Stress... Party of One.

I feel like everyone wants to hear about Christmas. But it’s been stressing me out to find the words to say. In part because this is my third Christmas and the feast and explosive smiles don’t differ a lot each year (I don’t say that at all to take away, but it’s just more fun to write about new experiences)… but also because it’s a fairly stressful day… well at least for me.

A lot goes into feeding 50 people. Trying to figure out who gets invited and what do we do with those that can’t come. How do we stretch the money we have so that the plates are full? I think it’s a cultural thing because I can tell I’m the only one thinking of some of these things. I didn’t grow up with neighbors watching me thought the windows on Christmas day, and that is what it feels like to me.

Those of you who know me well are probably wondering if this is a “it’s not fair thing,” but it’s actually the opposite for me. I go into the day knowing it’s not going to be fair. Knowing that it must be hard for the children who peek through our gate and those who get inside but aren’t on the list.

For me I want to stick to the list, because we could “just add one more” for days. We have to draw the line somewhere, I’d rather draw it and be done. But it’s not always easy to do.  

This is one of those cultural things you can’t plan on, you can’t prepare… you just are in the situation praying not to make a fool of yourself. Praying for grace.

All-in-all Christmas was wonderful. Back in September the PA’s who visited brought almost 30 backpacks (maybe more, I can’t remember). Two women in the community organized families to fill the backpacks. It was so amazing! And I love that it was a cross continental event!

For more pictures click HERE!

In total, 37 bags were filled! Each child got 2 boxes of cookies, 2 bags of candy, a tooth brush, tooth paste, a wash towel, 2 bars of soap, a ball cap, pencils, pens, colored pencils, 2 notebooks and one personal item. The personal items ranged everything from a watch, sunglasses, clothes, balls, trucks and even a few mp3 players.

The crazy thing is that as soon as we are done planning Christmas, we turn around and have to start thinking of New Years!

That night the kids got to eat chicken and spaghetti… and there was no list. As long as we had food, kids were welcome to come eat. Oh and they all got a bottle of pop (a big deal here) with dinner. Nunu and I also popped TONS of popcorn. I’d guess like 10 – 12 gallons! They had a movie marathon of Pirates of the Caribbean.

That night Nunu and I actually went out to dinner. We don’t get to do that often and we hadn’t left the house at all together since I had arrived (at least not for fun). So we went to Wilson’s Warf, one of our favorite places in Pemba. It’s run by South Africans and so far it’s the only place I can find a chicken breast. It’s actually a sandwich with some sort of picante sauce and it’s a nice break from bone in chicken. We both tease each other because we order the same thing each time we go. Nunu always gets Calamri =)

Now that New Years is over, we begin the task of getting all of the kids enrolled into school. As their school year starts on January 14^th. By this afternoon, all will be enrolled and then next week will be all about getting them new school uniforms. Back to school shopping for almost 40 kids! At least they got much of what they need in their backpacks.

In closing, I just want to say that yes, some days here are hard. I’m a missionary, I’m not perfect and I know that God has many things He is still teaching me. Some days are harder than others, but I find so much peace in how far God has brought me. Learning lessons isn’t always easy but I look forward to the day that I can look back and see just how God brought me through the stressful moments.

Prayer Requests:

PRAISE! – I don’t know if I ever wrote about this on my blog, but on the Dream Project’s Facebook page, I shared about our neighbor, Sanito, being hit by a car.

Links to the Facebook Requests:

Sanito Prayer Request

Sanito Update

Well on Christmas day, in walked Sanito! It was the first time I had seen him, he has cast on his leg and uses a crutch. But the first thing you notice is the scar in the shape of a backwards “7” with the corner separating his forehead from his hairline. My guess is the scar is about 8 inches total. I don’t have a lot of experience here with hospitals, I only know that they have a high death rate in pregnancy. But I’m convinced it’s a God thing that he survived. So thank you, thank you for your prayers. My guess is you can keep them coming in regards to his leg and rehabilitation!