Christmas looked different this year.
No getting up early, running downstairs and waiting for mom and dad to get up so me and my siblings could open presents. No gathering around by the fire because it’s freezing outside. No hanging out with the grandparents and cousins.
Nope. None of that this year. Instead, I’m in Ecuador on a mountain where I had a bomb breakfast and opened the sweetest gifts from the sweetest squad mates. One of my teammates stalked my parents on Facebook and printed out pictures of my family and friends so that way i’d have them to hang on my wall at home. I promise I balled my eyes out. It was the sweetest thing anyone could have given me on this day.
Yes, I miss home and if I could be there I would. By being here though it made me see Christmas differently. It made me thankful for God sending His one and only Son so that we could have such a special day to celebrate. It made me realize how blessed I am to be surrounded by the people I love. It made me realize how truly blessed I am to be picked on by my brothers.
However, I know I’m here for a reason. Nothing in life happens by chance. The Lord knows where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. I’m truly excited for the rest of my time here.
No, this blog post isn’t super long, but I just wanted to take this time to remind everyone of what truly matters on this day. It’s not the presents, or the pretty decorations, but it’s about celebrating the one who paid it all so that we could be with the ones we love.
FUN STORY: Morgan got me pictures, but she also got me a blow up dinosaur.
This guy was selling blow up animals on the street and she thought she could get me a dolphin, and after bartering with him through the window of her Uber he said, “I’ll give it to you for $6.”
She responded with, “I ONLY HAVE $5!”
Then her car started to move.
This man threw the blow up toy into her car and shouted, “$6!!!!”
She screamed, “I ONLY HAVE $5!!” and then threw it out the window. When she looked down she realized it was a dinosaur and not a dolphin. Now, his name is Trae. We named him Trae because of the recent out breaks of tracheitis within our team.
Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read my blog.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
-A. Star
