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We celebrated US Thanksgiving last weekend, which was the
first holiday I’d spent away from my parents. It will be a very different
Christmas from any I’ve ever celebrated before because I will remain separated
from my family in Peru. However, I’m surrounded by my Christian family from all
over the world.
As always, the population on the compound continues to change
as STAs (short-term associates) come and go. All of the STAs are great too, and
we’ve enjoyed many adventures together. It’s great to have such a wide range of
friends so close by. One of the greatest additions to compound life has been my
next-door neighbor, Elise. She’s lots of fun and a goof-ball just like me, and
though she is younger than me, every once in a while I tell her to be my mom…
she tries and fails to boss me around, but she’s been great at daily
encouragements, which at home, I would receive from my mom everyday.
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| Elise and I drinking hot chocolate while decorating for Christmas! |
At the end of September I began taking Hausa lessons every
week-day after school, and though the lessons have been good, I’m sorry to say
that I am one of my teacher’s worst students (Sorry, Malam Markus!). The
classes come to an end next week, which will be both sad and relieving.
My two absolute favorite things that I’ve enjoyed about my
job at the school so far have been witnessing the day-by-day progress of our
two kindergarteners and one first-grader, and teaching Christmas carols during
music class. It makes my face light up when any one of the little boys picks
out and reads words, letters, or sounds that they did not know at the beginning
of the year! I love choosing Christmas carols for the kids to sing, and most
recently we have been working on harmonization! This has been both challenging
and a great joy to me. The kids were very excited when I told them that I would
be splitting them into Soprano and Alto groups, and the majority of the time
their harmonizing sounds beautiful!
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| Some of the STAs and I on a trip to Niamey |
This time of year is when we concentrate on celebrating the
birth of Jesus, our Savior, but I still tend to get caught up in all of the
silliness of the traditions that we have tacked onto it. One carol’s words that
continue to come to mind are those of O
Holy Night:
“O Holy Night!
The stars are brightly shining,
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| Music Class! |
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees,
Oh, hear the angels voices!
O night divine,
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| On a walk with some friends |
O night when Christ was born!”
It reminds me that hope really did become reality when
Christ was born, and that before He came to earth as a baby, we were utterly
miserable. When we truly see Him, we know in our hearts that He is the only one
that can redeem us. The world is weary and tired of sin, but if we allow Him,
Christ raises us up and gives us a second chance. He gives us a new and
glorious morn!
