"Christmas in Africa is not nearly as commercial as it is in America. The emphasis is more on the religious aspect of celebrating the birth of Jesus and singing in church, than it is on gift giving. The most common thing bought at Christmas is a new set of clothes to be worn to the church service. Many Africans are too poor to be able to afford presents for their kids. If gifts are exchanged, in poorer communities they usually come in the form of school books, soap, cloth, candles and food.
We have been amazed to see how few people are in the mall. The only shoppers we see with lots of bags are the ones pushing shopping carts from the two grocery stores in the mall. There are large buckets in the grocery stores that contain an assortment of non-perishable foods for gift giving. We also buy food storage at the LDS Church Distribution Center for Christmas gifts to needy families. We bought a large can of split peas for us and Chuck made a nice soup – gallons of it! He didn’t realize how much expansion dried food can make. At least we don’t have to wonder what we will eat tomorrow! It reminds me of the home I grew up in. Every Sunday we had split pea soup. I used to miss it. No more!
As you see in the photo, street vendors sell Chinese-made Santa hats and “Homeless” newspapers. We were surprised to see that the homeless population is so great here that it merits its own newspaper. We saw an elaborate Santa’s chair at the mall but it had been pushed against a wall and was empty. The only one we’ve seen wearing a “Santa hat” was the homeless man sitting on the freeway guardrail. By the way, the freeway off-ramps, on-ramps and transition roads are all called “slip roads.” The name has nothing to do with road hazards. They just provide access to “slip” onto the next driving area." - Sister Basso
Thank you for sharing the experiences you are having with the people. It is humbling to know that in other parts of the world the emphasis is more on Christ and the love he has for us all. Wishing you a Happy Christmas to all the people you work with and to you both. Thanks for your willingness to serve the Lord and the people of South Africa.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jose. It is such a blessing to be here with these humble people. We just came home from a Christmas dinner with other Senior Missionaries. We are all homesick and missing
ReplyDeleteour families in America but know that our greatest gift to Christ this Christmas is loving and serving His children here. It's our first Christmas with no gifts under our tiny tree. Our gifts this year aren't wrapped in paper. We are giving each other gifts of service. Dad cleaned our flat, did the laundry and made a yummy casserole. I'm giving him a massage on his tired feet and aching back. We are going to read the Bible account of the birth of Jesus and have our traditional nativity scene. I jokingly asked Dad if he wanted to be Joseph or Mary. He said that he would be the donkey and carry me to Bethlehem. Help! We need some kids to round out the cast!
Very interesting to read of how the more humble celebrate the humble birth of our Savior. And, their simple gifts carry a lot of meaning as well as "need".
ReplyDeleteI had to chuckle over the split-pea soup "expansion". I love that soup with turkey kelbasa in it, and celery and carrots, too....