Cough, cough, cough!!! Wheeeeze! Cough, cough, cough! These were the joyful sounds of the season at my house this year! Sadly, the germs and pollution caught up with me in the first few days of my Christmas break and I came down with a very ugly case of bronchitis, which, on the first of January, 2009, I am just beginning to feel better from! Sadly, there were many things I had to miss out on this Christmas in Taiwan... the OMF Christmas party, my New Year trip up to Taipei, various gatherings and activites full of Christmassy fun and cheer.
But I was able to make it to a few special Christmas events in spite of the bronchitis. This year our church hosted a beautiful Christmas Eve English service for the city of Chiayi! It was left to a small group of about 5 of us to plan and execute the whole thing. Our "unofficial leader" Phillip, took us out to a lovely buffet breakfast to do our planning. It was a really wonderful meeting where we really thought and prayed about how to present the story of Jesus' birth to mostly unchurched non-believers. We decided to let the scriptures speak for themselves and selected passages that tell the Christmas story. These were read aloud and interspersed with all the familiar Christmas Carols that also tell the story so beautifully. It was a really wonderful service. We were so pleased to have many Taiwanese join us and hear the message of hope in Jesus birth and his sacrifice for them. We continue to pray that many hearts were opened and touch by the words of scripture about the Savior!
Another event that I did not miss out on was the school Christmas Program! The kids have been working so hard since Thanksgiving to prepare for our program this year. We did a "Broadway style musical" entitled "Hope is Born Again", written and choreographed by Christina (I helped where I could, but the whole singing and dancing bit is really not my strength)!!! The kids did a spectacular job! They always do, and each time I see them perform I'm so amazed by their talent and feel so proud of them! I have to admit, this year as I watched them gather and kneel around the manger scene while singing, "Lift your voices high and sing, Grace has entered in, celebrate the joyful news, Hope is born again," I had tears in my eyes! If the parents and community memebers in the audience were half as blessed as I was, then we were successful!
In spite of the sickness, doctor visits, hospital visits, pharmacy runs, medication problems, and generaly feeling lousy, this was a good Christmas season. This was my first time being really sick here in Taiwan, and I was very blessed by the care and compassion of my friends here. God was very faithful to me and provided special people to bring me to the doctor/hospital, stay with me in the ER, bring me food and medicine, call to check up on me, come over to visit, and just in general be supportive and loving! Sometimes is takes bronchitis to fully appreciate the community of people around you! I will always remember the Christmas of 2008... both for the bronchtis and for the blessings!!!!!
1 comment:
Hi Jen,
So wonderful to read your heartfelt blog. Yes, the Lord is faithful and so are the wonderful friends he has put in your life. As your parents we were very upset and afraid of all that you went through. We are thankful all is now getting better. Love, Mom
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