The Heart of Christmas

     It is the season of Christmas, and what better way to get into the season than incorporate Christmas into the classroom?  My students have made cards and crafts, learned Christmas songs, and played Christmas games.  

      It was in my youngest class that I began to read a Christmas story - not THE Christmas story, but one about wanting presents and toys, about Santa and what he will bring.  These are ideas that do not seem foreign to the westerner, in fact they are far from foreign.  But as I was reading, and having my translator translate, I found myself embarrassed that I would even read such a book.  I apologized to my translator and said, “The End.”

     This occurrence has caused me to think deeper about what Christmas really means to me.  I know in my heart that the birth of Jesus is the reason for Christmas, and Christmas should be about love, community and sharing; but, how deeply engrained are these false stories of Santa and toys?  I mean, we all know the songs, and exactly how Santa travels and comes down chimneys, but to the foreigner, this idea is just that.

     Coming to Cambodia for Christmas has removed a large part of many Christmas traditions for us.  But one large tradition, of coarse, is shopping for presents.  I love buying, wrapping and giving presents.  I don’t care as much about receiving presents though, so I don’t buy so I can get.  When you remove this shopping factor, and suddenly you are left without shopping, you feel as though all the prep and lead-up to Christmas is gone.  This is a problem.  Once I realized this is how I felt, I realized that shopping and presents are what really does define Christmas in western culture; and although I like to think otherwise, it has defined much of what Christmas means to me.

     By being removed from westernization this holiday season, I have learned more about myself, and feel blessed to be able to focus on the things that matter: Jesus, love, relationships, and community - all which are very close to us now and easy to access!

Christmas in Cambodia

It is December 1^st on this side of the world, and the Christmas season should be in full swing on your side of the world by now.  For those who know us, know that Christmas is a favorite for us… by far.  We love decorating, and I allow Jeremy to put his nutcrackers throughout the house :)  This year, for obvious reasons, will be a very different Christmas… no santas, reindeers, bells in the mall, Christmas parties… (and although we will be missing our friends and family this Christmas wholeheartedly), I feel as though I’ve won the lottery being able to spend it with all the children here.

I realized this week, that I have been underestimating the children, and their perception of us, and the way they watch our ways.  They see when we leave for the city, and when we stay to spend time with them on the weekends.  This should seem obvious, but it was only with their small comments here and there that I have realized this.  

The other day, one of the older boys, Thai, brought up Christmas.  He wondered if we would be leaving to spend Christmas at the beach, or in another country.  When I told him we were here to spend it with them, he was both surprised and excited.  The older children, at least, understand what a big occasion Christmas is to westerners, and I am glad we can give our passion for Christmas over to the ones we love here.

Our experience in coming back has been very different from the 1^st time we were here.  This time around, we have entered into a world we are familiar with, and a people we already know and love.  It is like we are entering into a family we left behind.  Our once room feels like our home, along with the rest of Rescue’s grounds.  And, although needing some small breaks at times, all I want to do is spend time with my family here, where last time privacy was a luxury for me.

Thank you for all the prayers coming out our way.  Although I enjoyed the children before, and for that reason we are back, I now feel an overflowing love for each of them, and sense of belonging in this one huge family.  

So, when I here “I’ll be home for Christmas….. if only in my dreams…”  I am torn, because I dream of family, snow, and tradition, but I am given an outpouring of love, and isn’t that what Christmas should really be about?  God’s love for us, and our love for others.

Christmas Update

     At the outset of our mission to Haiti, time seemed to stand still somedays. All our experiences could be drawn out each day, thoroughly enjoyed and reflected upon. As time draws to a close, we feel speed picking up again, trying to wrap up all the work we have attempted to accomplish, while carefully balancing the great need to nurture relationships with those we will leave behind. No one ever promised Haiti would be easy and we can see how people proclaim this country to be one of the tougher mission fields. We are satisfied that we answered God’s call, a great stirring in our hearts, and

we have felt the eternal blessings gained from serving His people. Haiti has been a wonderful place for us as a means of growth, sacrifice and inner-peace. Early each morning, we rise with the sun and commit personal time to prayer, bible reading and journalling. God placed us here to take this time seriously and we have been richly blessed through what He reveals to our hearts each day. Our faith has been strengthened by seeing people healed through our prayer and compassion. God has called us to live beyond the confines of “our” time and to serve openly and selflessly within the community, where it is not always the clock that matters, but precious moments. As a young couple used to spending ample time with just each other, we had some reservations being thrust into a community environment. Mysteriously, we have had abundant time to grow together, as we live and work among God’s people, even though date nights don’t exist. "Just us" time is" just everyone else" time. Truly there has been a valuable lesson to learn in all this. We will continue to let our hearts proclaim this attitude of service and community and experience rich growth in our marriage.

     During the past 4 months we have been serving with Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM). Jeremy has been teaching English to the grade 1-6 students, primarily at Blanchard School, but also a few days a week at Cite Soleil School. Each afternoon he has offered adult English classes, which have been a conversation enriching time for all the students. By furthering their English study, they will have an increased chance at finding employment in a country where the unemployment rate is at a staggering 70%.

     Stacey is the school nurse for both Blanchard and Cite Soleil School. She has been shadowed by a local nurse with the expectation that this lady will take over independently after Stacey leaves. The students have been cared for extensively, parents have been educated on how to better look after their children’s basic needs, and many problems with personal care have been rid of. Very importantly, there is now an in-depth documentation process for tracking students medical records for years to come!

     The children have been the highlight of our trip and it has been a joy to work with them. Every day they make us laugh, think, and sometimes shake our heads with their wild and energetic behavior. They really are an intense bunch! Leaving them after several months of such close contact will be very hard, especially when we don’t know if we will see them again. God has placed them under our care and direction for a time and it would be a blessing to be with them again if He wills it. We love them so much and we feel like they are a part of our family. 

     Our mission to Haiti has met some challenging points, but nothing that we complain

about here compares with the with the everyday struggles of those in poverty. We don’t live in Cite Soleil, but we live as close as you can get. People in leadership here have been robbed, many people distrust their fellow neighbor, and even we as foreigners are taught to live in fear. However, never once have we been worried about our safety, and through it all we have kept our mission at the forefront of our minds. We know without a doubt that we are his servants and that his people are our people. God is so, so good!

The Future:

     As we look ahead to traveling through Australia and serving once again in Asia, we are

hopeful that God’s good plan for us will continue to unravel. In Indonesia, Malaysia and

Thailand, we have a handful of contacts who are going to lead us through their ministries. We will be exposed to street ministry, orphan care, AIDS initiatives and church activities. We have been strongly encouraged to consider Asia as a long term assignment and it will be interesting to see how God focuses this time. Thank you to everyone who has created these divine appointments for us.

     We will arrive in Cambodia in mid-March and work at Place of Rescue, an AIDS

orphanage, for 3 months. Here we will be part of a community of children diagnosed with AIDS, and destitute grandmothers, who have been left without family due to AIDS. Our primary purpose here will be to teach English, but we already know God has much, much more in mind.

     Thank you for your support of our mission. It has been encouraging to receive financial

support, prayers, emails, Facebook messages, Skype calls and even a package! The blessings that these gifts bring enable us to keep pressing on, knowing that we have the strong covering of believers back home. Any financial gifts for travel are funneled through ACOP, of which almost half has been covered. Donations towards living expenses in Cambodia can be made through Place of Rescue. All expenses are strictly missions related.

Please continue to pray. Stacey has battled some minor health problems and we both desire to give with compassion, patience and generosity as we serve. This will demand our best, our all.

Much love to everyone, Jeremy and Stacey

Donations can be made to:

ACOP (www.acop.ca)

#119 - 2340 Pegasus Way NE

Calgary AB. T2E 8M5

(403) 273-5777

Place Of Rescue Foundation

Box 27096, RPO Tuscany

Calgary, AB T3L 2Y1

(403) 973-5470

So what now...?

Alright, alright it's a loaded question and in some ways probably premature, right?  Is it really though?  The time here has been more encouraging than eye-opening I could say.  Our eyes have been opened before, that's why we're here now.  The encouragement from our friends here, family and friends back home and the smiling kids who encourage you simply by giving ALL their time to you has made it very worthwhile.  Too worthwhile?  A life-changing, life-shaping worthwhile?  There's a lot going on in our thoughts.  This passage in Isaiah is profound for me right now and consequently has landed in my devotional at precisely the right time:

If you offer your food to the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
    and satisfy your needs in parched places,
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters never fail (Isa. 58:10-11)

Truly, I hope that God can give us wild dreams beyond our comfort and scope of thinking and challenge us to then go and accomplish it, no matter what.  I can feel God's provision for us and it gives great hope for the future, especially when wondering about all the what-ifs that would love to steal my time.  At the same time, I don't wish to say too much or too little.  God is working in us every day, for now and for the future.  I'm pretty sure He's telling us to reference any queries we have to Isaiah 58 for today and that in itself will be enough to face tomorrow.

Looking at the Immediate Future

Five years happens pretty fast.  You can earn a couple degrees, work a lot of hours and see many places.  If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll even complete your 5 year plan, which definitely included some of these criteria for us.  We certainly have grown together in half a decade of marriage, as we completed our education, gained valuable work experience and managed to stay somewhat cultured along the way.  Now on to the next step...

As part of our early years of marriage, it was always a valuable goal to complete our education as a means to prepare us for the work world of course, but our bigger dream of participating in global missions.  God gave both of us a very clear leading in our educational goals as we met, married and mapped out our future.  A teacher and a nurse are coveted positions in other parts of the world and we’ve really enjoyed working these jobs in Canada during the early stages of our careers. 

Edmonton is where we reside and work, but for the immediate future our home will be elsewhere.  On August 18th, 2011 we will be traveling to Haiti where we will serve for 4 months.  During our time, I (Jeremy) will be teaching English to a range of ages and Stacey will be tracking all medical records for the hundreds of students who attend the 4 schools run by the organization Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM).  These are our primary objectives but we will also be involved in teacher training, construction, community outreach and evangelism.  

After Christmas we will return home to eat Alberta beef and peanut butter all while enjoying a time of refreshment with friends and family.  Our journey will continue east this time, landing in Australia and making our way north through much of southeast Asia before arriving in Cambodia for another 4 months of intensive ministry at Place of Rescue.  This organization focuses on education and community as it provides relief and a home for destitute grandmothers and children with AIDS.  We will continue to work in educational and medical fields here.

The planning process for this second leg of our journey is still in the works, although Cambodia has been given the green light and will involve preparations even as we are in Haiti.  We desire to have a chunk of time to travel after Christmas but we will also be seeking smaller ministry opportunities in southeast Asia as we trek around.  Ultimately, we know that this down time will restore much of the energy we will expend and we will seek to strengthen our bond as a couple as God leads us during the time away from our longer periods with organizations. 

We have prepared our hearts for this year, knowing full well that this could disclose what is to come in our next 5 years, or even beyond.  To be able to extensively... travel and enjoy so much culture and creation appeals to our adventurous sides but our true passion lies ahead with the relationships we will form and the lasting impact that the words and actions of Jesus Christ will leave along the way.  We are extremely open to the possibility of a longer term somewhere and this series of intermediate-length opportunities to serve will really speak to our capacity to serve with clear minds and open hearts for an extended period of time.

ACOP and it’s Missions Director Jerry (and Brenda) Scheutz have been extremely supportive and encouraging during our seeking process.  We will be sent under the covering of this organization which has embraced our mission as couple and will help us in many tangible ways as we move around.  They will be kept up to date with all our activities and take care of paperwork back home.  They will handle any donations that are contributed to our mission, which can be done by check or credit card. 

The truth is that we are committed to this year no matter what the cost and have made preparations to do so as part our process of mapping this journey out.  Our desire is not to be in this alone and willing people have already asked where they can donate as one of their means of supporting us along the way.  The total cost of the ministry portion of our trip is projected at $9 000 - $11 000.  We will be classified as volunteers during all ministry times this year so thanks for your financial support if you choose to give this way.  

Truly, this mission would never be happening if not for the extreme grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  So many people have poured into our lives as we’ve ministered and worked in Canada both as individuals and a couple and if not for the invitation to join short-term mission teams, supportive church groups and unite with people in prayer, we could have never dreamed that this would finally take place.  We are excited that this year could mean many more years of serving in global missions and we ask that you pray for open doors, obedience, safety and above all that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus everywhere we walk.  

Much love to you all, Jeremy and Stacey