Christmas Greetings 2014

 We all had a lot of fun one hot, sunny, Sunday afternoon staging this picture to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2015!






By the time the photo was taken, the water in the kiddie pool had reached a lukewarm temperature and half the ice cream in our cups had been eaten or melted, but we got a kick out of demonstrating the difference in the weather we experience here from our home of Pennsylvania!




As you can see, it's mighty difficult to get everyone truly smiling at the same time, but such is this phase of life!






Although there are differences between our Christmas celebrations in Malawi and PA, there are similarities as well....here are a few...

Walking through the Advent Season

same = Each Sunday approaching Christmas, we light a candle and remember God's promises and people leading up to Christ's birth through reading related stories in the Bible.

different = We didn't use an Advent wreath this year, but lanterns and nativity pieces.

Our Christmas Tree

same = We have one

different = It's fake :( 

Christmas Cookie Baking!

  same = We still make the same paintbrush cookies Becky made, growing up

FOOD

 

same = We eat at Christmas! I make my annual purchase of Philly cream cheese (when it turns up in the store) and freeze it (even though the package says not to) to bring out on Dec 24th to make a favorite German recipe for Christmas called Spiral Fruit Buns.

different = Enjoying LOTS of fresh mangoes (at dirt cheap prices) and pineapples, both just coming into season for Christmas each year.

same = We eat meat at Christmas...

different = It took three chickens to fill my small(!) roaster pan this year.  No 30-pound turkeys (or chickens) here, folks!!!  They were (all) delicious, though :)

same = We built gingerbread houses with some friends, amounting to more candy consumed than used for decorating and more icing bag squirting into mouths (when parents aren't looking) than landed on houses.  All very fun, though!

different = We made them from scratch.  If you're wondering, it takes 3-4 days to do such a crazy thing:
Day 1 - make dough and chill overnight, at least
Day 2 - bake pieces, let rest
Day 3 - construct houses allowing a few hours between walls and roof installation
Day 4 - DECORATE!!!

I dare say, we may pick up a kit to make next year when we're in PA!

Celebrating Jesus' Birth

Still getting lots of mileage out of the Fisher Price nativity set...
notice the dog and man with cell phone babysitting baby Jesus...
I guess some of the pieces didn't come with the original set :)

 same =  At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the hope of our salvation!

different = The weather is hot, we have a LOT of rain, everything is green outside (not white) and we really miss our family back home....BUT none of that can change our reason for celebrating! 

The Trash Man

 

The lighting of the Christ candle on Christmas day fills my heart with joy.  Sometimes my heart does a little jump, sometimes I want to sing and sometimes I am simply filled with resolution and contentment at the thought of God's fulfillment of prophecy and promise to send the Messiah -- Jesus -- the Light of the world.

"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world."

1 John 1:9

What a hope-filled, joyful message!
Where there is hurt -- healing
Where there is suffering -- hope
Where there is hunger -- satisfaction
Where there is sorrow -- joy
Where there is war -- peace
Where there is division -- fellowship
Where there is brokenness -- love
Where there is darkness -- light...true Light!

We sing "Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her king"...."Go tell it on the mountain...that Jesus Christ is born"...and we are filled with the excitement of letting all people hear the Good News that they, too, may see light in the darkness that surrounds them.

Then, as our family drove home from church on Christmas morning, we saw a man (likely on his way to/from church as well) sifting through our trash can which was placed at the end of our alley for pick-up (it doesn't always get picked up on schedule, so it remained there). 

What was there to be found in this wretched, reeking container, you ask?

Empty, crushed cartons, meat packaging, scraps of this and that -- nothing of use or worth (we know - we give away what is still useful for our housekeeper to sell).

What did he take away?


The plastic grocery bags we had put our trash in - those were still useful.  So, he dumped the trash out into the can and took the bags.

This was a sobering view as we approached our home to continue our Christmas celebration.  Although this man may or may not know of the Good News of Jesus Christ, he still struggles in the darkness of poverty.  Joy and Light have come - Jesus undoubtedly brought them, yet Jesus also dwelt with people in their darkness.  Sometimes he healed them or provided in their time of need, but he always showed the Way to God, the hope of salvation, the eternal healing and restoration from brokenness -- the way back to wholeness with God.

Often after witnessing poverty, I am left with more questions than answers or inspiration.

What am I doing to tell others of Jesus?
How can I dwell with others in darkness as Jesus did?
How does Christ want to use me to shine light into the darkness, even when I can't remove it?
What darkness do I still inhabit?
Where do I need to allow Christ's Light into my life?