Christmas Eve

Happy Merry Christmas Eve everyone. This is my morning to sleep in-however, the people of Sentani have other ideas.  Haha. This is the time of year that we all pray for a silent night.  There are so many potato cannons going off, fireworks, and my favorite- pondok natals.  Pondok natals are all over the place right now. They are little bamboo huts that people build to blast music from day and night. Sometimes it is just random music, other times it is preaching or movies, or people singing karaoke.  

Christmas is not the same here...it is very green, and steamy hot.  I do miss the quietness of the snow, and walking on our dead end road just after it snows looking for deer prints, and I love that crisp smell in the air... we miss being able to watch Christmas movies, and hear Christmas music on the radio, and driving around to see everyone's Christmas lights.  We miss going to Chicago and taking the kids to Marshall Fields, getting hot pretzels at the German fest.  But most of all we are missing our family and all of our friends.  This is a stinky time of year to be apart.  We are thinking of you and praising God for good friends like you.

Today is Christmas Eve.  I am starting my day with a few games of soccer, then a nice big breakfast for everyone, some family devos, and games, making fudge and oreo truffles, then helping set up the chairs for church. We are having a dinner together followed by a kids nativity program and a candlelight Carol service outside by the pine trees.

The dorm kids are all home with their families and we are enjoying some much needed "Erickson only" time.  The kids are having so much fun playing soccer together, playing games, and making their own videos. Last night we let them all sleep out by the tree. They are still snoozing there now. What a great time of year.

I wanted to share something with you. Cale came home from school the other day and handed me a snowflake he had made out of paper. "Mommy, I made this for you." I looked at it and saw what looked like, "Your a snot" written on the front.  "How do you like it?" he asks. "Well, I am confused. Why does it say, 'You are a snot?'" "What!  Mommy, that is not what it says. Open it up. It says "You are a beautiful snowflake!" "Oh, Sweet Cale. That is precious!  I love it.Thank you."  

That made me start thinking-how often are we walking around with negative thoughts about ourselves ----"I don't really matter. I can't do anything right. I am a snot..." Yet, when God looks at us, He doesn't see that at all. What He sees is a perfectly made, beautiful snowflake.  Remember that? You are beautiful!

Hope your Holidays are special.  Pray for all the missionaries that are far from their families right now and for all of the families so far from those they love.