Joy to the world!!

Christmas here was just wonderful! Honestly, I’m pretty homesick and missing family and traditions that I’ve never missed before, but made a bunch of new traditions and enjoyed traditions that others recreate here. Christmas Eve I spent the whole day cooking and baking (hobbies that I love and that take on whole new challenges here!) then Beckie and I spent the evening at Bobby and Rachel’s with their new son and a few Ugandan friends. We talked, laughed, played a few games and of course ate! Rachel did a wonderful job preparing a meal that clearly both the Americans and Ugandan’s liked a lot. She also prepared a white elephant gift exchange with fun, eatable items.  The Ugandan’s had never played anything like it and we all were laughing by the end.  Christmas morning came early with a 5 am skype call to the family. Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends were all at my parent’s house and the internet was working really well (Thank you Lord!) so we talked for nearly an hour and a half. It was a really nice way to start the day. By 7 am I was back to cooking then around 9 Betty arrived and we all headed to church. Beckie and I had been told that church would start at 9 sharp but we know better so arrived at about 20 after. We were the first to arrive.  After sitting until about 9:45 with still no one else around we let Betty talk us into going to another church. We missed most of the worship but it was good to be with others who were celebrating.  Abella has malaria, so after leaving church we stopped at her home to wish her family a Merry Christmas (and make sure she was taking her meds and not getting too dehydrated!).  Then over to Shaarda’s for the team party. We spent the whole rest of the day together eating, playing games, eating, opening presents, eating, talking, laughing and a little more eating- several of my favorite foods were there.  We sang a few Christmas carols together and the words stood out to me so much this year. Maybe it’s because here we don’t hear them on the radio, in stores, and in church, every day of December (or hardly at all) or maybe it is just because God is helping me look at Christmas with new eyes but these words were precious to me this year.  

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

I pray that your Christmas was also filled with friends and family, old and new traditions and that you could see where God has made his blessings flow in your life with His truth, grace and wondrous love!