Moving on From Christmas

January 15, 2010

Though Brad and I definitely missed our families and friends, we had a great first Christmas together in Rwanda. We got together a lot with the other members of the Friends mission team and I think we all felt like family to each other. We had our own candlelight service, read the Christmas story together, had a Christmas Eve party and Christmas day feasting and celebrating (though Brad and I were sick starting Christmas day)! We spent time over Christmas break watching movies together, playing games, talking, relaxing, and eating special snacks and foods. We even had Christmas trees up in our houses! These are some of the usual things you might expect, some traditions we’re carrying on even though we’re in Rwanda. Here are some things that were a little different than Christmases Brad and I have had in the States:

Flip flops and short-sleeved shirts
Making my own sour cream for a casserole
Free Christmas trees!
Lugging our tree on our shoulders to our house in the rain and slippery mud (we got really dirty!)
Taking turns getting each other medicine and thermometers

Even despite getting sick, missing people, and missing traditions, God really took care of us this Christmas. He helped us find ways to celebrate His birth. He was near to us and healed us when we got sick. He helped us rest in the days following Christmas before we started work/ministry/language-learning/living daily life in Rwanda again.

Before Christmas break I (Chelsea) was feeling…I wish I could describe it. Something like dreading language lessons, having a hard time going to church, feeling really tired, etc. Of the things I feel like the Lord was saying to me over Christmas break, I feel like the main thing was to keep seeking Him. He just reassured me of His love and His strength that will help me keep going even as I feel so weak. These hard feelings aren’t just going to go away, as they’re a natural part of culture stress /culture shock/culture fatigue. Even so, sometimes it’s really hard. So, you can pray for me as I’m probably going to be experiencing different degrees of these feelings for awhile still.