I spent CHRISTmas down in Africa!

I don't have any deep insight or something really spiritual I want to process, but I wanted to share with you my African CHRISTmas experience!

The housemates and I (we are now only 3-our dear friend Kaylee left several days ago...) had a little sleepover in our living room and watched about 2 minutes of the movie CHRISTmas Story before we all fell asleep. It was actually chilly last night, a brisk 60 degrees ;) Woke early as we still had nursing rounds to do. After work and playing with the kids who were of course psyched about CHRISTmas (that is an international response, I think), headed to a missionary family's house for breakfast and some gifts. All the missionaries went in together for our gifts and bought us each manicures and pedicures. I've never been so excited for the prospect of clean feet.

Then off to church where we sang traditional American CHRISTmas carols, but also got to dance to African-style! I want to try to bring some of that into my Baptist church at home ;) It rained the whole time! Everyone was dressed up in their CHRISTmas best (although for some, like me, my best meant not already dirty), and everyone also got full of mud! After church, had delicious meal of roast beef (which we all watched get slaughtered 3 days prior), rice, matoke (steamed bananas) and "happy birthday Jesus" cake. The past several weeks we've all pitched in to create CHRISTmas bags for each of the kids with gifts just for them, and we got to hand them out. That was my favorite part of the day! My teammates and I each were surprised with a small gift bag too! I got a hat which is way too cool for me, a stuffed dog (more my pace), body wash (needed that!), lotion, and a piece of candy. Fun to watch the kids open their bags and play with the gifts we choose for them :)

Got to have some housemate-time and open gifts from one another. I got an African style dress made for me, along with jewelry! They are all beautiful and I cannot wait to try them out tomorrow at church! Also got lots of dark chocolate, which promptly went to the freezer for later use.

Finished the night up with a Cranium match between all the missionary families, which we just barely lost. Bummer. The Single-Ladies-Family just needs some more practice, then we'll be unstoppable! Now we're all on computers trying to get in touch with the outside world, listening to CHRISTmas music, just trying to make it last a little longer :)

It doesn't feel like CHRISTmas really, so although I miss my family, it feels like we're just faking CHRISTmas here. I think if there was just a little snow, I'd be homesick like crazy!

BLESSINGS to you as we celebrate the huge gift and sacrifice that Jesus made for all of us :) Love and very warm thoughts to you from Uganda :)