Last night we had Christmas at the orphanage. It had been a decently hard week for me as I spoke with all of my family back home who were spending time together for Christmas and I realized everything I loved so much and was missing out on. Plus the lack of snow, Christmas music, Christmas cookies, Christmas shopping, and wrapping had left me confused as to if it were even actually almost Christmas. I was feeling a bit sad, this was a time of year that I always loved and looked forward to and it seemed to be slipping away from me without notice. I knew that this was where God wanted me to be though, even though it was hard...
Sara was busy in the kitchen throughout the day preparing the meal and I played some with the kids. Somewhere in this time I decided, and asked permission, to take some of the boys to play soccer (which they absolutely love). On the way home they asked if we could go to the beach. As I looked at my watch and saw there was only an hour and 15 minutes until dinner I thought to myself that we did not have time... then I remember it was Christmas and something as simple as going to the beach was something these kids never got to do and was so special to them. I then realized that special treats, showing them love through that, was way more important than a schedule. We got there and all 7 boys ran down the stairs, onto the beech, and stripped off their t-shirts as they ran to the water. As I watched them play and laugh and the sun set, I thought to myself about how this is never where I pictured myself being. Last Christmas I never ever would had thought I’d spend the following one in shorts and a t-shirt watching a bunch of high school kids run around on the beech in Mexico... it was beautiful. We soon headed home in time for everyone to shower.
As we all met in the Chapel at the orphanage everyone was dressed up in their nicest clothes, hair done nicely, and with an attitude of gratitude and excitement for the party. We then headed into the dining room which was all decorated. We served the kids at their seats as they ate the candy out of their goodie bags at their seats before we could get them food. After dinner we brought all of the wrapped gifts into the dining room. Suddenly there was a hoard of little kids standing around, looking at them in awe, trying to figure out which one was theirs! Sara called out each kids name and they were instructed to applaud as each kid received their gift. The look on the kids’ faces were priceless as they took the gift and the sound of laughter and applause created a melody that was worthy of the heavens. Once everyone received a gift they were told they could open them and suddenly the room went up in a cloud of wrapping paper and toys. We then spent the rest of the night with candy and cookies in kids mouths as they ran around showing off and playing with their new toys.
By 9:30 most of the little kids had gone to bed and I found myself playing volleyball in the courtyard with a few of the high school kids. As I stood there, continuing to share some of the most beautiful smiles and laughs, I realized that though I missed time with my family that this was pure beauty. That somehow the sentiment of Christmas and attitude of gratefulness and joy to and for our Savior that I experienced here was more than I had experienced any other Christmas.
There is something about having nothing. Something about all of these kids who aren’t even with their families, who’s parents have abandoned them. Parents who don’t even come to see them for Christmas. Who only have the bare necessities in life... something about watching them genuinely smile and love and be truly grateful that seems to really be what Christmas is about. That seems to somehow, maybe, come close to why God would send us a Savior.
I missed my family but there couldn’t have been anywhere else that I would have rather been that night. A melody of God’s children.
