12/24/12
it's Christmas eve.
It's Christmas eve, and I am thousands of miles away from home in a country that all but ignores the holiday.
In a few hours, my family will be waking up in Los Angeles(it's about midnight there now). My grandpa and grandma will probably be up earlier than everyone else, getting right to work in the kitchen(Grandpa might be moving a bit slower this year, due to his heart surgery that happened on the tenth). Then, my mom and siblings will wake up, eat breakfast, and start getting the rest of the house ready for the family to arrive. My aunts and uncles and most of my cousins (including my cousins Garrett and Alyanna, who recently gave birth to the first great-grandchild!) will be there for our big Italian Christmas eve. There will be lasagna and cannolis, deli meat sandwiches and enough finger food to constitute a meal itself. They'll all sit together in the living room after dinner, sing Christmas carols, and Grandpa will read the Nativity story in Luke. Then, he'll sit back and share with the family how blessed he and Grandma are to have them there, what a good life God has given him, and how he's grateful to have had another year.
Grandpa 
Tomorrow morning, my Grandparents, my mom, and my siblings will exchange gifts. Grandpa will be in the kitchen pretty much all day (again) making Christmas dinner-the American version as opposed to Italian. It will undoubtedly be a beautiful day, filled with love and laughter and gratitude to God for His greatest gift; our Jesus.
Here, it's 4 PM. I'm staying in with my sisters (my team) watching Christmas movies. We just finished cleaning the house. Later, we're planning on making homemade fried chicken and watching Chronicles of Narnia. Yesterday, we went to “underground church” (which, incidentally, is not literally underground) and celebrated with believers from ALL over the world. We sang Christmas songs in worship(in English, Russian, Korean, and Chinese), ate a conglomeration of dishes from China, Korea, Europe, and America. One of our girls even received a VERY special Christmas gift; the gift of praying in tongues. We were also incredibly blessed by a brother who came and prayed over each of us, prophesying and speaking life over us. We split off into small groups and not only read, but acted out the story of the birth of Jesus (I got to be Mary and recite her Magnificat). It was Christmas unlike I've ever experienced it, yet so similar to how it's always been; filled with laughter and family and the love of Jesus.
Even though I find myself a little homesick today, I feel surrounded by that love. My family in the states, my brothers and sisters from Kazakhstan, Korea, Britain and China, and my sisters that are here with me now…we're held together this day and every day by the love of our Father. Love so great as to send His own into the world to make us His own.
It's Christmas eve.
It's Christmas eve, and I'm in a place that by the grace of God and despite all the vain efforts of man, is filled with the very Spirit of Christmas.
Blessings from Asia,
Anna
