MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad ! I hope you all had a great holiday season filled with many blessings :D
So I'm feeling over whelmed by the fact that I haven't updated this in 3 weeks and as I sit here to write I can't even remember what happened in the last three weeks. I think that is because I've had a really good but busy last week. I will start with December 23rd and you can assume that the normal school things happened the weeks before that. I'm assuming that because I can't remember them...
The Eve of Christmas Eve dawned bright and sunny with the smell of vacation in the air. As it was the first day of our Christmas break, I did pretty much nothing all day and it was fabulous. I did make cookies in the afternoon in preparation for the Christmas service my church was having that evening. Now, normally in the USA when Christmas is on a Sunday there are still services on sunday and saturday night for Christmas Eve. Yes? Well, now I will explain why we couldn't do that down here. Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve technically. Everyone is setting of fireworks, partying and generally having fun and then they will eat a big meal with their family around midnight, most families stay up really late that night and do a lot of sleeping on Christmas day. Exchanging of presents and decorating for Christmas is not necessarily how the typical Honduran family would celebrate, just depends on the family. So Friday night, we had our Christmas service. The Hosier's and our pastor's wife (and many other people) put lots of hard work into creating a Christmas drama with the children of our church. I got to help some and the video and singing turned out great! (I don't think it's on Youtube yet or else I'd give you the link for it). Then. our Pastor, Tim, spoke on Isaiah chapter 9, which foretold the coming of Jesus. After service, we feasted on tamales (this is a very typical latin american food, but even more so, everyone eats tamales on Christmas here in Honduras) and a variety of desserts. Christmas Eve at our house was low key. I spent a bit of time wrapping presents and then hanging out with the kids. On Christmas morning we read the story of Jesus' birth and the coming of the shepherds and the wise men. We opened presents in a very orderly fashion (thank goodness!) and I am very thankful for the things I got! I was able to get everyone in the family a couple simple gifts.
I know right now some of you are putting yourself in my shoes. Maybe you've never spent Christmas away from your family or maybe I was one of the people missing from your Christmas day. (Lots of people in my family read this!) You might be thinking "Christmas without snow, decorations, caroling and family??" I'll give you some insight on how it felt to be away from my family. It was a break from tradition. Have you ever done something that the people around you weren't expecting or suggested doing something differently than your family, work place, school (etc.) usually does thing? It's hard, but it's also good at the same time. Liberating! I missed my family a lot and found myself thinking about all the things I would be missing, but in it all I remembered that I was following God's call when I came down here AND that I live with a family I love AND I have lots of great friends down here who stayed for the holidays too (I saw most of them on Christmas day in the evening...just like an extended family :D). I've been blessed with great friends down here and I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating my first Christmas away from home with them. I think God might be calling and preparing me to miss a lot of holidays with my family. I also learned an important lesson. It's not snow, North American traditions, brightly colored lights, or rampant materialism that matter to me in the least at Christmas-time. I didn't miss those things at all this year!! It's the fact the Jesus came to be born as a baby so He could live among us on earth and eventually give His life so we could be forgiven our sins and have everlasting life!!
This week was my break! I went out for pizza, I made Chai and Strufoli with some awesome ladies, went out for baleadas, spent a day with my pastor's wife, watched a bunch of movies, read a few books, enjoyed the fabulous weather and generally had a great time relaxing. Tomorrow is New Year's eve and right now I'm not quite sure how I am celebrating, but you can bet there are going to be A LOT of fireworks happening here in Siguatepeque! I'm excited about a new year. Even though I know it's totally mental, it always seems like a fresh slate. There are so many adventures to be had!! I was listening to the radio and the DJ was talking about making a New Year's resolution that was not tangible, but something you felt like God wanted you to improve on this year. He challenged the listeners to pick just one word. My word is Patience.
Here are some ways you can pray for me: I found out a friend committed suicide last week. That was hard. I've been in constant pray for their family and friends. Also, I'm a little down that I am missing my sister-in-law's entire pregnancy. Ariel is due a few weeks before I come back to the US. Not being there is hard.
I read some really great verses in 1 Peter this morning.
"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." (2:1)
"As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (2: 4-5)
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." (2:9)
"Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor." (2:17)
<3 you
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