Christmas is a BIG deal here on the Africa Mercy. I believe it serves two purposes. First, it keeps us too busy and distracted to be homesick. Second, they try to cover most Christmas traditions, even from different countries, so everyone feels included. There’s an event happening nearly every day of December! I’m pretty sure it would be almost impossible to be a part of every event – but what’s great about it is even if you miss a few (like for work shifts) there will be something else to make up for it later. The variety is amazing and each event becomes its own special AFM tradition. I picked a few to highlight so you could get a glimpse of what celebrating the birth of Jesus looks like on a ship in Africa!
Deck the Halls – the weekend after Thanksgiving, a large
group gets together to decorate pretty much the whole ship! There are lots of
Christmas trees, lights, garland and decorations to go around transforming this
place in just a few hours. I wasn’t able to participate because I was working
but it was fun to see all the boxes coming out as they prepared. Just like at
home, there’s a special magical feeling once things are decorated and the
season can officially begin!
Door Decorating Contest - To add a little cheer to the rest of the ship, many people decorate the doors of their cabins or offices. It became such a thing that they started making it into a competition and there were some really amazing contenders this year. I helped design and build the door of our ward at work. We were taking care of orthopedic patients so we wanted the theme to include something along those lines :) Even though our door didn't win, it was fun to see all of the creative decorating ideas and it made the ship so festive!
Cookie Bake – We have an amazing social activities
coordinator (KJ) who puts together all the Christmas season events (and pretty
much all the activities on the ship the rest of the year as well)! This is a huge
job, which she does very well; however it’s way too much for one person. So
each event has volunteers who help coordinate things. I volunteered with my
friend Kathy to run the Christmas Cookie bake! Trying to get all the pieces together in the days before was a bit nerve wracking but we had some great helpers who made a huge difference. We couldn’t have done it without them! It
turned out to be tons of fun and people seemed to really enjoy themselves.
Christmas Concert – One of my favorite parts of ship life is living in
community with families. Some jobs require a commitment of several years and a
whole family will move together to fulfill these needs. There’s an academy
onboard the ship and they do all they can to make life as ‘normal’ as possible for the
kids. Several of the Christmas activities have special parts just for them. One
evening there was a Christmas concert with choirs (adult and children),
instrumental pieces, and special music. Felt just like something I might go to
at church back home!
Winter Wonderland – One of the most anticipated events of
the year is Winter Wonderland. Imagine a Christmas craft fair and a bake sale
combined with an African twist and that’s pretty much what Winter Wonderland
is! I was working again for this one, but I did stop by for a few minutes to
get some delicious treats and beautiful Africa ornaments.
Gingerbread House Contest – I was not able to participate in
this one but I did see the final products (and tasted some of the losers).
Teams signed up to decorate a house out of REAL gingerbread pieces and the top
3 favorites were chosen to display. It’s hard to see in the picture but 1st
place was a Cabin in the Woods, 2nd place was Malagasy Christmas and
3rd was Wizard of Oz Christmas (complete with wicked witch crushed
under the house!).
Advent Services – I never knew what advent was growing up as
it was not something our family or church mentioned very much. As I’ve
gotten older, I love the idea of spending the month of December in
‘expectation’ of Christ’s birth and it seems much more meaningful that just
celebrating one day. I like to imagine that it helps to take the focus of all
the ‘Christmas stuff’ and put it back on Jesus and what the season is really
about. This year, the focus of our advent was God: the Giver of Good Gifts.
Each Sunday we’ve been talking about a new gift that God has given to us
including Power, Peace, Purpose, Provision, and Promise.
Carols by Candlelight - Another one of the most anticipated AFM traditions is Carols by candlelight. Many churches have some sort of candle light service usually on Christmas Eve, but this one was more unique than any I've seen before. Usually, it is held on the dock outside the ship. Rain forced us into our warehouse instead. Lots of people came, including the few patients who are left in the hospital over Christmas. This year, it was put together by our Australian crew who added a lot of fun and Southern Hemisphere Christmas humor (including an appearance by the AFM Wiggles!).
Christmas Shoes - One of my personal favorite events new to me this year was Christmas shoe gifts. On Christmas Eve night, everyone leaves a shoe outside their cabin door and then goes around in the night to pass out gifts! We don't have access to a lot of 'stuff' here so this tradition focuses on small or handmade gifts that may not be worth much but mean a lot to receive. I didn't think much of this one until I was actually a part of it. As I went around passing out gifts, there's such a fun atmosphere around the ship. Families, couples, groups of friends all spreading love, cheer and surprises to wake up for on Christmas morning!
Coffee and Pastries/Christmas Brunch - And finally, on Christmas morning, I had the pleasure of helping in the cafe to serve pastries and coffee while everyone waited for Christmas brunch (the most celebrated meal of the year, I'm told!). It was so fun to wake up early and greet everyone Merry Christmas! There were children in pajamas, friends opening presents together and the beauty of community far from their own families but creating family together.
Guys, that's not even all the events that happened. I figured that was long enough though! I wish I could say Merry Christmas to each of you in person but if I cannot be home, there is no place I would rather be than living in this amazing community with friends I've grown to love. That baby born in Bethlehem was the first "missionary" who left his home in heaven, and I am honored to continue that tradition serving in Madagascar! And as a final surprise, here's a quick video I made as an update to my church in Florida. Hope you enjoy!
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