Manry Family

Our family just said goodbye to Bill and Barbara Anderson after a week spent with them here in Jinja. We were thrilled to have them experience this ministry, and culture and people that we are now becoming so familiar with. We are thankful for the ways they involved themselves and intentionally encouraged us in our work. I’m also thankful to have shared the Thanksgiving holiday with them, a day a little less traditional than Thanksgivings of the past. Joining us at our table were the Bogles, a missionary family that lives in Jinja, and several Ugandan families that our team has a special relationship with. We filled our plates with a few reminders of home – a honey baked ham brought over from America , sweet potato casserole and cornbread stuffing. In addition, we ate traditional Ugandan dishes of rice and beans, matooke and g-nut sauce, cabbage and greens. With full bellies we enjoyed fellowship and the union of a church leader from our home congregation and several of our church leaders here in Jinja. Indeed, we had a week to be thankful for.

 

I believe the holidays will prove to be a little more difficult this year! Last year our family had just moved here and being away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas actually seemed refreshing. I remember thinking how strange it was that I wasn’t lamenting the holiday traditions that I usually look forward to. I was even content that we didn’t have decorations in our home…that is until the week before Christmas and I panicked and demanded we buy a Christmas tree to at least have one symbol that Christmas day was approaching. But really overall, it was a nice sabbatical from the normal Christmas expectations.

 

However, this isn’t true this year. I miss all the clues and reminders of the American Christmas. Yes, I miss all those seemingly unnecessary symbols like garland and lights and wreaths. I miss the little things that get you in the holiday spirit like eggnog and candy canes, Christmas carols and cheesy Christmas sweaters.  I miss the events of shopping and dinner parties and wrapping presents even though they so often distracted me from the intended focus of the holiday. I miss all these things because they don’t just symbolize Christmas for me…they symbolize home, they remind me of you.

 

I know Christmas can be celebrated without these symbols and events. In order to get into the spirit of Christmas, I don’t need to walk through a mall excessively decorated to attract consumers (though Somerset mall with my mom and sister sounds really appealing right now!). In fact, I’m looking forward to redefining Christmas for our family and starting some new traditions. I’m eager to find new symbols of the holiday, using local materials to “deck our halls.” And I’m excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus in new ways, a natural response to our relationship with our savior evolving this year. However, being apart from family and friends will remain difficult and we refuse to make this a tradition! This year, we’re excited to share the holiday with our dear friends Sean and Tessa Stockman and their daughter Emerson. They will be visiting us for almost three weeks and I’m thankful to have their presence during what will be a difficult time of being away from home.

 

Seasons Greetings to each and every one of you! As we enjoy our traditions, new and old, may we most especially rejoice in the miraculous event that gives us a reason to celebrate!

 

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