Christmas in Kapsowar

I want to thank all of you for the warm Christmas wishes as I spent this Christmas away from my family and friends back home. Thankfully, the Lord provided a wonderful group of people here in Kapsowar to celebrate this season with. And I have to say, it was refreshing to celebrate this season away from the hustle and bustle and consumerism of the West. It really provided an opportunity to focus on the birth of Christ and what that means to us in the 21st century as well as an opportunity to minister in a special way to our patients.

It all started about 2 weeks before Christmas. I wanted to decorate the house for Christmas (as many of you know, it’s my favorite time of year). We had a group of students and one husband from Canada who were here for a month – and a huge blessing from the Lord. When they left Kapsowar on Dec. 19th, they would be traveling around and wouldn’t be home for Christmas. So, we decided to have a day of Christmas decorations, cookie making, and a large dinner. It was great! I got my house decorated (with many wonderful homemade decorations) and they were able to have a Christmas. I had to go and do a C-section in the midst of it, but it was still a great day. Some of the nursing students even joined in on the Christmas fun. One of the workers on station cut a tree for me – it was a bit of a Charlie Brown tree, but I loved it!

Crystal, one of the medical students, and some of the nursingstudents stringing popcorn

My charlie brown tree complete with lights

Some of the homemade gingerbread ornaments

The following week, I became very sick and missed nearly the entire week of work. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I hope I never get it again! I had plenty of well-wishing visitors, though, and I praise God for Jackie, one of the visiting medical students, who basically ran maternity in my absence, staffing things with me over the phone. One bright spot during my sick week was the hospital Christmas party that was held just outside of my house. I was able to go outside and sit with them for about an hour. It was a great time of celebration complete with treats, games, and prizes. They had a blast!

Playing the stomp the balloon game

Several of the hospital staff

Christmas Eve evening I participated in a Kapsowar tradition – caroling by candlelight through the wards. We all gathered and caroled throughout the hospital, bringing the good news of Jesus’ birth to the patients and praying with them. It was such a great night and I look forward to doing it again next year! On Christmas day, I spent most of the afternoon cooking with Laura, which included a wonderful tutorial on bread-making, since my attempts have been less than successful. She cooked up a feast which included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie made from scratch complete with whipped cream! Laura and Bill, Drew, Dave and Trudy along with their son Lucas, James and I enjoyed the feast (a little too much!) and then spent most of the night just talking. It was a great time of fellowship and I was thankful for everyone there.

So, that was my first Christmas in Kapsowar. While I missed my family back home (especially since my sister Bethany was in the hospital recovering from surgery), I had a great time here.