may finally have a purer celebration of the Nativity of Christ in a sober and sensible manner where the opportunity to focus and reflect upon the essential meaning of the Bethlehem Event.
Those of you who are reading this in other countries please consider not to get caught up in the commercialization trivialization, degradation and secularization of Christmas which aims to displace the Holy Child of Bethlehem from center stage by Coca Cola’s “Father Christmas,” reindeer's, fir trees accompanied by drunkenness, eating marathons and improper behavior
In a world of increasing uncertainty, declining moral standards and selfishness let us cling to the eternal and unchanging truths, let try to keep this Christmas holy! Like the Wise Men let us worship Christ! Let us also help the less fortunate! In other words let us bring back the authentic expression of Christmas.

 

To those who have helped and are continuing to help our Orthodox Mission in Sierra Leone, our sponsors (P4K  Australia; P4K  USA; St. Comas the Aetolian Missionary Alliance / Greece & Fraternity of External Orthodox Missions / Greece) as well as the individual donors,

​you are constantly in my prayers, ​

kindly accept on behalf of all our people here a warm note of gratitude.

The blessings of Christ be upon you.
+ (Archimandrite) Themistocles
Freetown, Sierra Leone

P.S

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