Christmas Times!

Joy to the World

As I sit here at my computer, I'm playing Christmas music for the teachers who are sitting and making our special lunch. We are cooking up Irish, muchulai, and cutting up cabbage for salad. We are making sure that the kittens stay out of the buckets, the more curious one already doused herself by falling in, and keeping the dogs out of the food. We are sitting on my porch, and behind me is an open fire with a big pot propped up on stones, cooking the piece de resistance, the three ducks that were taken home by one of the teachers and killed, cleaned and cut last night. I figured out that the dog and cat were mostly thirsty, so once I found a bowl that the kitten wouldn't fall into, she was okay, and now she's all dried off and looks more comfortable. I helped cut up the Irish, known in America as potatoes, and one of the teachers sorted out the muchulai, also called rice. I'm quite sure they would have laughed at my pitiful cutting skills, especially after I watched them slice up everything from cabbage to onions into expertly thin slices and slivers.

Tomorrow we will have a Christmas Eve service at the church, followed by a Yankee Swap, or White Elephant exchange, and munchies of various kinds. Then on Wednesday we'll go into Namalu for worship at the church there, and I will, Lord willing, call my family to participate over the internet in their Christmas morning celebration. Then we will have our Christmas dinner!
Thursday is Boxing Day, which is actually somewhat of a big deal, there will be games and celebrations in the evening at the Knox's house, and the hints I'm getting of stories from previous years are exciting!

The Lord is Come

In ngaKarimojong we say "Ikilakara Akidoun a Yesu", which translates as "Happy celebration of the Birth of Jesus", which makes me think of Pastor Shishko and his dislike of the greeting Merry Christmas. As I enjoy this time off from teaching at the school, and turn my mind to other projects, like Christmas baking, I am reminded of the way that our creating of delicious foods mirrors our Creator God. I pray that I can bring him glory in all that I do, including making tasty treats!

Let Earth Receive her King

I have greatly enjoyed learning Christmas songs in ngaKarimojong, even when the tune gets stuck in my head all day long... It just provides stronger motivation to learn the words, so I can sing, instead of hum. It also provides great encouragement as I continue to work on my language studies, five days a week for a half hour each day with Angelina, and various other times of setting up Quizlet apps and other language documents. I am really enjoying learning this language, and I'm glad that I have great opportunities to practice while I am teaching.

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

I have learned, in whatever state I am to be content. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He will never leave me, nor forsake me, and what can man do if my God is with me? NOTHING.

I refuse to let worry control me, or make me doubt that my God does all things well! He has taken up residence in my heart, as king and conqueror, and through him we will conquer, even death.

And Heaven and Nature Sing

To close on a humorous note, you really should hear our Karamojong neighbors sing Joy to the World in English, I'm sure it's just as funny when I sing in ngaKarimojong, but the way it sounds is basically anhevin anachur sing, which we know is the final line of the song, but it just sounds great when they all do it together!

Some other interesting funnies: turns out there's a word for making things work without having the right things, Juakali, it basically means being able to fix a broken car with a cavera (plastic bag) and a scrunchie! Also, the measuring units are totally practical, but hilarious. They have a lot of soda bottles around, so a measurement of 300 mL is a Fanta, like the orange soda, and the laundry detergent comes in buckets, so that bucket size is called an Omo, the brand of soap.

Anyway, I'm sure there's more, but for now I'll leave you with my thanks for your prayers, and my prayers for you to have a safe, joyful, celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and when your joy in this season leaves others wondering the reason for the hope in you, I pray you boldly and gracefully tell them the reason for the season.

Love to you all,
Taryn