Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I have to admit that Christmas here is just plain weird. I mean, we're Canadian, right?  So for us, the Christmas season is evidenced by things like cold, snow, candles, fire in the fireplace, cozy blankets, hot chocolate, lights, trees...

Celebrating Christmas with the heavy dust of Harmattan falling from the sky rather than snow, and sweating buckets rather than shivering....well, it didn't seem very Christmas-y.

But it was a lovely Christmas and I mean that.  We enjoyed many festive events in the days leading up to Christmas: a Christmas movie night, Christmas cookie delivery and carollers (seriously, a group of young missionaries knocked on our gate and serenaded us with carols), a children's Christmas play written by our own MK teachers, and more.

Oh Christmas tree.

When I was in Lome in early December, I found a little tree.  It took about 4 minutes to decorate it, but with that and some Christmas music playing, it was beginning to feel a little like Christmas.

On Christmas eve in the morning, we met up with some other teammates and put together little gift bags for all the patients in the hospital and all the kids that come to Kids Club on Saturday afternoons.  Every bag had a bar of soap, two candies, a packet of juice crystals, a balloon, a print out of the Christmas story and a small pack of cookies. 

Filling gift bags like good little elves!

In the afternoon, the kids helped with Kids Club while I went off to help in the hospital.  We had a nine-month old baby that was malnourished and under weight.  We took turns feeding this little one every three hours so while the kids were at the club, I fed Baby Boy.  

With my feet up, feeding an adorable baby boy.  Rough!

When I was finished feeding him, he had fallen fast asleep so I carried him out to the Kids Club.  Just as I arrived, the leaders were telling the Christmas story with a reenactment of the events and at that exact moment they needed a baby Jesus!  I handed the baby over to "Mary" and our nativity was complete.  You'll notice that the stable is mini soccer net.  "Mary" was thrilled!  Baby Jesus, not so much.

Our Nativity Scene

In the evening, we went to a party with a bunch of other missionaries and played games. On Christmas morning, we got up and opened our gifts from under our little tiny tree.

Mid-morning, we went over the hospital and handed out the gift bags.  We handed them out at the cuisine as well as to every patient that was in the hospital. (By the way, the cuisine is large building on the compound where families of patients can live, prepare food for their sick loved ones - as well, once a patient is discharged but still needs care, they can live in the cuisine until they are ready to head home) Each child also received a small stuffed animal. 

Handing out little blue bags of treats.

After we finished at the hospital, we came home and had a lovely Christmas brunch, just the six of us.  We hung out, watched a movie and then headed back to the Guest House for the boys to have one last rehearsal of the play.  The missionaries all gathered for a carol sing, the play, sharing a meal and a silly gift exchange.  We came home with some pretty sweet gifts: candy, licorice, and a rooster!  Nothing says fun like being woken up by your very own rooster at 4:45 am on Boxing Day morning. 

And with that, Christmas was over and I took the tree and decorations down on Boxing Day morning (a six minute job).

Later in the week, Kylie and I headed to Kara with Cindy and two other ladies to get some groceries (this is a two-hour drive to get butter, cheese etc).  In true Togo fashion, the trip turned into an adventure.  Half-way there we had some serious car trouble.  Praying only that we could get to the next town to pull over rather than having to stop in the middle-of-nowhere, we were able to call Roadside Assistance.  Just kidding!  We called a missionary friend who lived in Kara to arrange an appointment with his mechanic, if and when we arrived.  He suggested a quick fix for the car that he knew and it worked!  We actually made it to Kara, had the car repaired and got our groceries.  All in a day's work.

When we arrived at the grocery store, Kylie was actually THRILLED to use a small grocery cart.  She, of course, picked the one with the bad wheel, but it was bound to happen since there are only two carts in the store anyhow.

We found a case of root beer and a bottle of maple syrup!  Happy day!

And here we are, it's New Years Eve tonight.  We're having some friends over for dinner tonight an then at midnight, a Polar Bear Plunge at the pool.  I'm not kidding. They add blocks of ice to the pool and we all jump in. Photos to follow...maybe.

Happy New Year to each of you!!  May you know the presence and peace of our Heavenly Father in abundant ways this coming year.