• 1993: What a success and blessing this was.  We had two evenings scheduled; the first one was rained out, but God was gracious and the second night we were able to  present the program.  Approx. 150-175 persons attended

• 1994:  The Lord answered our prayers and held off the rain.  They were calling for heavy rain.  Late afternoon Jim Duncan on Channel 12 news said, "There is a V over central Virginia where there is no rain!"  That V was over us!  The second the program was finished it started raining!  One lady told me, "I thought I understood Christmas but now I have a whole new perspective."  Had a good crowd of 225-250 persons.

• 1995:  The Lord blessed our evening with wonderful weather, but it was COLD!  There was a breeze blowing, and the angels looked like they were truly hovering in the air.  Had 250 persons attending.

• 1996:  We had a perfect evening; wasn't cold, no rain and almost a full moon was shining.  We had around 225 persons in attendance.

Some remarks: 

• "It was wonderful.  Each year it keeps getting better and better."
• "I don't need any other Christmas."
• "I have seen a lot of nativities, but this is the best by far."

• 1997:  What an absolutely perfect evening.  It was warm and dry all week.  I believe this was the nicest evening yet.  Thank you, God,  for answering our prayer.  We figure we had 300 persons in attendance. This week an older lady from our church, Polly Berry, was killed in a car accident.  She was so excited about coming to the nativity this year, for she had never been here as she was afraid of stumbling on uneven ground.  I had told her that they could drive in and drop her off close to the stable.  She was so happy.  On Wednesday she, along with two other ladies, went shopping in Farmville and had a fun day together.  Coming home just about dusk, Polly said, "I wonder if the star is on?"  It was, and she exclaimed, "Oh, isn't that soooooooooo beautiful!"  Several hours later she was dead.  She had the grandstand view from on high this year!.

• 1998:  The Lord was gracious once again this year.  They were calling for heavy rain.  The skies were dark gray all day, but several times the sun peeked through for a few seconds as if to say, "Rain will wait!"  The morning was damp and raw, but by afternoon it was much warmer. The evening was perfect.  Not cold and no rain until we were cleaning up afterwards, and then it started to sprinkle.  Again this year we had a huge crowd, 300 plus.  Later in the week, Jill was over at a friend's house babysitting, and the children wanted to act out the Christmas story.  They imitated the nativity down to the small details.  It struck me the impression this has made on young children.  This is how they visualize the story!

• 1999:  Each year we pray that God will receive all the glory and that HIS story will be told.  Tonight was no exception.  It rained-misted all day and was foggy. I kept praying that it would stop and allow us to give it. I had peace in my spirit and refused to cancel the program. At 4 P.M. the rain stopped.  We had a perfectly gorgeous, slightly foggy, half-moon lit evening.  The crowd was slightly smaller than usual-maybe 250- as some thought it was cancelled.  We found out that it was raining in Amelia, on 522, and at Flatrock--in fact,  it rained all around up to within 2 miles of us. It was like we were in the hole in the middle of a doughnut.    All we can say is "We give God thanks for allowing HIS STORY to be told."

• 2000:  Once again we give God thanks for a gorgeous evening.  It couldn't have been timed better, as the evening was sandwiched  between a very windy, rainy weekend and a snowy Tuesday.  We had a big crowd of 300+ persons.  I never cease to be amazed at how beautiful the angels are in their pure white robes against  the black night.  One man brought his friend's children as they didn't know the story of Jesus' birth.  Others make it a part of their  annual Christmas ritual. 

• 2001:  What a beautiful evening.  The evening was almost cold with a slight breeze blowing.  The crowd keeps growing and growing.  We estimated 350 plus.  It was too many to count!!  One man said to me this year, "I want you to know this is our Christmas!  Each year we bring our children.  Thank you for what you do."   Our second grandchild, baby Lauren, was born December 20th.  As I watched my daughter-in-law heavy with child, I had to think of another mother 2000 years ago.  Her road to the birthing room was by way of a lumpy, poky donkey.  The attendants, just her inexperienced husband and a few smelly animals.  But the Lord God himself was present;  it was His Son being born.  This year our "Joseph" sang "Joseph's Song".  It was very touching and meaningful.

 This year we served hot chocolate and gave our candy canes attached to the story of the candy cane.

• 2002: Again this year we had a gorgeous evening complete with stars shining and a full moon. But the day was a frazzled one for me!!  Last week we had snow and ice which left the ground saturated with water.  This week was beautiful and in the 50's but Thursday evening it started to rain again.  This morning it poured and poured rain.  It was 1 p.m. before we were able to make the decision to move forward with plans.  It turned out to be a warm, sunny afternoon but I had LOTS to do to get ready.  Parking became our real challenge as the fields were too wet.  The funeral home across the road graciously consented to parking on their lot.  The sheriff's office put our flares and directed traffic. It worked out fine and even though people had to walk a little further, no one complained.  So once again we give God thanks for allowing His story to be told. 

We had a huge crowd, to many to count!  Again this year we served hot chocolate and gave out candy canes. One person said, "This was the loveliest nativity I have ever seen."  Our goal it to keep it simply and as Biblical as possible.  May God be honored in the story and glorified in it's beauty.

• 2003: (The 10th annual) This year I did not even have to fret or worry about the weather.  For a week the forecast was for a beautiful day and it was.  In fact it was probably one of the nicest in the whole month.  The temperature got up into the 60's during the day and there was a pleasant breeze blowing in the evening.

We had approximately 300 at the first (7 PM) program.  It was so many people that those on the edges had trouble seeing.  There was probably 100 at the second (8 PM) program.

Distraction:  Midway though the 8 PM program one of the speakers fell backwards off the table.  No damage done-nothing came unhooked.  I picked up the speaker and set it back on the table.  When I did I apparently bumped the electrical control panel on the table and it bumped the on/off tape deck button on my stereo system.  The sound system went dead right just before the end of the angels chorography!   Several men came to my rescue and as we were trying to figure out what had happened a lady came up and said one of the torches  by the stable was on fire.  One man tried to carry the torch away but it got the best of him and he had to drop it on the ground.  The grass started catching on fire but between  stomping it and covering it with a mat we got everything under control.  Finally we found the problem with the sound system and the program continued.  

Several things impressed me.  No one panicked, yelled or moved.  Only those who needed to help me did and everyone else stayed calm.  Even the youth stayed in their positions and when the music came back on the angels finished the last few lines of music and the program continued as if nothing had gone wrong.  I was grateful to God for his protection, the fire could have been bad.  If the speaker had not fallen first the shepherds would have been at the stable and with their long robes and head pieces one of them could have gotten into harms way with the fire.

At the close we always have someone lead in prayer.  Miles Pruett, youth leader, had the prayer for the 2nd program.  He made a timely correlation between what happened and Christmas. He thanked everyone for their patience with the distraction.  He said, "It is so easy at Christmas to let distractions take our eyes off the true meaning of Christmas.  Sometimes we have to just pause, regroup, and refocus."  Thank you God for the object lesson!  

A worship experience:  Several weeks prior to the nativity I was at the local drug store and a  lady asked me when our nativity was going to be. Then she said, "I really like your nativity, it is my favorite.  It is so well done.  But, it is more than that." She paused, thought, and then said, "It is a holy time.  A worship experience." I told her that was the best compliment anyone has ever given me.  That is what we want.  A holy time.  A time of worship and remembrance to God for his precious gift, his son Jesus.

This year we had one of the angels (Carmen Lehman) come to the stable and "signed" the first verse of "Silent Night" while Mary and Joseph cuddled the baby.  Carmen does a beautiful job with sign language to music but more importantly she has the gift of making it a worship experience with the focus on God.   

• 2004: (11th year) This year the weather was mild and very nice.   This year Andy and Amanda Powell were Mary and Joseph.  Amanda sang a song "Breathe of Heaven" to Jesus.  It was beautiful.  Thank you Jesus for a lovely evening to celebrate your birth.

• 2005:  (12th year)  Canceled.  This is the first time we have had to cancel and it was very disappointing to me.  It snowed a good 4" on Monday and it has been COLD all week.  Thursday night we got some sleet and ice.  Friday it warmed up some and snow really melted but on Saturday there was still snow on the ground and roofs and everything was VERY MUDDY.  It would have made a big mess.  

• 2006: (13th year) This was a beautiful week and a perfectly gorgeous evening.  The unseasonably mild weather made it a pleasant experience for all involved. We estimate we had a crowd of 400 people.  This year we were blessed with a "live" baby Jesus.  On of the workers at the stable had a precious, month old baby which they offered to us to use.