Not Home for the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us! I can say with confidence that this year my holiday season will look very different than it has over the past few years. At this point in the holiday season I would normally be spending time with Heather and my Mom shopping for gifts. We would be spending hours in the kitchen cooking more food than we could ever eat in one sitting. I would be caught up in the commercial atmosphere that the holiday season brings. I think sometimes as Americans we are so caught up in making everything perfect - the perfectly cooked turkey, or the beautifully set table, or the perfect gift for someone - that we forget what the holiday season is all about. 

 

Lauren and I did celebrate Thanksgiving this year. A friend of ours found a turkey for us. (It was alive when he found it, but he killed it and cleaned it before he gave it to us.) Because of the power issues we spent the week cooking and getting ready, sometimes waking up in the middle of the night when the power was on in order to get stuff cooked. It was so special to be able to cook a traditional thanksgiving dinner (even if it was a day later because we didn’t have power on Thanksgiving Day), but I would be lying if I said that it was easy being away from our families during the holiday. Since Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Malawi, it was interesting to see everyone around us going about life as usual, when we Americans were thinking, “but it’s Thanksgiving”. Thanksgiving is one day of the year when I think most Americans intentionally take a moment and realize the blessings in their lives. Fortunately for me, I feel like everyday here in Malawi is a reminder of my daily blessings. Even though it was not easy to be away from my friends and family (and my Mom’s cooking), I am beyond thankful for the time and incredible experience it is to be in Malawi.

 

We are now in the season of Advent, a time we use to prepare for Christ’s birth. Each week we light candles representing things such as Hope, Love, Peace and Joy. Never before have these four words reflected my holiday season so much. 

HOPE: Malawi exudes Hope. I see hope everyday while I help my students with their work as they strive towards a better future for themselves. Their hope inspires me as a teacher and has been such a gift this holiday season as a constant reminder to me how important hope is in our lives. I see the hope of people as they sing praise music in church on Sunday. I see hope in the changes and improvements I see in the everyday life of the Malawian people. In a country where it would be easy to not have much hope, they have taught me and set an incredible example for me what “hope” really looks like and how powerful it is.

LOVE: Love is the universal language. I have been reminded of that over and over again here. Even if I cannot communicate with someone, a warm smile or a high five, a simple act of love unites us. Malawians continue to show me how big their love is for their Creator. Even during the hardest circumstances, their love never wavers. They are great examples of unconditional love between families, helping each other and being there for each other through even the darkest of times. Malawi really is the Warm Heart of Africa, and is so full of love. 

PEACE:  I feel that Peace is sometimes difficult to find in the busyness of life. Constant worrying and rushing often leads to stress and anxiety. Busy schedules leave little time for a peaceful moment. Malawi’s culture is much slower than the American culture. Malawians will always take time to stop and talk to someone they see in passing, asking about their day and their family. They are never rushing to be somewhere (mainly because everyone in Malawi is always late). Malawians are a peaceful people, and they have been a great reminder to me during this holiday season to slow down and let peace fill me up.

JOY: There is so much joy in Malawi it is overflowing. I can’t help but smile every time I see a huge grin spread across someone’s face here. The joy that they have when praising God and almost everything else they have in life is infectious. Joy is overflowing from the people of Malawi. I am also very joyful this day for another reason. As you read this blog I will be with my Mom, my sister Heather, and the Stengel family, who arrived in Malawi on Sunday. I cannot even begin to describe the joy that I am currently feeling having these visitors for Christmas. It is such a joy to be with them and to share my new life with them and show them all the hope, love, peace and joy this beautiful country has to offer.

I may not be home for the holidays, but I am being reminded what the holidays really mean. I have the opportunity to step away from the commercial energy that surrounds me and have been reminded what is really important. I pray and challenge you as you read this to take a moment away from all the shopping, all the wrapping, all the cooking, all the cleaning, all the planning, all the worries, and realize what a blessing it really is to be able to celebrate this special holiday with the people you love and care about the most. Unto us a Savior is born. Merry Christmas from Malawi.