So, as it turns out, Mailchimp does not like being accessed from IP addresses in Africa. CLEARLY, the chimp has forgotten from whence he came! Moral to this story – “Don’t forget your roots!” So, for those 2 weeks, I was unable to share this weekly journey. I tried, but alas – the Chimp.
That trip was really amazing. It had a lot of challenges, which is to be expected, but it also had a lot of joy and celebration. LOTS of Christmas parties! For those parties, in which we were able to see about 400 of the women in our program in 3 of our 4 sites, the Lord gave me a story to share with them, comparing all of the false gods of this world, to whom all of them could relate, to the one true God. Juxtaposing the demanding, ever-greedy, far off, angry gods who keep us in fear of displeasing them, to the Creator God who loved His people so much, that when they refused to come to Him, came to us. The only God in the world, who became like the ones He seeks, so that they could find Him. The message seemed to resonate with many, and 2 pastors among the staff asked for the story to use in their churches at Christmas. Most of the women had never heard of a God like that, or His Son, Jesus, so seeds were planted. Our staff will continue to water, and God will bring about the increase. Please pray for them.
Besides the story, a donor wanted to bless the women and donated to buy a Christmas craft for them and a bar of “scent soap.” Let me tell you, Christmas crafts with a hundred women at a time, most of whom have never been to school or ever seen anything crafty was a treat! 🙂 But they LOVED it and were so proud of their creations.
And besides all of that, was the music. Oh goodness – the music! A DJ and sound system was hired in each location to play music for merriment and dancing. Unless you have been to a party in Sierra Leone before, or a rock concert anywhere, you will not appreciate the depth of sacrifice it took to smile through these experiences! Praise God for Jackie, who gave me a set of earplugs, and saved not only my hearing, but my sanity as well!
My favorite Christmas party, however, was the one with our staff. I love my staff! They are a hoot, and parties with them are always a blast. The best was a game of Grabitch Santa (Greedy Santa, a Krio offshoot of Dirty Santa, which doesn’t mean anything like whatever you though when you read it!). That was followed by a Women of Hope staff classic – BINGO, which contrary to popular belief, is a highly competitive undertaking. If you want to see pictures of all these things, visit my FB page!
Anyway, it was a different kind of Advent from what one would expect on a contemplative journey. Or maybe not. I was reminded recently by my aunt, who is the curator of a Christian museum in Nashville, that the day of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem was anything but contemplative. With way more people than the small village could accommodate, it was more like mayhem than contemplation. Emotions were likely high, with everyone being forced to be in a place they didn’t live by a tyrannical government they didn’t want. Dust was plentiful as thousands trampled the dirt streets and more animals than usual crowded in among the throng. Noise levels were likely at an all-time high in little Bethlehem – and Mary didn’t have the blessing of earplugs. Even in her early post-birth hours – exhausted, bloody, sweaty, scared, bewildered and trying to figure out breastfeeding – which is NO JOKE – she is visited by a smelly band of shepherds in the night, excitedly describing an unbelievable story of singing angels. Well, unbelievable to most – but Mary had some history with angelic visits. So, maybe the noise and dust and sweat of my Advent was closer to the real thing than it would have been here in Memphis.
My internet access (both due to time and technology) was severely limited as well, but upon return, I stumbled onto the sweetest Advent treasure. I have mentioned the Pray As You Go app in the past, and the daily devotionals during Advent have been rich times of imaginative contemplation in scenes from the Christmas story. But they have also developed an Advent audio retreat, in 4 sessions. They are all available now, so you can actually take the retreat all in one go, if you like. But we have been enjoying one session a day in our morning prayer times at the office. Each session is between 20 and 25 minutes long, and guides you on a journey of stillness, reflection, and prayer. Here is a link to it.
Oh the joy! While searching for that resource online – in case you don’t have the app, I discovered they actually have TWO Advent retreats! The closing of each daily prayer time during Advent has been the “O” Antiphones, which I have found really moving. And they have developed another retreat, entitled God With Us on these Antiphones from Isaiah. There are 9 episodes in this one, about 15-20 min each, reflecting on each of these titles of Christ. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend!
I highly encourage you to set aside some time between now and Tuesday to sit for an hour or so, and just reflect on the God who came to us – when we refused to go to Him using one of these audio retreats. And for your contemplative pleasure, I will share a picture with you that a friend shared on FB recently. I was moved by this picture as well – Joseph and Mary, exhausted in the moments after birth, and before the noisy visitors arrived, reflecting on the weight of the responsibility they had been entrusted with. What has God entrusted you with this season?
Anticipating His coming – again,
Kim
