O Come, O Come Emanuel...

Christmas kinda snuck up on us. It is too warm here to be Christmas time. Plus there is no holiday craziness in the shops to remind you how many days are left till Christmas. It did not really hit until Christmas Eve day. It stunk to realize that it was finally Christmas, and that it was going to be the first one that I spent away from my family.

There are many challenging parts about doing mission work, but the hardest by far is being away from our families. It seemed that everything that made it Christmas was back in Texas/Oklahoma. Who was I going to make yummy goodies with, get dressed up with, wake up ridiculously early with, or share the magic of Christmas with? It was just me and Justin like every other day, and the whole day I could not stop thinking about what our families would be doing at that time.

By the time we went to Mass I was not feeling very Christmassy. Then Mass started.  I can follow along easily, but everything is in Swahili. During Mass there was a skit to go along with the readings, and when Jesus was born the church bells and the alter bells were vigorously rung and a special song was sung. That is when I realized what I was doing there sweating in the middle of Mass in Mtwara at nine o'clock at night. I still missed my family, but the most important part of Christmas was all around me. O come, o come Emanuel...

Lord,

Help my heart to overflow with your love, my body to have your strength, and my spirit to be full of your grace.

Amen

-Lauren