The Story of Christmas As Told By Puppets

Though this won’t be seen for awhile, I’m writing two days before Christmas and hope to go to a location on Christmas day with wifi. Currently, the babies are sleeping, the rest are curled up watching a Christmas movie. The days are warm and sunny here but we are getting frost. Jon’s pretending it’s snow so we can have a white Christmas. Our house does feel chilly in the mornings too! Jon dreams of installing a fireplace, which sounds cozy right about now. I now spend our evenings and mornings in sweatshirts and blankets.

We are gearing up to be away from our home starting on Christmas day for 2 1/2 weeks. Time at meetings, time resting, time celebrating with friends, time to restock supplies…making meals takes extra creativity right now as many of my basic ingredients are gone. Leaving home always is a mixed bag, so many good things we do while away, but unsettling for the kids and I as all routines are thrown off. Not having any internet has been a challenge, like no internet to the point we can’t pull in e-mails but we continue to pray for peace in the country and an opening of communication lines. 

Our Advent season has been beautiful as we have slowed and taken the time for the season to soak in, in all of it’s shining glory. It’s so different to celebrate here from the USA, some things we miss dearly, while other things are so poignant here…most of the kids in our area are shepherd children, who were born in mud houses, some probably in the presence of animals. It has been a special time of making gifts for family, assembling gift bags for the orphanage and kids in prison. We don’t have the “hustle and bustle” and I miss it at the same time, never before have we been able to so fully embrace the season in our own ways. 

Teammates, a family from Canada and a family from Belgium prepared a beautiful puppet show about the true meaning of Christmas and God opened doors for three showings in our area. The first at a local orphanage.

There are 48 kids at the orphanage. 15 babies not attendance. 

But we did get to meet the newest member at the orphanage (where they are very well-loved by Catholic nuns from Latin America and a sweet Ethiopian staff). This baby had been there 4 days. Yes, if adoption were being allowed to foreigners, we would probably grow the family again because MELT MY HEART. 

Passing out bananas at the end.

We had two showings in our compound. At starting time, there were five shepherd boys, we waited a bit and by the end of the first showing, there were around 30 people. In the intermission between shows, the first five shepherd boys ran out the gate, gathering their friends.  More people entered and the second show was beautiful as well. We pray what was proclaimed takes root!

The front row’s faces when the puppets made their first appearance. God has been so faithful in so many open doors. 

I love this picture more though, the delight and disbelief by the men sitting in the back. 

and one last prayer request:

8-year-old Aburich has a bone infection. After hospital visits, the family had opted against surgery and it is looking better with antibiotics. We are thankful for this but have also seen that deep bone infections do need surgery to fully heal the leg. Please pray for wisdom and open doors that this little girl can return to school and live a normal life. Bone infections left untreated most likely will result in leg amputation.