Christmas

I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas yesterday. I passed it in here in Peru, and thankfully I was surrounded by many friends and lots of good fellowship. It was difficult to be away from my family for Christmas for the first time in my life, but having friends here was a huge blessing yesterday. I actually got to celebrate Christmas twice!

My first celebration was a more traditional Peruvian celebration with all of the boys in Scripture Union's Casa Girasoles. Augusto and Nancy spent most of the day of Christmas Eve out an about buying presents and preparing the turkeys. The kids were excited all day long anticipating the Christmas celebration. For many of them, this was their first Christmas at the boys' home. A number had never even tasted a turkey.

In Peru, most people celebrate Christmas right when the clock strikes midnight.We were no exception. It was a struggle for some of the littler kids to stay awake, but they were not about to miss out on the Christmas celebration. It was really a beautiful time together. Around 11:00pm Augusto assembled all of the boys in the dining room, and we had a time of praise and worship. We sang together; we thanked God for the gift of sending his son to save us; we prayed that God would renew our spirits. Augusto also reminded the boys that while we celebrate Jesus' physical birth on Christmas, that alone is not enough to save us. He reminded them that Jesus must also be born in each of their hearts.

When the clock struck twelve, two huge turkeys came out of the kitchen, and the celebrations began. Augusto really went all out--there was probably about 50 pounds of turkey to feed about 45 people! I was served an entire turkey leg. I have never eaten so much turkey in my entire life. The traditional Peruvian turkey dinner consists of the turkey, paneton (fruitcake), and home made hot chocolate made from scratch. It was delicious.

The Girasoles before Christmas dinner in Ica

Cristian ready for his first ever bite of turkey!

After dinner, it was not yet bedtime--it was time to open all of the presents. The boys were excited for the presents. Brittney and her family had brought a ton of presents for the boys on Thanksgiving, and they were dying to open them all! In addition to that, God really blessed Scripture Union with specific donations for the boys' Christmas celebrations in all of our different Girasoles homes. Augusto and Nancy bought new shoes and new clothes for the boys. The kids were overjoyed to open their gifts, and it was such a blessing for me to see all of this. I have heard the specific stories of many of these children. They come from the streets, from gangs, from abusive families, and from lives full of pain and rejection. Yesterday in the early hours of Christmas morning they had the opportunity to just be normal kids. For them their gifts are not just another toy in their overflowing toy box. They are a rare luxury, and even more importantly, they are a symbol to remind them that they are loved and not forgotten. It was a beautiful night, and it was a great privilege for me to share in the celebration with the boys.

Ready to open the gifts!

 

Sanchez, our youngest boy in Ica

Miguel Angel with his new toy!

As we began to wrap up the party in Ica around 2:30am on Christmas morning, I realized that it was about time for me to leave. Paul and Marty Clark, the directors of Scripture Union Peru, had invited me to their house in Lima for an American Christmas dinner! I was on a bus by 4:00am for my five hour journey back to Lima. I arrived, rested for a couple of hours, and headed out to Paul and Marty's house. Every year, they have a tradition of inviting missionaries and other foreigners into their home to celebrate for Christmas. Being away from my home, it was a real blessing to be invited to their home. We had yet another huge turkey dinner, and it was great to meet other experienced missionaries here in Peru.

Nothing can replace being home with my family for Christmas. It was hard to be away. But in the midst of the sadness of being far from them, God provided for my needs. I got to experience the day with other people who were also missing their families or wishing they they had a family, and we were blessings to each other!