My day began early as I got up to put the finishing touches on some costumes for the children's Christmas presentation at church in the evening. I think I've been seeing, crowns, beards and angels’ wings in my sleep.
About 10 am Mari called to ask me to help her with a last minute trip to the market. Like in the US, the "stores" are crowded with last minute shoppers.
By 3:00 I was at church, helping set up for the Christmas Eve service. (I'm part of the children's staff now at Iglesia del Camino! At least for a while. . .) I loved how everyone pitched in. At right, Antonio, who recently graduated seminary, vacuums the stage area.
Before the service, Pastor Mike (in the suit coat—a first!) gathered all the staff together, under the setting sun, for a time of prayer and reflection.
As we prayed, I looked up and saw a lone star in the sky, and couldn’t help but remember the Star of Bethlehem.
And here are some of our kids, preparing to present the Christmas Story to the congregation:
Our Angels
Our Shepherds
Our Kings
Maria Dolores, our children’s ministry director, did an amazing job sewing most of the costumes.
Just as we were about to begin, there was a power failure—only on the street where our church is located. With emergency lights and cell phone flashlights, we started our service. As Pastor Mike reminded us, there was no electricity the first Christmas.
Pastor Mike and Luis holding their cell phones to shine the light on our shepherds.
The lights were off and on throughout the service, but did stay on long enough for the kids to sing two songs for the congregation.
And our Carols and Candlelight were just the ticket with unreliable power.
When church was over, we made a quick stop at my house to pick up tamales, ponche (a Christmas punch loaded with pieces of fruit), and cookies and headed up to Dick’s house in Chimaltenango to meet a bunch of his kids who had had to work late.
With Esbin’s help, Dick played Santa. (Maybe now that Christmas is over, he’ll cut his hair and trim his beard?)
Dave Black, a friend from Canada, joined us for the evening (though I think he came mostly hoping to get some chocolate peanut clusters!)
About ten o’clock, Dick brought Dave and me back to Antigua where I joined the Hernandez family for their traditional dinner of tamales at midnight. (And to think that I used to groan about having to attend an eleven o’clock Christmas Eve service at home. Of course, no snow makes traveling much easier here!)
At midnight, the sky here lights up filled with fireworks from every direction, welcoming the birth of Jesus. It always brings tears to my eyes as I see Don Leo going room to room with a pan of incense, inviting the newborn Jesus into each corner of the house.
One of the sweetest moments of this Christmas Eve, though, was given to me by Natalie, Leo’s granddaughter. I would not be spending Christmas Day with the family this year, as we would be taking some of the Hermano Pedro kids out to Daryl and Wanda Fulp’s for the day. Natalie couldn’t understand why I was leaving them, so her mother, Julie, explained that these children have no families to care for them on Christmas. At this news, seven year old Natalie burst into tears at the thought of children without families alone in orphanages, especially at Christmas. Oh that we all could have her tender heart for the least of these. . .
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