Christmas Newsletter 2015
Have Yourself a Sweaty Little Christmas
Merry Christmas from roasty toasty Timor Leste! Our hearts are torn this holiday season. We imagine being cozy with our loved ones back home by a roaring fire, sipping piping hot cocoa and enjoying the scent of a fresh cut Christmas tree while the sun sets at about 4 PM. But we are grateful for what we are actually doing, decorating with crafts for Christmas in our new home, sweating through the days while we work in our backyard garden, and plopping into patio chairs in our living room every evening to sip cold drinks and talk about the relationships God is building between us and our neighbors.
The Timorese love their Christmas music! We have been hearing Christmas songs in four languages (English, Tetun, Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesian) blasting from our neighbor’s house, and one of the favorites seems to be O Holy Night. We have been thinking about these lines:
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name, all oppression shall cease!
What a perfect word to speak over Timor! Both the traditional animistic religion and particular type of Catholicism preached here have heaped obligations and burdens on the Timorese for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It’s time to share the freedom, peace and joy that Christ brought with His Advent! It’s going to be a great year, and we are thankful to all of you for partnering with us in this adventure.
Even though Christmas in Timor looks quite different from Christmas in North Carolina and Montana, we are joining you in thankfulness for what God has provided in the last year and for the friends and family He has blessed us with around the world. We pray you sense His joy this season, as well.
love4timor 