Many of our friends and family are beginning to post pictures on facebook of snowmen, kids bundled up in winter gear, and trees covered in snow. You all know who you are! So it may be tempting to laugh at this blog post. But I have a confession to make that might shock you all. I am constantly cold. Yes. That’s right. Some days I feel like I never quite warm up. You may be asking yourself, “how cold can it possibly be in Mexico?” Well, let me tell you…
It gets surprisingly cold here. Most nights it gets down into the 40’s. We’ve been told that on occasion, they have even had frost here. Now before you laugh and compare our temperatures to yours (especially those of you who live in temps where it consistently gets below freezing), you have to realize something. There are no heaters in our house. None. No baseboard heaters, wall heaters, portable heaters. And no wood stove. We live in a cement duplex that gets only a few hours of direct sunlight each day. During the day the outside temp warms up to the mid-60’s or very low 70’s for a few hours each day (although it is becoming more and more rare to see the 70’s), but it is not warm enough to take the chill from our house. The inside temperature has been in the low 60’s much of this past week. I’m not going to lie, I had to go out and buy several throw blankets just so we would be comfortable sitting around the living room. I once stood hovering over the stovetop as I scrambled eggs in a feeble attempt to warm up. I am missing my electric mattress pad warmer that is packed away in storage back in WA and wishing we all had our winter coats. OK, I may be a bit of a drama queen…but my point is that while outside temps back in WA got a lot colder, one could go inside and stoke up the wood stove or turn up the heat and warm up. That isn’t an option here. Here, you just bundle in lots of layers and make the best of it. But despite the chill that I feel, I choose to be thankful for what we have. We have a sturdy home to shelter us from the wind and rain (and we’ve actually gotten a few days of decent rain in the past week and a half!) Thanks to our supporters, we have money to spend on warm blankets and clothes. We have a hot water heater which provides hot water for showers. We are provided with propane gas for our oven/stove (I will admit that I baked things in the oven several times this past week in hopes that it would help heat up our house). And we have each other. And as we prepare to celebrate Christmas in Mexico, far away from most of our loved ones, I find myself exceedingly thankful for my husband and children and how this opportunity is drawing us closer as a family.
It is hard to be so far away from all of our family and friends around the holidays (although my parents will be coming down here on Christmas Day. We are all looking forward to seeing them!) So to get us in the holiday spirit, we decorated our duplex with lots of tinsel, bows, lights, stockings, and we even managed to purchase a live Christmas tree (which surprisingly came from a tree farm only 2 ½ hours from our home in WA). I play Christmas music almost the entire day when I am home. This year, I decided to make an advent wreath for our family and the kids have enjoyed taking turns lighting a candle each night for the past week. We also take time every evening to read from an advent story. This year we are reading Bartholomew’s Passage. The book is written to correspond with the season of advent and each chapter includes part of a fictional story, as well as thoughts to think about and discuss as a family following. It’s a great way to focus daily on the REAL reason we celebrate Christmas. Last year we read a similar book, Jotham’s Journey, and the kids really enjoyed it. So far, this year’s book is capturing their attention just as much. Between the decorations and our daily routine/traditions right now, it truly is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Even if it won’t be a white Christmas this year. I look forward to celebrating the holiday with my family.
However, there are about 20 kids here at the orphanage who will be celebrating Christmas away from their own families for the first time in their lives. I can only imagine how bittersweet this holiday will be for all of the kids here, but it must be especially hard for the new ones. Please join me in praying for them. Pray that the children here would be able to find joy in the midst of their sadness. Pray that the houseparents would know how to respond and show love to each kid in their care. May God work through us and in us this Christmas season to bring Him glory.