Since I've covered Christmas past and present, I didn't want the future to be left out, but I don't know if I can even write this without tears in my eyes!
Lord willing, a few years from now, I'll be sitting in PNG, blogging about what we're doing for Christmas that year.
I hope I'm telling you about some crazy new food I'm making for a Christmas dinner...
Or showing you faces of new friends we've made that we're celebrating the season with...
I hope I'm writing "Merry Christmas" to you in Melanesian Pidgin...better yet, have video of my kids saying it with their hick little accents :)
I wonder about Christmas carols?? Hallelujah Chorus in Pidgin??? I can barely get it in English!
I'm sure I'll be wishing for a white Christmas, but my chances will even be slimmer there than having one in Texas!
Sigh...
So many questions with answers coming in due time. Guess for now I should get back to patrolling the tree.
I know from experience.... next Christmas will be one of the best and yet one of the hardest. God will place people in your life that will make you wonder how you ever lived without them as friends. You will appreciate things more (even if you think you do now... just wait.) Packages from home will bring you to tears. Like me this past Monday... a jar of PeterPan PB with Honey and Welch's grape jelly... a seasonal kitchen towel from Wally world, and box of dryer sheets among a few other things can bring such joy! haha. I did not have to bring kids that knew what they were leaving behind... so I don't know about that... but will be praying as you help them prepare. When we visit the States and the visit is weighing on them.... they'll whine and complain and say "when can we go home?!?". Home to them is Austria. This is where their house, beds, toys, school, friends are now. Aside from cousins/relatives and since our last visit... Chuck E. Cheese... they don't miss anyone. Sometimes that saddens me, but you know.... it's better than what some of our friends have gone thru with kids hating everything about the new country they live in. One day your kids will say that... and you'll know that with God's help... you've done a great job helping them adjust. Home is where YOU & J are with them. I don't know what you are planning or are allowed... but as much as possible--bring as much from your current 'home' with you. Some will argue that you should bring your suitcases and nothing else. I completely disagree. I look around my house now and see decor, furniture, frames, blankets, pillows, etc. that have memories from our 'home' in Texas. Some from college in Missouri. Childhood memories. My mil recently sent some old toys from Danny's childhood (Heman stuff) it MADE my boys day. Sadly, because of my family moving a lot... my mom didn't keep stuff. I kinda wish I could give Gracie my old Rainbow Brite doll ;) haha. You may not think like this and that's ok... I'm just sharing stuff that works for us. When I look back at photos (and make sure you take pics of everything.... I took pics of streets we drive down a lot... the park... our church... the outside of my grandparents house.. stuff that I would miss or want to show the kids or just remember--the inside of Walmart! haha) anyway, it amazes me how far God has brought us. 6 1/2 yrs. in Austria... wow, whodathunk?!? We have a very good friend that is a missionary in France right now, but HE grew up in PNG. We're friends on FB--Lance (& Amy) Auterson (I think Central supports them. We went to college together, they're kids are the exact age as ours). He speaks of it often, the way I do the Philippines. I'm sure he'd love to give you any advice if you needed it. Ok, well, I should close this book ;) LOL! Praying for you friend!
ReplyDelete