This past weekend, I had an adventure of a lifetime! My team and I took a series of early morning Ubers, bus rides, and taxi rides to make it all happen, but praise God for working out the logistics. We explore the ancient city of Petra, and climbed seemingly endless stairways to be rewarded with magnificent panoramas of one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Then, early the next morning we departed to Wadi Rum, an Arabian desert that offered more majestic views and lifetime experiences. We took a Jeep tour through the desert, climbed rocks to explore springs, went “sledding” or “sandboarding” down sand dunes, and crossed terrifying rock bridges. I will hold memories from this weekend for the rest of my life!
As you can imagine, after an adventure packed weekend like the one we just had, we were exhausted and ready to be settled into a place for Christmas. On the night of the 23rd, we arrived late at night to our Airbnb. Bear in mind, we are in a region of the world with a very large Muslim population. At this point in our time in Jordan, we have met very few Christians. But this week, the Lord led us to the historically Christian town of Madaba, a city near the Dead Sea and Mount Nebo! As we walked up to our apartment, we saw a wreath on the door with a sign saying God Bless This Home. We walked through the door to a beautiful apartment, decorated for Christmas with a tiny tree in the corner, Christmas mats decorating coffee and side tables, small Christmas knick knacks on shelves and counters, and a platter of Christmas cookies! I did not know how much I desired to have a small reminder of the comforts of home during this season until God surprisingly gifted me with it.
So today is Christmas Day! This year, Christmas is going to look very different from how it has looked in the past. We do not have stockings, there is no fireplace, and I am not surrounded by my parents, siblings, and extended family. But wow, God has still given me a wonderful gift. Instead of a Christmas tree, we will have a large paper family tree, decorated with the names of our family members so that we can pray over them. Rather than presents under the tree, we will have envelopes labeled with each of our names so that we can stuff each one with words of life, love and encouragement for each other. We will have a Christmas worship service this morning with a message from one of my teammates in our living room. I am surrounded by spiritual family who point and push me closer to Jesus. I still will celebrate the birth of my Savior, in a region of the world so close to where it all took place. And while there is no fireplace, you better believe I am snuggled up next to the electric heater this very moment while I type this blog.
Merry Christmas to all of my friends and family! I love you so much, and just pray that you are immensely blessed this Christmas. I look forward to when we can connect around the table, next to a fireplace, or cozied up on a couch under tons of blankets. May this season be a reminder and a celebration of the One who entered into this world for you.
