Christmas this year looked very different than a normal Christmas back home. For starters, it is summertime in Argentina and the days leading up to Christmas were very hot (think 90+ degrees and no air conditioning). Instead of spending lots of time with family, I was thousands of miles away from home and family. Instead of participating in family traditions, I was participating in Argentine traditions. I was expecting to be homesick over Christmas, but to my pleasant surprise I really enjoyed the day. It helped a lot that this month was all-squad month, so I was surrounded by my World Race family.
On Christmas Eve, we were able to visit a local hospital to “spread some Christmas cheer”. We got to talk and pray with the patients. Some of the guys on the squad brought their guitars and we held a worship session in the lobby of the hospital. Later that evening we experienced a crazy dust storm. The storm moved in super-fast. One minute the sky was blue with only a hint of a storm on the horizon, and within just a few minutes the sky was totally gray, and the wind was swirling dust everywhere. The power went out as dusk was approaching. My teammate, April, brought out her guitar and lead several of us in worship for almost an hour. This hour served to calm and center us amidst all the chaos outside. The storm also had a very cooling effect, which was a welcome relief from the intense heat.
In Argentina, people typically eat dinner very late, usually not until around midnight. Fortunately, our hosts have accommodated us this month with an earlier dinner time. However, in true Argentine fashion, our big Christmas Eve dinner celebration started at midnight (which was actually Christmas day!). We celebrated with all the YWAM staff and their families. We were blessed with a delicious feast and then we participated in a secret Santa gift exchange. Christmas Eve was so much fun but also super exhausting. I didn’t end up going to bed until 3:00am.
The next morning everyone slept in and enjoyed a very slow day. I played a game called Dutch Blitz for several hours with some friends. I had never played before and quickly became a big fan! In the evening, I played soccer for a couple of hours with YWAM staff and fellow racers. It was a very relaxing, but fun day! I stayed busy enough and was surrounded by so many people that I didn’t have too much time to think about all that I was missing back home.
In the evening there was another late-night Christmas feast. This dinner was an asado (an Argentine barbeque). However, as I was still very tired from the previous night, I chose to go to bed at 10:00 – a full two hours before dinner started! One of my teammates saved me a plate though, so I still got to try the food and it was delicious!
On another note, I recently became fully funded!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me on this journey! I am so grateful for all of you!
Blessings to you in this new year,
Catherine
