Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I know that Christmas was 2 days ago, but here it seems that the holiday season extends the whole week between Christmas and New Years. Things in town are a bit slower and families are still away in the villages visiting relatives. Even on the radio right now is “Oh little town of Bethlehem”.

Christmas seemed to have snuck up on me. Really it has been a great lesson as to how much I personally have infiltrated the true meaning of Christmas with outside things, such as consumerism, tradition, and external stimuli (ex. Cold weather, music, decorations, parties). So, I knew before coming to Uganda that this Christmas would be different and draw me back to the real meaning of Christmas, rather than the traditions that I place on Christmas. And that it did. Yes, we had a Christmas tree, but it was not big or the focal point of the living room. And there were never any presents under the tree. Here they give big “family gifts” throughout the weeks before Christmas. So, 2 weeks before Christmas Mama gave all of us girls a new top and some pajamas. It was nice that the big thing that is looked forward to on Christmas morning was going to church, rather than opening presents. We woke up Christmas morning and got dressed up, looking “smart,” for church. It seems that dressing up in new clothes for Christmas service is the big deal around here. All the women in church were wearing the traditional “gomas” and had their hair styled in the salon the day before. Little kids were wearing little suits, so cute.

I was really blessed by the service. The first hour of church they gave opportunity for people to stand up and share a testimony of what the Lord has done in their lives in the past year. Many stood with stories of financial struggle and God’s provision, or of health, or one story of God being a God of justice because the person who was stealing a goat every Sunday morning when this woman went to church was caught for another crime. But there were also stories that were nothing less than a miracle of God. One woman stood with her son and told how the son has lost his respiratory ability through his nose and mouth. The local hospital was not able to manage this case, so sent the boy and the mother to another town. While on the bus on route, the boy collapsed but was revived. At the hospital, the doctors counted this boy as dead, but were able to put a tube in his throat, which is what he now breaths through. The changing of the tube is a very delicate situation that could easily end in death if something goes wrong. I know this is a sad story, and not finished yet because the boy still needs operation and the husband is also sick, BUT I tell you this to proclaim the goodness and peace of the Lord. I wish you could have seen the joy, despite circumstances, that was in this woman’s face. Truly her faith and hope lies in the LIVING God and she stood up, unmovable in her belief that the Lord is healing her son and her husband. God truly does grant the faithful peace that passes ALL understanding.

Time is short now. So I will finish later. But the rest of Christmas day was filled with food (yes I had turkey, but more in the form of a soup to put over the bananas) and the night we went to a concert of local Luganda artists. Everyone seemed to really have enjoyed this and there were tons of people at the concert.