tucked away on a mountainside in nepal you can hear sounds of laughter floating through the air. zoom in and you see dancing around a fire a family. no one looks alike but they act as if they are one. the view you see is how i spent my christmas this year.
a christmas that was so real, full of simplicity and merely rejoicing at the fact that our savior was born in a cave many many years ago. the beautiful story of redemption, resurrection and rewriting what flesh had twisted. it started humbly with a baby.
christmas eve abigail and i decided to take the christmas tree situation into our own hands- we ventured into the jungle with just a too big axe and a too small pocket knife. mighty and brave, what can we say. it didn’t take too long to find some sturdy shrubbery that fit our liking. we picked palms, vines and ferns to scatter around our home as we ventured back. as we were hanging vines from the roof grandpa rolls up – stares at us hanging these vines – turns on his heel – returns back five minutes later with this scraggly twig. still we took it and added it to our arrangements. again this mans disappeared but this time for about an hour. when he returned he came with two full size TREES chopped down and a huge bundle of greens and pointsettas + two local boys in tow with handfuls of jungle beauty. our christmas home glistened wih Christs creation after these guys set to work turning it all into arches and weaving it on every post on our campsite. christmas eve also consisted of a spicy game of futbol – my butt gets kicked too hard by these people NOT MY THANG. tea time around the fire that night was accompanied by the christmas treat of india set up sheets delivered by catherine and i- then we tucked our toasty toes into our sleeping bags and tried to dream of sugar plums and gingerbread.
christmas morning started with the voice of our honorary little sister’s voice wafting into our tents “happy christmas anda(egg[iggs] in nepali.)”
again tea and biscuits before our group split up + secret santa gifts giddily exchanged – seven headed up to the church up the mountain in town and the rest of us stayed in the jungle to celebrate christmas alongside the believers on our mountainside. it was christmas carols in both our languages, so much dancing, tea, dal + baht, more dancing and so much rejoicing. authentic christ centered celebration. a true christmas!! my christmas in a tent is my favorite christmas so far. surrounded by humans who don’t just talk the talk but walk it so stinking through and through and beacuse of their love for the lord never ever out of a spirit of fear or feeling like it’s their duty. all the gang coming back together at the end of the day- telling testimants of His glory. excited to praise the one who set us each so dang free.
(hey dad i forced my entire crew to sing “jungle bells” too many times. “here we are on guam…” has been morphed into many different locations. the tradition lives on!)
being pulled away from our bubble of commercialism and greed has been the coolest treat. refocused. no christmas will ever be the same. i will never look at christmas as i once did. this one is all for you abba. thank you.
