Merry Christmas!

It feels really weird spending Christmas in a hot climate, it’s a bit like celebrating Christmas in the middle of your summer holiday. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas as I know it!

It’s been a busy time though, there have been lots of parties and I was surprised to find out that the Muslim communities celebrate Christmas as a holiday, but don’t recognize it for being the birth of Christ. I found it a bit odd but then I got to thinking that it’s not actually any different from home. There are thousands, millions of people in the UK who celebrate the holiday but not the real reason for the day…

We had Christmas parties with each community and they all fell in the same week so it was pretty hectic! We started with the party for the homeless community. The original plan was to have it in Osmena Park, where they live but it rained all day… Around 3pm the team had a text from Kuya E asking us to pray that the rain would stop in the evening so that the party could still go ahead. After rain all day it finally stopped around 6.45pm and we went to the park at 7. There were so many of the homeless there waiting, it was really touching. It’s not often that you see everyone together in their family groups, there were around 50 men, women and children. We started blowing up balloons and gave them to the children so it felt like a real party! As the ground was still wet it was decided we would have the party at Faith Academy as they have a covered sports court. Everyone piled into three big jeepneys and we drove to the Academy. The community had planned the program and various people sang, or read something, then we sang some carols and Pascal, the head of SO (Sinilikway Outreach- the street based team) talked about Jesus' birth and the Christmas story and prayed. Then it was time for some crazy games and while they played the team set up a ‘shop’ of goods. Each family was given a shopping list of items and they could choose which brands they would like to have, there was rice, sugar, washing powders, fruit, tins of sardines, clothes, toys, all sorts of things! The team always tries to treat the homeless with dignity and respect so instead of just giving them a bag of things, the families can choose. It was really great to watch them selecting their groceries, it’s such a simple idea but it was really special to see.

After the grocery shopping we served dinner, I’m always amazed at how far food goes here! It never looks like there’s going to be enough but it seems to go unnaturally far! Ate A and Tim had spent all afternoon cooking chicken curry and vegetables and rice and we fed over 70 people, and there was enough for second helpings! I was truly amazed! By 11.30 we’d packed up and the community was taken back to the park with full stomachs and bags of goodies. It felt so good to be a part of it, I think it was one of the most inspiring Christmas parties I’ve ever been to…

For the Peace Youth we decided that the best way to celebrate was with a trip to the beach! One of my best friends sent me some money as a Christmas gift so we decided to use it for a beach trip (thanks Rich!). We took the boys to a private beach and took snacks and played games and hung out. It was also a chance for the boys to say goodbye to Kuya M, who’s going on home assignment for the next six months or so. He’s worked closely with the Peace Youth over the last few years and I know they’re going to miss him very much so it was a really special afternoon. On the way home we stopped off at Jollibee (a fast food restaurant) and bought take out for everyone and headed down to BayWalk on the beach front to eat together (most of us were still in our wet clothes from swimming!) It was so strange being on the beach in December but I’m realising that different isn’t bad, it’s just different J and it can be a lot of fun too!

Last night we celebrated Christmas the Filipino way by meeting together at midnight for a huge meal. Kuya E and Ate K invited us to their place at 10pm to hang out and chat and then the food came, O my gosh, so much food! And I was having trouble staying awake! But it was really good to spend time with some of the team and really experience some of the different cultural ways of bring in Christmas.

So it’s Christmas day, it’s hot (it’s always hot here!) it’s my first Christmas away from home. I miss my family and friends but the distance just makes me realise how special they are and that, no matter where I am in the world, their love still reaches me…

I wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas, wherever you are J

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.