It all started with God's love. For the love of their Creator some people have been willing to die for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There were three men across various stages of church history, all with the last name of Valentine, that gave up their lives because they wouldn't deny Christ. According to church tradition they all were martyred on February 14. The first was Valentine of Terni. We do not know what he did, but he was a bishop in the local church. He was martyred in AD 197. The next was Valentine of Rome. He was arrested for bringing aid to prisoners. He was martyred in AD 269. The third Valentine was martyred in Africa where he was a missionary. Because of the nature and location of his ministry, we do not know what year he passed away. In honor of these men the church formed Valentine's Day. It was a day to remember the sacrifice people were making to spread the message of Jesus all over the world. So why do we have a distorted version of Valentine's Day?
Well, it just so happened that in the Roman empire there was a pagan fertility festival that coincided with Valentine's Day. It did manage to stay pretty separate until Chaucer, the poet, was hired to write a poem celebrating the engagement of a royal couple. He wrote about love birds, engagement and Valentine's Day. That forever linked the two separate celebrations. I don't think there's anything wrong with Valentine's Day. I love Valentine's Day! But it is nice to know the true meaning behind it so that I can remember those who have given up their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Speaking of Valentine's Day, my family core had ours this past Saturday! It was wonderful. We spent all afternoon and evening together. In the afternoon we just ate lunch, relaxed and played a few games. Then after we had had a few hours of that, our brother core advisor announced that we had until 6 to get all dressed up and they would be taking us to town for dinner. They had reserved a rec. room at a local church and decorated it with Christmas lights for us. Dinner was awesome! They made spaghetti and meatballs with red velvet cake for dessert! By each of our plates was a heart shaped box of chocolates and a verse from Proverbs 31. It was a beautiful night! I loved every minute of it. I have the best brothers in the world!
I love you guys! You have been so faithful in your support! Without you, I would not be having experiences like this. You are a part of this year! So thank you very much. Right now I am $65 behind in my donation record. And I need to raise $990 for next month's payment. Plus, the Lord has told me that I am going to a country that desperately needs the Lord for my missions trip. I owe $1,250 by today (I didn't find out about the trip until very recently). If each of you were to donate as little as $20 it would go a long ways to spreading the gospel in the world! My ID number is 2664697. If you would like to donate to my Honor Academy account, the tab to the donate page on the website is at the top of the page. If you would like to donate to my missions trip go to www.globalexpeditions.com/donate. Thank you guys again so much! Again, without you I would not be able to be learning and ministering in the way I am now. You are such a blessing to me! Please, let me know how I can bless you! I would love to pray for you about anything! Love you guys!
-Renae Phillips
PS. Check out these pictures of our Valentine's Day dinner!
The brothers busy in the kitchen cooking for us!
The spaghetti and meatballs they made for us. It was soooo good!
All the sisters!!
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