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The Song of Creation
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O God, by the leading of a star you manifested
your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence,
where we may see your glory face to face;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, pg 214 |
Nativity
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Picture taken by William Sebura at the home of Pamela Sebura, Albany, Indiana, December 2015.
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Vicky Patterson, Prayer Partner Coordinator
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I am honored to represent you on the National Council. I became a Daughter of the King over 17 years ago but was not active outside my chapter until 2011. My view of our roles as Daughters changed when I attended my first provincial fall retreat.
Spending a week with Sisters from Province IV opened my eyes to what it really means to be a Daughter of the King. Sure, we all know our Rule of Life; we know our duties of prayer, service, and evangelism. I learned we are part of a large network of Sisters who hold us close in prayer in good times and bad, help us strengthen our prayer life, and support those who are representing our Order on the international stage.
I returned home with a new appreciation of our Order and enthusiasm to spread the word. I have served as the Diocesan Assembly President for the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast and Province IV Board Member.
My duties on the National Council include being the Prayer Partner Coordinator for domestic/international chapters and serving on several other committees. I am excited to be a part of the Celebration Chapter and bonding with these precious women. I also look forward to meeting many of you during this Triennium.
Vicky Patterson
Prayer Partner Coordinator
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Cross+Links Editor
Assistant Editor
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Province Presidents
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Province I
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National Office
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or
770-517-8552
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My Profile
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Have you read all the Council members' introductions here in
Cross+Links over the past few months, or have you missed some? Would you like to read more about your National Council members? You can, if you have signed into your profile on the Order's website. (About the Order > National Council > National Council Biographies). Much more information is available to you than is available to the general public, but you have to be signed in to access it. Follow these instructions to sign in.
- Go to www.doknational.org
- Enter your USERNAME, which is your member #, (available on the mailing label of The Royal Cross) in the Username field in the Sign In box.
- Enter the temporary PASSWORD (dok12345).
- Click the Sign In button.
Once you are signed in, change your Username, change your password, record it for future reference, and enjoy the benefits. It is extremely important to change your password and record it.
Benefits of signing into your profile are:
- The Website automatically fills in your name, address and contact information for:
- The DOK Online Store
- Online forms
- You can update your own contact information (email, address, phone #) in your biography
- You can search for other Daughters under Resources > Find a Daughter
- You can type information directly into forms on the website, instead of printing and submitting the form
- You can view your invoice(s) for store orders or previous donations
- You can view and/or pay dues invoice(s)
Contact your chapter president, diocesan assembly president or province president for additional assistance.
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A Spiritual Retreat for Daughters in Guatemala
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| The Right Reverend Romero presenting at the retreat. |
I was invited to lead a spiritual retreat by The Reverend Roberto Armas, chaplain for the Santa Maria Magdalena Chapter in Quetzaltenango, and Mrs. Glenda de Cordon, President of Rocio de Angeles Chapter in Banañera, Guatemala. The retreat took place at the San Esteban Retreat Center in Mariscos. Daughters in the US may remember Mariscos because I collected funds to improve the compound and its buildings a few years ago.
Present at the retreat were eight members of the two chapters and their chaplains: Bishop Arreaza and Father Armas, and Mr. Juan Cordon. We spent Thursday night and Friday sharing from meditations about need-love, gift-love, affection and Divine love. Both chapters were inspired to seek ways to bring their chapters closer to each other, as well as to reach out in bringing others to become members of their chapters. More importantly, the retreat provided an opportunity to meet with Bishop Armando Guerra to seek guidance for the future of the Order in Guatemala and with other chapters in the Province of Central America. The retreat ended with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Bishop Virgilio Arreaza presiding.
Eva and I are grateful to the National Council of the Order of Daughters of the King® in providing funds for this retreat. This support, I know, will help and encourage these chapters to know that they are not alone on their journey to accomplish their mission as Daughters of the King in Guatemala.
The Right Reverend Sylvestre Romero
Past National Chaplain
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Self Denial Fund
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Residents and mamas say "Thank You."
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Happy New Year! 2016 promises to be a fantastic year with the focus on evangelism. Thanks to the Self Denial Fund (SDF), the Good News is spread across the USA and around the world in places such as Barundi, Brazil, China, the Dominican Republic, England, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria just to name a few! God's work is being accomplished all over the world in the name of Jesus Christ and for His sake because of your generosity! Read a thank you note from Charlene, a recipient of an SDF grant given to Solar Light of Africa.
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Solar Light Panels helping light orphan's homes
at Restoration Gateway, Uganda.
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"Thank you so very much for your donation from the SDF to Solar Light for Africa. This summer, we were able to complete our project of light in all of the occupied orphan homes at Restoration Gateway! In the few days we were there at R.G., we were able to light nine of the homes and give them clear, bright reliable light. The mamas and children were so thrilled to receive this gift of light. Here in the States, we don't often think about the importance of light and the difference it can make to a home without power. They were really excited about now having light in their bathrooms. I found a number of mamas singing praise songs from the shower at night! We were also able to furnish solar power lanterns for the mamas and teachers so they can move around safely at night and also charge their cell phones. They were also very appreciative of our work in their homes and the donation of portable lanterns. Thank you so much for partnering with us as we give them a step up in their lives. God bless. Charlene"
This is just one of many ways that Daughters are helping to spread the Good News. If you are motivated to give to the SDF, you can donate online on the
Donation Page, or you can send a check to the National Office with SDF on the memo line. Thank you for praying and giving generously to the Self Denial Fund.
Chesley Vohden
Self Denial Fund Chair
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Safe to Sleep
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Daughters from two Chapters in Springfield, Missouri, have volunteered with the Safe to Sleep project, sponsored by the Council of Churches in the Ozarks. The Daughters are helping to give homeless women food, coffee and water; they help them do laundry, take showers, and get their area ready for sleep.
The "Safe to Sleep" project provides safe, temporary, overnight shelter for women, in an atmosphere of dignity, harmony and compassion. These women are homeless; some of them do have jobs but cannot afford apartments or homes.
Until they show up at 7:00 PM, we have no idea how many people will be at the shelter, though more women come during the cold weather months. Before admission, women are assessed and receive information about what is expected of them. They must be 18 or older and no alcohol or illegal drugs are allowed. Often the women are alone, frightened and traumatized looking for safety.
One woman wrote: "I finally got my disability, Medicaid, started getting my meds and saw several doctors. I had a total knee replacement. The girlfriend I was staying with became angry one evening and dumped some of my stuff in the trash. She assaulted me terribly, actually dragged me across the neighbor's yard on my recovering knee. I ended up back in the hospital with nowhere to go, so I slept in my car with no tags and a broken tail light. Someone at the Veterans Administration told me about Safe to Sleep. Last night was the first time I felt safe enough to sleep all night and I was also warm. Thank you volunteers and thank you Jesus."
Marilyn Vinson McAfee
Service & Evangelism Chair
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The Christmas bustle is over and now we are facing those New Years' resolutions we made. Once January 1st comes, we make resolutions we fail to keep. Common New Year's resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. If you're like many of us, by the end of January you've already begun to break those promises that seemed so manageable just a few weeks earlier. Why do we seem so incapable of accomplishing a goal that we set for ourselves and that we truly desire? Part of the answer has to do with what our real focus is all about.
Winter is not an ideal season to successfully execute big changes. We can face the darkness of winter and not wanting to go outside in the cold, causing depression and failing to exercise daily. Taking a half an hour a day for meditation decreases slips. We know ourselves well enough to realize that we often resist change, and we need a spiritual practice to reinforce our desired behavior. Spend some time in prayer and reflection about what is happening in your life, what changes you would like to make for yourself and those around you, and what might be the long-term consequence of this new direction. Ask God to help you sort through the desires that might be based on ego or vanity and those that will help you come closer to whom you really are and your purpose in life.
Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) rely on God's strength to help you; (4) find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) don't become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; (6) don't become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."
As Daughters of the King, let us take the stand to keep our resolutions and keep the light of Christ shining and be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. Each of us plugs into it at the particular level of our own assimilation of this light, or the light's assimilation of us, depending on which way you want to look at this. God will walk with us wherever we are.
Happy New Year All!
Janet Papa
Province II President
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Where I Saw God
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Photo taken Winter 2015 at Saint Mary of the Woods College, St Mary of the Woods, Indiana.
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Self Denial Fund Prayer
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O God, who summons the church and her faithful
to be the messenger of Your Gospel, receive the gifts of Your Daughters
to hasten Your message of Love to the ends of the earth.
Open our hearts and enable our service to reflect Your glory,
awakening the light of Your presence in the lives of others.
In Your name, our Lord and King, Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves and our petitions. AMEN.
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Thank you for Subscribing!
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| Thank you for subscribing to our monthly electronic monthly newsletter, Cross+Links. In this communication you will receive information about The Order of the Daughters of the King® that complements our quarterly publication, The Royal Cross. Please encourage other Daughters, clergy and interested people to become subscribers as well. Over 4,500 email recipients are now signed up to receive Cross+Links!
When you use the link above to forward this issue you can be sure the version your friend receives will look just the same as this one. Thank you for spreading the word!
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