Rejoicing in Christmas

Since coming to Mozambique, this is the first Christmas that we don’t have something “extra special” planned.  This year there is no visitors or no trips.  This year it’s going to just be us, here at home.  We have a couple of boxes from family and friends in the states and a couple heading our way so we have something special.  But this Christmas looks so different.  No holiday gathers with family, no Christmas eve carol singing (We did ours here at the beginning of Dec when people are still around).  Yes, Christmas looks different this year. 

Since Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday I was feeling a little sad about not having more “excitement” planned.  Then the Lord spoke to my heart reminding me that Christmas is a time of rejoicing and being thankful.  Being thankful and rejoicing are a choice. It’s not based on what is happening or what is not happening; it’s a choice to rejoice no matter the circumstances.  So I choose to rejoice.

While I miss my family during this holiday season, I choose to rejoice and celebrate the friends that God has given me here.  While I will miss the snow this year, I choose to rejoice that the rain has come to quench this dry land.  The rains of life replenishing the ground so people can grow gardens and have food to eat.  So I will praise God for the rain.  While I will miss the “Christmas feel” the states offer, I will choose to rejoice in the fact that God is anywhere in the world.  While I will miss the beauty of everything done up in lights, I will treasure and rejoice in the Christmas projects my kids do and decorations in my living room. 

Alissa's Nativity that she made this year all by herself.

  Because Christmas is about Jesus, the best gift ever.  So I will rejoice in the greatest gift ever.  I will be thankful for my many blessings and rest in the fact that I know I’m exactly where God wants me right now. So I will rejoice in celebration of my Savior's birth, Christmas, this year.

School Day Fun

This year we are home schooling due to health concerns of our son.  While it's been an "interesting" adjustment and is a lot of work, there are days that we get to do really fun activities to add excitement to school.  Here are some pictures for recent school days.

Dress Up Day

Justin was suppose to dress up to represent a letter of the Alphabet.  Of course the girls wanted to join in the fun.

Justin: Court Jester

Alissa and Kayla: Princesses

Later Justin decided he wanted to be dress like a King.  He also wanted to show off his crystals that he made in this picture.

Cave Paintings

In Social Studies, we have been studying about people leaving their stories on the wall of caves for future generations.  The project called for acrylic paint, not something that is easy to find here.  But red dirt is all over.  So we mixed up red dirt and water and started our painting.

Starting to work on their "cave paintings" on crumpled paper bag

Painting different scenes from their life

Baseball Mozambique Style

I hear them playing outside.  This is what I saw.  It made me smile.

Sunday Evening Carol Sing

Well, the weather outside is frightful

And the heat is so spiteful

Since we have no place to go

Turn the air con way down low

Ok, so that is not exactly how the song goes, but well, here it’s hot.  With sweat a constant companion and one must constantly be drinking to stay hydrated, it’s hard for this Midwest girl to really believe that Christmas is just around the corner.  There are no signs in town yet of Christmas coming, although I’m sure soon there will be a few places with decorations. Yet, the calendar doesn't lie.  The calendar says that in just 14 days it will be Christmas.  So even though it’s hot and it just doesn't “feel” like the Christmas season, we have started playing Christmas music.  Hopefully this week our decorations will get put up.  We did have a very special treat last Sunday night at the English Fellowship.  It was a night of singing Christmas Carols.

   Conrad has agreed to lead the worship part to the English Fellowship service every week.  I usually help out some way, sometimes it’s playing violin and other times it’s running the power point.  It’s a way that we feel we can bless others. I remember the first Sunday here and being able to sing in my heart language (English) after spending 10 months worshiping only in Portuguese.  Tears flowed down my face.  The words were familiar and I could just worship without making sure I knew what was being said by translating everything in my head.  Recently, we heard of a young man between 10-12 ,who has asked his family to come every Sunday night so he could worship in the language of his heart too.   So we do believe it is filling a need here among the English speaking Christian community.  Since Conrad is in charge of music, we decided to do one night of carol singing this year.  Originally, the carol sing had been planned to be right before Christmas.  But since we wanted to have another missionary who plays piano join us, this last Sunday was the only Sunday this month that worked for both of us.  So we planned an evening of singing Christmas Carols with the Christmas Scriptures read amongst the songs.   I put up a few Christmas decorations to help “set” the mood inside the room.   It was such a special night as even in the heat, we could celebrate the birth of our Savior and the reason that we are all here.  Without Jesus’ birth, there would be no reason for me to be in Mozambique. 

   While the weather outside doesn't remind me of Christmas, Christmas is coming.  Christmas is a time of celebrating the birth of a child named Emmanuel that changed the world forever with His sacrifice on the cross 33 years later.  So even in the heat I will hang my Christmas lights, put up the tree, work with the kids on memorizing Luke 2, and be thankful that God was willing to send His only Son to the world to save me from my sins. 

As you entered the room

This was in the front.  Alissa helped put the decorations on the tree and set up the nativity.  She was soooo pleased with how it turned out.

Thanksgiving

While the calendar says that it’s Thanksgiving, I have a hard time really believing it here in Mozambique.  Here it’s hot and dry.  There are no signs of Thanksgiving.  No pretty napkins in the store, no corn candy to buy, no signs talking about it, no specials on turkey, yet the calendar still says it’s Thanksgiving. 

Celebrating a very “American” holiday in a culture that doesn’t is always a little interesting.  But as I look at this particular American holiday, I feel it’s important to pass on the art of being thankful.  No matter where you are living, you can still be thankful.  On Sunday night at the English Fellowship, we were reminded that being thankfully is not just an American idea due to a holiday.  But it’s all through the writings of Paul.  While we live in a culture that isn’t taught to express thanks to others, I will teach my children and practice it myself.  Why?  Because God instructs us to be thankful in all situations. (1 Thes. 5:18)   

So even though the weather was seasonably hot, culturally it’s not a holiday here, and there was not turkey for the meal, we gathered with a small group of friends and celebrated.  We did have some American treats though with stuffing, green beans with mushroom sauce, and pumpkin pie.   We even got to watch some American football, thanks to a previously recorded game and a projector.   It was a special day and I’m so thankful for the many blessings God has given me.

the kids' table

the fellowship

the location

the entertainment: American college football

the hosts

While the adults watched football, the kids had a great time playing outside.  The meal was hosted by a family living on the Wycliffe compound.

Justin enjoying the good climbing tree.

Playing in the fort that a number of missionary kids are helping to build.

It is very important that you sweep your dirt here as a way of keeping the place looking nice.  As I was walking back from the "fort", these sweeper marks in the dirt caught my attention.

Things I’m thankful for:

• Knowing that God loves and cares for us no matter where in the world we are
• An amazing husband that loves me just the way I am, even with all my uniqueness
• Our children that God has blessed us with
• Christian family in that states that bless us to serve here even though it’s a sacrifice for them too.
• Friends that are a special part of our life here in Mozambique
• That I’m part of something bigger than myself, I’m part of what God is doing in the world.  Since He is the creator, He also never makes a mistake and I can rest in Him.