| December 24, 2003
My dear Family and Friends around the world,
Today is Christmas Eve, and I am looking at the recently received
Christmas cards which decorate the shelves in our living room.
Several depict such serene scenes of cattle lowing softly as Mary
cradles baby Jesus in her arms, with Joseph looking on lovingly,
and cherubic faces of shepherd children gazing at the newborn
king with awe.
By contrast, on our home front, two days ago the kids accidently
slammed the car door on my fingers as I was talking with a guest
and then they couldn't figure out how to open it. Yesterday afternoon
I baked a cake in preparation for tonight's Christmas guests and
as it was cooling, my two kids and their friends ran through and
ate half of it by the handful, leaving telltale crumbs from the
kitchen through the living room and out the front door. When confronted,
Imani seriously informed me that it wasn't her, only to follow
my gaze to her two fistfuls of cake. She then looked up with a
sheepish grin. Just as I was typing this, Justin and two of his
friends locked themselves in our bathroom, and then couldn't fit
the key back in to unlock it. (They had climbed up on a stool
to reach the key in the first place.) I am happy to report that
they are now out and chased outside to play with other neighborhood
friends until it's time to get ready for church. "Silent
night, holy night…."
At Daystar, we have survived a semester which included a two-week
closure due to a student strike, 300 staff members laid off at
the end of October (with one week's notice, leaving 166 to run
two campuses), and the ongoing challenges of trying to teach classes
with few textbooks and a limited amount of equipment, and less
than the needed classrooms. Internet connections come and go,
and for students' coming from Burundi, Democratic Republic of
Congo and elsewhere, their concentration is disrupted by reports
of violence and war at home. "All is calm, all is bright…."
In the national scene, the new Kenyan government is one year
old. Much progress has been made in providing free primary school
education, fighting corruption, and repairing the infrastructure.
Yet the headlines of this morning's front page read "Fifty
city councillors face sack for funds misuse," "Twenty-two
killed in Christmas tragedies," "Uproar over Raila [government
Cabinet Member] power-play remark." "Sleep in heavenly
peace…."
Meanwhile, the war/rebuilding of Iraq, and terrorism in the world
continues to paralyze much economic and tourist industry, including
in Kenya. Yesterday, American citizens in Kenya received an email
update of security advisories from the U.S. embassy, reminding
us that break-ins and other crimes increase over the holidays,
and "that U.S. citizens may be targets of terrorist actions
and to alert them to the raising of the homeland security threat
level from yellow (elevated) to orange (high)." "Sleep
in heavenly peace…."
Taken together, today's realities could lead us to despair. Instead,
it is with deep conviction and hope that tonight at the Christmas
Eve service, the children and I, along with some neighbors, will
gather with other believers here in Nairobi, and will boldly sing
the greater truths: "Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations
prove the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love."
The Prince of Peace has come, and with Mary we can proclaim,
"Oh how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior!
...His mercy goes on from generation to generation to all who
fear him. His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters
the proud and haughty ones! He has taken princes from their thrones
and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands... He has not forgotten
his promise to be merciful...." (Luke 1: 46-55). In the Prince
of Peace, we have hope for ultimate peace, a peace in which each
is reconciled with God, each with all neighbors, and all is right
with all of creation. In the meantime, as we wait for that hope
to be fulfilled, we can know the reality of Jesus' promise, "And
be sure of this, I am with you always, even until the end of the
age" (Matthew 28:20).
In the midst of busy and chaotic times, may you know the security
of the deep peace guaranteed only through the Prince of Peace.
With love and blessings,
Marta
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 55 |
