The ½ way point of the race is today. Yep, Christmas is 5 ½ months outside of the U.S. We celebrated with 5 1/2 hours of church this morning and a house visit this evening. We are actually in country #6 (Serbia, Romania, India, Nepal, Kenya, and now Rwanda). I am beginning to realize how much The Race is changing me in ways I certainly did not anticipate.
One example came from church on Sunday, I leaned over to Becca and said, “I am pretty sure this has never come out of my mouth before, but I really think that skirt that woman is wearing is cute.” I have worn a skirt every Sunday since Serbia (except for India where I wore leggings which I think is worse) and I don’t even think twice about it. Who knew it just took living out of a suitcase in foreign countries for me to wear more skirts in 5 ½ months than I have since I was 5 years oldJ. My mom must be so proud!
A second example is the fact that I now find myself regularly dancing. It is hard to be in an hour long praise and worship session in an African church and just sit still.
I pray this Christmas finds you with family and friends and that in the midst of holiday travel and stress you can recognize how amazingly blessed you are. If there is one thing I realize after living in 3rd world countries for several months, it is how richly God has blessed me. It isn’t just that I have been blessed materially. But, it is the rich blessings of family and friends and the fact that I can have a relationship with the God of the universe.
One of my favorite verses during this time of year is John 1:14 “The word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The God of the universe gave up living in heaven to come to earth so because He loved me. He then lived a perfect life and chose to die for my sins so that relationship with the God of the universe could be restored. I am blessed to have hope at Christmas. I pray you can take the time to allow that reality to sink in as you travel, open presents and enjoy your holiday traditions.
Merry Christmas from Rwanda!
