My idea of Christmas is not 95 degrees and 90-percent humidity. But that’s Christmas in Cambodia!
In Cambodia we don’t hear any sleigh bells ringing, but occasionally we hear the clank of a bell around the neck of a Brahman bull walking with his herd. There are no men in red-and-white Santa suits soliciting passersby, but there are plenty of monks in saffron robes asking for food. You won’t see evergreen trees along the streets here, but there are lots of palms. We rarely see Christmas decorations except in a few foreigner grocery stores in the city. For the most part, life goes on as usual in Cambodia with no recognition of my favorite holiday.
At home, we put up a few decorations to remind us that Jesus is the reason for the season. Each Christmas here reminds us how important it is to remember Him. We try to have special foods that bring our thoughts back to Christmases past. With key ingredients difficult or impossible to find, we have to improvise when we make Christmas recipes, and the results are often hard to recognize.
We miss seeing snow on the mountains and homes decked out with colorful lights. We think of the music in churches this time of year, and the festiveness of the gatherings with family, friends and fellow believers.
This Christmas we will cool down with fresh coconut as a treat, and sit around drinking cold water while singing songs that take our minds back to the greatest Gift mankind ever received. As we get together with other missionaries and staff, we will share our fondest memories of Christmases past, made fonder now that we are 8,000 miles from home.
Please pray for all the AFM missionaries so far from home this time of year. It makes us homesick for heaven, where we will never need to part from loved ones and will celebrate Jesus daily!
Thankfully this year had many baptisms on the Gogodala Project and the Great River Project, and we look forward to joining with those dear people in that glorious celebration of Jesus throughout eternity!
