Christmas

This is our second Christmas since being in Africa. Our first Christmas was in Mali. It was a hard one - without a tree, our own directions and family, and Ron dealing with kidney stones. This Christmas has been easier with our own decorations and a tree and stockings and all the trimmings. The biggest thing missing is family and friends. This is the hardest thing about being a missionary and being away from home. We normally head back to Maryland for Christmas.

We miss going to church with our church family on Christmas Eve and then celebrating with Ron's family and then going to my sister's house and relaxing with my sister, her family and my Mom. We miss waking up and celebrating with the gift frenzy. We miss the big family dinner. We miss opening Christmas Eve stockings with all of the kids from my parents. Although this is exactly where we are supposed to be, this is the hardest part of being here. It is only one day a year, but we love celebrating it with those near and dear to us. We miss spending time with our dear friends the Uhrins and the Murrays. We don't miss the commercialism of Christmas, but miss all of the hoopla of being with friends and family.

We are making new traditions and celebrating with new "family" and it is good. It is hard to get used to wearing shorts on Christmas, but it was fun going to the beach yesterday and the kids playing in the ocean! We went caroling by horse cart through the village, singing Christmas carols in Wolof and English. We will wake up Christmas morning with our usual breakfast casserole and then off to dinner with our dorm staff family. Later that night we will eat again with our supervisor and his family. We will then come home and watch a movie that we have gotten for Christmas.

We do love being here, but know that you are missed. Faith shared today, "I can't wait for Christmas, but I also don't want it to come because we won't be with our family". It is a happy time celebrating our Savior's birth, but if you think about it could you say a prayer for the sadness of not being with our friends and family to not be so great.

We love you all very much and wish you the Merriest Christmas.