This is my first Christmas away from home.
On Christmas Eve I went to my supervisor's apartment and we made some tasty chicken enchiladas and mexican rice for dinner. Eating Mexican food was definitely different from my family's traditional Christmas Eve dinner back home, but it sure hit the spot! After dinner we did some Christmas caroling. We are friends with another "like-minded" American family here and so we showed up at their door singing "O Come all Faithful".....it was just wonderful and I will admit that I got a little misty-eyed. After that excursion, we went back to the apartment and made some snicker doodles for Santa, read the Christmas Story from Luke, and had a wonderful time of prayer--thanking Him for being the best gift ever.
Christmas Day I went back to my supervisor's apartment and they exchanged gifts with me. Who would have thought that Taco Seasoning would be such a great stocking stuffer?! After gifts, we got busy in the kitchen. We prepared turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and corn pudding. Yeah...good Southern cookin! We definitely had our fill!
Our food had not even digested, but it was time to head to the ministry center. Some of our core leaders had a party with us. We started the party with a beautiful time of prayer and they sang Silent Night in their language......I got choked up once again! Pstr Garik shared something beautiful about us making our home here in Armenia and how it reminded him of Naomi and Ruth. "Your people will be my people; Your God, my God."
So, tonight we shared our Holiday with people who don't celebrate Christmas until Jan 6th...and even then, it's far different than how we celebrate in the States.
It was strange to be away on Christmas.....away from family and familiar traditions. However, it was nice to quietly reflect on the Glory in the manger. Doing something completely different this year made me remember the true meaning of this wonderful time of year.
3 comments:
You have experienced such an absolutely beautiful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You enjoyed a time of fellowship with friends yet also were focused on The Lord. "Silent Night" is such a beautiful hymn ..... so meaningful that it does move us to tears as we think of that very special holy night. We all missed you so much. Love, MOM
You are never far from our thoughts and prayers.
I'm so glad you had a wonderful Christmas. I know how tough it can be to be away from family at Christmas (I was too, this year). It's fun to experience other families' traditions and festivities. It never beats Christmas with your own family, but it's you've had a unique experience that most of us will never get.
I miss you & wish you Merry Christmas,
Berrik
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