CHRISTMAS.

The 25th of December .... many of us with family! church, food, games, gifts,laughter and celebrations of every kind.A phone call with my family back in Uganda, left me giggling and full of joy. They were all excited as the phone was passed from one sibling to another, nephews, nieces and even to the neighbors. For about 7 years or more we had not had everyone home. As i talked to them, my ears were mixed between hearing the cries of the babies, the conversations in the background, the noises of  the children playing and the person i was talking to since they were all in our small house.

Many will testify that my mom is by far the best cook in the world, she always told us that she has 35 different ways of cooking chicken, am still waiting for the 10th. As true Africans, my brothers and nephews must have chased live chicken through mom's banana plantation, through the corn gardens down to the trees and the corners of my neighbors houses. This is one of the fun things that holidays bring. When i was little, the reason i waited for christmas was to see my dad laugh with us, That is all that wanted for christmas.

On the 23rd we cut our christmas tree from the bush or a neighbor's fence, put it in the house and bout lots of toilet paper and cut it in different shapes. We did most of our shopping on the 24th because that is mostly when we were sure we had some money. We took a day at a time, we hardly had enough for a day so we had to worry about today and not so much about 'next week.' As soon as we were done with chasing the chicken and shopping for what mom did not have planted in her garden, my brothers cut the chicken and smoked it. Mom pilled matooke (plantain) and put it in the banana leaves to steam, this had to cook for hours.                              

The girls would start cleaning the house and making sure all the clothes are ready for church on the 25th morning. At 4am, on 25th, mom would wake up and start cooking the chicken, beef, chapati, irish potatoes and vegetables. We always knew that we are up for a good meal! The 8 of us would do different chores, the boys would go to fetch water down and make sure that all the jericans are full. Dad would sweep the compound, my older sister mopping the house and decoration, my other sister putting charcoal in an iron box swinging it left to right so that it gets hot enough to iron the church clothes for everyone. My youngest brother polishing everyone's shoes. With this kind of team we were done at 8:00am.

As we took turns with cold water in the basins to wash off the mad and the dust from all the house chores, breakfast was ready. Most of us had to run to lead worship in church. Dad always said that, " before you run to do ministry in church make sure home is in order." This has become my life style that before i leave my house to travel or go to church, my room has to be in order. Thanks dad! We never had breakfast together on the 25th, yet this many times is the best breakfast in the year with bread, blue band, milk and jam.

As the worship leader at church, when i was done with my responsibilities at home, Christmas was also about Jesus coming to the world at times i just wanted to be in church the whole day and just enjoy Jesus' company :) Oh how precious life can be sometimes. Don't you like the times when you were like a child. When you understood life literally and never sought to denote anything or find it's connotations. Child like faith will always be my favorite! What is your favorite memory of Christmas, do you view Christmas as yesterday? Did you make it memorable? A friend of mine serving her country miles away looks back to the times with family that passed unnoticed and values them more than ever. The times that we chased the chicken, fetched the water from the valley, saw mom cooking and had to run to church without makeup to make sure that people meet God on this big day when he came to earth. Times when all that mattered was family and encountering God.

What shall i say now? God has blessed each one of us and placed us in specific places at specific times. Lets make sure that we enjoy every moment, every person God brings across our paths with sincerity and gratitude. As we become part of their story, may we be the good part of their story. Not leaving anxiously but with freedom in the one that has let us be part of the big story that He is writing. H