My team is beyond blessed to be spending Christmas at a children’s home in the Philippines. First of all, the Philippines loves Christmas just as much as we do in the U.S. As soon as we stepped off the plane we saw decorations all over the airport and we knew it was going to be a happy holiday season. In many ways, it has been similar to a usual Christmas at home. My team has a 6ft tall Christmas tree in our room with bows and ornaments. We have been spending a good bit of time at the department store in town, shopping for presents for about 25 kids. The day before Christmas Eve we wrapped all the presents and had the joy of seeing them all opened on the night of Christmas Eve. Sharing Christmas with these kids really can’t compare to any holiday we would experience at home.
Still we are reminded daily that Christmas on the other side of the world is happening without us, that we are “missing out.” Our Facebook newsfeeds are proof enough of that. We don’t get to dress up nice and go to a church service in English. We don’t get to open our own gifts underneath the tree on Christmas day. Instead we’re hanging out in a hotel lobby that has free wifi so we can talk to our families. We will not have Christmas dinner with our family’s special recipes. It is a very different kind of Christmas.
Yet God knew exactly what we needed by bringing us to Malaybalay. He knew we would be homesick so he gave us a Christmas tree and Christmas parties and wrapping paper. He knew we would need cheering up after spending a week in a disaster area so he gave us 25 kids to love us for a couple weeks. He knew we would need rest so he gave us our own room with plenty of space and plenty of free time as well. He even knew that we were tired of sleeping in puddles of sweat every night, so He brought us to the mountains where the days are warm and the nights are cool. We are beyond blessed to be here, and I can’t wait to see what the New Year brings in 2014! Merry Christmas!
If you are feeling generous this holiday season, please consider donating to my support account, as I still need about $4000 by February.
