Natali chi Abuna! - Merry Christmas!

This year, Christmas was spent in Sudan. It was a simple and joyful one. There was plenty of singing, dancing, rejoicing and volleyball playing (a gift from my Mom and Dad).

Christmas Eve
We've discovered yet another bonus to living in Sudan:
dorky Christmas t-shirts and wrapping paper hair bows can be proudly worn out in public.

Mom and Dad also left us this tiny Christmas tree.
Thanks!

Baking Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve.

We spent the afternoon of the 24th visiting Nagishot friends.

Popping popcorn - a treat for both the very young and pretty old.

Elly gave her extra mattress to Martha.
Martha has quite a few medical struggles, including a bum hip.
In the past, she slept on an cow skin,
just like the one she is laying on here.
As you can imagine, she was SUPER happy with this upgrade!

Some people carol on Christmas Eve, we painted nails...

Nail polish is the latest craze in Nagishot.

Girls, boys, women, men - everyone wants their nails done...

In 2009, our TIMO team celebrated Christmas in Napep. It was an eye-opening experience - as it was hard to find a sober man, woman or child in the entire village.

This year, members of the small Napep church decided to quite literally walk away from the season's binge drinking (for the day). On Christmas Eve, a group of approximately 30 believers chose to make the 10 mile trek from Napep to Nagishot. They walked across the mountain - away from the drinking and Napep parties - to worship the coming of the Son as one Didinga body of believers.

The days leading up to Christmas didn't seem anything like the Christmases of my past. I was a bit homesick - missing my family like crazy.

Yet, one never quite know when or where our cup will overflow...

Gathering around the fire on Christmas Eve, singing carols and Didinga praise songs with Nagishot and Napep friends felt quite familiar, right and true. We sang and prayed for hours - until my voice was gone, but my heart was full.

Most of the voices drawn together around that simmering Nagishot fire were celebrating the coming of our Lord for the very first time! The Word of God is transforming people's lives in the Didinga Mountains of Sudan.

This Christmas Eve was, to say the least, a very special night.

Christmas Morning

My Mom is an AMAZING seamstress.
She made Elly, Tianne and I these aprons.
We LOVED them... and her!

Tianne with her Christmas apron and cheese.

The school room where church is normally held
wasn't big enough to accommodate all our Christmas visitors
(the Napep congregation and many Christmas/Easter church-goers).
So, we worshiped in the sunshine outside.

The Nagishot Choir

Church included plenty of singing.
Philip Lajore, Hector, Hector and Dario - the young men's quartet.
Only to be matched by Tianne, Elly and I - the young ladies trio.
We performed a choreographed rendition of,
"Go Tell it on the Mountain".
I bet you're sorry you missed it.

After church we danced for hours.
Everyone was so HAPPY! Including me!

I loved dancing with my students.

After hours and hours of volleyball playing,
we passed out stockings to close friends, like Philip.
Philip's first stocking - I think that he liked it!

and Dario, our former language helper in Napep,
with his 2nd stocking.

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you the good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord."
John 2:10-11

Natali chi Abuna! - Merry Christmas!