Food, fun and fireworks

It wasn't quite my first Christmas away from home, as I was in Ecuador 5 years ago.  But certainly a very different Christmas celebration.  The "season" is a lot shorter here, with banks and so on putting up decorations about a week before, and just the one public holiday (25th), which is generally all people take off work.  It's a very family-focused day with lots of people travelling back to where their parents live, for a Christmas dinner at midnight. And there's plentiful paneton and hot chocolate over the week.

So with all of the family-focus, it was great to be a skype guest at 2 of my sisters' houses over the days around Christmas as well and so see all of my family.  Also as Psalm 68 says "God sets the lonely in families" and I never really had a chance to be lonely because he has given me so many families to be part of here. 

Christmas Day: Erin and Brendan (the other SIM missionaries here) came with Oliver for Christmas dinner.  Oliver was entralled by my juggling skills.  I was far more impressed by my Christmas cake complete with homemade marzipan.

 

and New Year: the church I've been visiting had an indoor barbeque (yes the weather's warm but there was a thunderstorm) and then at midnight we all got down on our knees and prayed for Abancay.  What a wonderful way to start the year!

 

Lots of people let of fireworks in their gardens, in the streets... though sometimes this is slightly worrying it does make for a beautiful display from the 3rd floor.  I thought the fireworks made a good metaphor for us in our lives - we are small and boring and insignificant until the flame comes - then we are lit up and become so much bigger and noisier and brighter than we could ever imagine being on our own - and the light and the joy spreads through us to so many people!  It's great to know that God transforms us like this - and that this is what we are made for.