It's beginning to not really look a lot like Christmas

So it’s been a while since I’ve updated.

Things are going well and are starting to wind down for Christmas break (December 15 – January 3). It’s seems to be very short but I guess does the trick. It’s been a tough last few weeks. There’s been a lot of pressure from big donors and a lot of meetings. One in particular, the biggest meeting I’ll ever be a part of I’m sure is happening on the 15th. Please be thinking and praying for us during that time. We meet with our biggest donor in South Africa (PEPFAR – US government’s Aids Relief) which we have a contract of almost $1,000,000 USD. The 15th will decide whether we work together or not. Pray God’s Will be done in that situation. I’m personally unsure of which way I want it to go. There are many challenges that come with both. Anyway, continue to pray also for all the people here. We are exhausted and many people have been suffering from reoccurring sickness as a result of it. Pray for good, good rest during Christmas.

It’s hard to grasp that it’s Christmas. Walking through a thatch-roofed building with the hot air blowing through and walking past bows and garland while hearing Celine’s Christmas album play, just doesn’t feel normal. It’s trying to celebrate Christmas in these places that seem quite impossible and so my mind automatically cancels or omits Christmas for the year.

But on the other hand, I have received some of the most beautiful reminders of Christmas. One I’d like to share being a sachet of ground wild-harvested Fir needles. It smells like Christmas and is the most beautiful gift I think I could ever receive at this time. Thanks Lydia. I smell it all the time and it instantly fills my insides with the warmth of love.

I’m excited, though, for the break. I’m not planning to travel anywhere, as many people usually do. I just want to stay home and relax and spend some much needed time with many of the people I love and have, these last couple mounths, poorly invested in. This includes the students who just got back from University for the break (Fortunate, Elvis, Gugu!) But this especially includes Lorraine, Clearance, and Remember that I spoke about in an earlier blog. I can’t wait to go see them! I’m even thinking of bringing them here for a couple days or even take them into Kruger Park to see all the animals. I’m positive they’ve never been, even though it’s a 20 min drive from their home. That’s the reality of most people here. They will never in their life have the opportunity to see the area’s biggest attraction.

Not to mention I’m excited for Willis to be here. He just arrived yesterday. I surprised him at the airport, which is quite impressive for me because for some reason I can never keep surprises hidden to him. I usually get way too excited and end up telling him. But I kept this one in. He was expecting me to pick him up from the bus in Nelspruit, but waited for him at the airport in Johannesburg. It didn’t exactly turn out as I had played it over and over in my mind. His plane was to land at 7:00 and I didn’t get to the airport until 7:20, which I felt was still plenty of time because it usually takes longer than 20 minutes to get through security and pick up bags. Nope. He landed at 6:50 and was out at 7:00, so after waiting for 1h15, Paul and I walked around the airport in search of him. I knew he’d be hiding in a little corner somewhere by himself listening to music. After searching for a while, we almost gave up and I decided I would just meet him at the bus station at 10:45 (because I had booked the same bus ride home with him), but we decided to check one more place, the bus station. I didn’t think to look there because I couldn’t imagine why anyone would wait there for 4 hours seeing as there’s nothing there but dirty taxi drivers trying to con and pressure you into spending a million dollars on their taxi ride. But lo and behold, there he was. So now we are together at the Village and are looking forward to the adventures unfolding.

Before I end this, just need to give a shout-out to my family. I miss you all so much, especially during this time. My heart feels heavy when I think about snow activities, Grandma’s Christmas cookies, and mostly just sitting around the table enjoying a meal together. I’ll try to re-create that here as much as I can. I bought a chocolate calendar and am planning to go on a tree hunt, which is nearly impossible since coniferous trees are definitely not indigenous here.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my Christmas adventures.

I love you all very much. Have a Merry Christmas. I pray that it’s filled with joy and peace and that you can experience even a sliver of the hope that is birthed during this season.