The birds are singing, the trees are lush leaved and cranes are building nests high in their branches. Strolling in the sunshine, in short sleeved summer clothes, through clouds of grass hoppers and with bright green fields around us, we can’t say it feels like December.
Yet the weather isn’t the only thing that has made us forget about the season. There is absolutely no commercialization of Christmas here at all. Presents are not exchanged, most people couldn’t afford them, but also wouldn’t understand the reason why it’s done elsewhere. The shops are unchanged, there are no decorations in the streets and certainly no toys or luxury gifts advertised anywhere. No one is feeling pressurised to make sure they have remembered to get “Aunty Jane’s” handkerchiefs, or buy the right size turkey, or get in enough beers, crackers and mince pies. Nor are they worried about the in laws or “odd Uncle Jack” turning up. All the hassle and worry of “getting Christmas right,” and not offending anyone is total absent.
Of course we will miss the fun of decorations, the sight of snow on Christmas eve, the over-indulgence of turkey and Christmas pudding, presents, and most of all, being with our family; but there is something so marvellously simple and “real” about having the opportunity to remember what God did for us without all the modern day European trappings which, to many, have replaced the real meaning of Christ’s birth.
Christmas is a wonderful time, and we would love to be able to share it with you all in the traditional way, but how easy it is to forget our priorities at this time. What are you most focused on at the moment? Is it the Christmas cake, the children’s presents, how you are going to sit 18 round your dining room table? Even maybe the cute nativity plays with a little blonde baby in a neat tidy stable?
Or are we remembering the greatest gift we could ever receive. An awesome God, giving His only Son to us in love. We who so often turn our backs on Him, who continue to go our own ways, who are so tied up in our material world that Jesus is sometimes the last person we think of at Christmas. Let’s put time aside this year to think about what we are doing and make sure that Jesus is in the centre of all our thoughts and preparation.
It will be easier for us to do that here with none of the external trappings we have been used to around us; we will be able to concentrate on the wonder of such a gift to us. We hope you will be enabled to do this too.
Prayer requests
Give thanks for the joyful arrival of our daughter’s second son, Mark, born 10 days early on Nov. 27th, his granddads birthday!
Also we want to give thanks for continued good health and safety (despite Malcolm’s nearly close encounter with a motorbike)
Please continue to pray that our work visas come through soon as we have both had to renew visitors visas which means travelling to the Rwanda border and paying to return !
You know you live in Africa when…
… having a full English Breakfast is a special treat
… you talk about ‘Cricket’ and ‘the ashes’; its about something to eat that has got burnt in the fire
... its December , and still no signs of Christmas in the shops
