Christmas
is still Christmas, even when you’re thousands of miles from home.
Christmas is still Christmas, even when there’s no snow. Christmas is
still Christmas, even when you eat rice for two meals. Christmas is
still Christmas, even when presents are limited. Christmas is still
Christmas, even when you get woken up by a rooster. Christmas is
still Christmas, even when your tree is made from a mosquito net.
Christmas is still Christmas because of Jesus.
On
one hand, it was harder to focus on Jesus this year because I was
missing the awe of the whole season. I was still living life day in
and day out. Nothing changed in preparation for it. Aside from our
decorations, we still had children staring at us all the time. We
still had to teach English class. We still had to help prepare the
church.
On
the other hand, it was easier to focus on Jesus because I missed the
materialism that now surrounds the holiday. There were no last minute
shopping trips, no hectic schedules, no dinners to plan. I spent some
time this Christmas looking at Jesus’ birth through new eyes, and I
liked what I saw.
I
know these thoughts are voiced a little bit after the Christmas
season, but shouldn’t we celebrate it all year long? Without the
birth, there would have been no death. Without the death, no chance
for us to truly live. We should be praising God for this every day!
hard as it was for me to be away from home this Christmas, I learned
a lot of things that I will not soon forget. My mind keeps going back
to what I talked about in my last blog (if you haven’t read that yet,
do it now!) and I’m realizing how limited those thoughts even are!
Everything I know, everything I believe, is just scratching the
surface to so much more! I want to go deeper. I want to know more. I
want to truly figure out who this Jesus is, and what He has planned
for my life. I want Him to use me in new ways, even though it scares
me. I want to explore His life, His love.
had the joy of participating in the Christmas service at church. The
decorations and program were nothing like what I’m used to, but it
was beautiful (again, see previous blog). There was an adults service
in the morning, which was a HUGE community outreach, as there are
only 5 adults who regularly attend the church. It was incredible to
see the building packed with families. In the afternoon, there was a
youth service, which was full of comedy and fun. They have such a joy
for Jesus! For most of the day, I had absolutely no idea what was
going on, as nearly everything was done in Khmer, but it was still
great to be a part of!
