Christmas is coming!
This year, Christmas feels so strange to us. We have no immediate family near us, nor are we going to see any family for Christmas. We see no snow. Its NOT cold… (although it does feel cool compared to the hot season! What a relief!!!) Its not rainy. We don’t hear Christmas music… on the radio, in the stores. Only a few places have decorated for Christmas. No houses are decorated with Christmas lights. We can’t stop in a local coffee shop for a Peppermint Mocha. Very little Christmas shopping is taking place… and definitely no malls jam packed with everyone running around for last minute gifts.
Pretty much everything is different this year. But its the year to start new traditions, start learning the new ways of celebrating Christmas and feeling the Christmas “cheer.”
Its so very interesting celebrating Christmas with almost all commercialism and worldly ways of celebrating taken away. Not that its all bad. We dearly miss it all. But it does help us to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. And it reminds us daily of pretty much everyone we know here in Senegal is in dire need of the ONE TRUE SAVIOUR.
Here are some of our plans for Chirstmas!
On Sunday there is a ladies Christmas party, we will have a gift exchange and desserts.
On the 19th we have a New Tribes Mission Christmas party.
On the 20th our friend Jen is coming in from the village to spend Christmas with us. She grew up here in Senegal, but its her first Christmas with her family home on furlough while she is still here serving.
We are going to do our best to mix her family traditions with ours. We are going to make lots of Christmas cookies, watch a couple Christmas movies, listen to Christmas music. And I (Debra) am planning on making homemade pizza for Christmas Eve. (The Rutledge family went out to have pizza every single Christmas eve of my memory!)
Another tradition we kept was putting up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving day. It was exciting, but also very odd. This is our very first year of taking our tree out of a box instead of buy a fresh tree. It didn’t smell much like Christmas! But after getting a few decorations on and lighting a cinnamon candle and turning on Christmas music, it actually started to feel a little bit like Christmas. Another strange thing was wondering what all of our neighbours would say about our big nicely decorated tree? I couldn’t stop wondering what they would think and how they would take that. Sure enough the next day it was all the talk… what a huge tree we had! Haha! Its only 6ft tall!
Here is a picture of our tree!
The lights are so beautiful. Unfortunately we have only had them on for a few days, and now our regulator is having troubles so the lights have been off for a while. But no worries we will find another regulator to light up our tree before Christmas! =) (We need a regulator to change the volts from 220 to 110 since our tree was purchased in the states. And we need a regulator to protect the lights from sudden power surges!)
A few days after Christmas we have an old friend from Finland coming with a few of his friends. They are going on a big West African adventure. So happens they are starting their journey here in Dakar. So they will be staying with us for a few days.
I am sure we will post more about all the Christmas fun. Please be praying for us as we go through our first holiday season with out family. Its always hard not to be with family, but especially difficult during the holidays.
Merry Christmas everyone. We love each and everyone of you! Don’t forget that He came so that we might live! =)
On this day..
- 2 weeks old comparison - 2008
- Upgrades - 2008
- Happy Birthday Brother! - 2006
Welcome to the Copeland Ramblings. Explore our site to learn more about us and our ministry supporting tribal mission with NTMC
I am so excited to hear what you will be doing. Dad and i really miss you. Love and kisses! Mom
I hope the stamps and stuff on eBay make lots to send your way!
I’m thinking of you guys! My Christmas in China was actually one of the best I’ve ever had – very little commercialism and almost no decorations anywhere. It really did put the focus on Jesus. Celebrating Christmas with other believers in a non-Christian country was so, so precious. We did the best with what we had, and somehow it seemed like so much more. That year really reoriented my view of the holiday, and I no longer feel compelled to do all those silly things we all get pressured into every year. Hoping you guys have a blessed holiday.