Mrs. Mac's Christmas Gifts

     Dear friends, it is Christmas once again and time to share some of my favorite gifts. Some of my gifts you can hold in your hands and others are just for the heart and soul.
     My favorite of all the gifts is FRIENDSHIP. Over the many years of persecution and struggles to survive in Schwarzenau, we always had a very close fellowship with the other members of our church. We would meet and study the New Testament as often as was possible. My husband would often baptize new members in the local streams. As the new Dunkard church grew in members, so did my number of friends. The Holy Kiss was often shared among the Dunkards as they greeted each other with a hug.
     My second gift of Christmas would be the JOY found in our worship services. We spent many hours singing the hymns that our members wrote. Even my husband is known for a hymn he wrote called "Count Well the Cost." Sometimes our service
included Love Feast and Communion as well as lots of prayer, scripture reading, and discussion. Lighting candles was often a part of our services, because we believe Jesus was the light of the world.
     My third gift of Christmas would be the feeling of PEACE that we received when we came to the new world. For many years we did not know what would happen to us as we traveled to different places in Europe to try and get away from the persecution, horrors of war, military requisitions, and family tragedies. We spent many years in Holland before we could come to America. The Quakers who lived in America were peace loving people who had much in common with us. We had some problems with the Indians, but once they realized that we were more friend than enemy, they gradually came to accept us as friends who they could trust.
     My fourth and last gift of Christmas is SHARING. The Dunkards are a very caring and giving group of people who believe that a part of our way of living should be of service to our fellow man. Many Dunkards spend their lives serving God by taking care of the sick, finding ways to help people grow food, and feeding them. They spend time teaching in many parts of the world and preaching anywhere they can find a group of people who are willing to listen to their message of the gospels. The Dunkards have been sharing with others since the beginning of their organization. I hope that you will find a way to share with others during this Christmas season, and that my gifts of Christmas will inspire you to create your own favorite gifts of Christmas.