Christmas in Africa

I celebrated my Christmas a little differently this year. I didn't wake up in my bed on Christmas morning and then have a special breakfast with my family. I didn't sit by the tree with a cup of hot chocolate waiting to open presents with my sisters. I actually didn't open a single present on Christmas Day. I didn't get to see or hug a single member of my family. By basically all worldly definitions, I had what most would call a depressing and horrible Christmas, but I don't see it that way. Actually, to be honest, it was the most incredible holiday I have ever had the privilege of being a part of. I spent my Christmas thousands of miles from home in a little place called Africa. 

When I woke up on December 25, it didn't feel like Christmas at all. It was a frigid 100 degrees outside, and I was still fairly sunburnt from a few days before. I got up and got dressed to go to church for a special Christmas service. I sat outside under a tent in a plastic chair in the sweltering heat with some of the most joyful people I've ever met. We sang, danced (yes you read that right, I said danced), and listened to the story of Jesus' birth first in English then in Lugandan. After many hugs and handshakes, we left to go deliver gifts. 

This next section of words will not do justice to what happened at this point, but I'll do my best. First we delivered candy bags to the boys home. They were so precious and started devouring their "sweeties" the second we handed them to them. Next we went to the babies home to give them their much less full bags of candy. They were supposed to be napping so that was a bit of an adventure, and I'm sure the aunties loved us when the couldn't get them to sleep. The next house is where our hearts were really touched though. 

We arrived at the Merimbe Cottage for street girls with five huge boxes filled with an entire tote bag overflowing with gifts for each girl. They were all so excited they could barely sit still as we began handing out the bags. Here is just a glimpse of what it looked like. 

The girls unwrapped their gifts with many shouts and yells of excitement. One even said, "auntie you must hold me up. I will faint!" They were so excited that they would put everything back in their bags to only dump it right back out to look at them again. After they were done, they all came up to us with huge hugs and smiles and many many thank you's. I almost lost my composure when a few of them said "thank you, Hannah. Thank you!" It was truly a sweet time. 

After the girls home we got to deliver gifts to the children's home. They were just as anxious and excited. We very much enjoyed their sweet faces as they opened probably their first ever Christmas gift. 

 

It was truly the best Christmas I've ever gotten to be a part of, and I didn't receive a single gift. The look on these sweet kids faces makes up for not getting to spend it with my family. I hope after you read this you aren't thinking "oh Hannah is such a good and sacrificial person", I hope you see how good our God is, and how precious these children he has created are.