On the Eve

     For this two-pronged blog post, I want to talk about two things. My current view of the world and Christmas.

A wider view of the world:
     This one is kind of obvious. I went on a short term missions trip last year and now I'm living in a foreign country. That means two things had to happen. First, I had to view the borders of the US not as a wall but a gateway. Second, I found that the world is bigger than my back yard (figuratively).
     For most of my life, Europe or Asia or Africa were only pictures in a book or videos on the news. Living here showed me there is more to the world than headlines and factoids. There are real, live people all over this sphere that need help and love and God. But to reach them, you need to leave home and cross a border or two.
     Back at the end of August before the retreat, two guys from the Radstock organization came to Kiev to learn more about the Protestant church in Kiev. Specifically, they came to Big City and interview Pastor Max and several people from the church. This video is a result of that visit. It's a good example of the goals of Big City Church. I had heard most of this before in the trip last year. But for those who haven't been here, it's a good glimpse of what missions in Kiev is like.

     However, to most people, it's hard to care about the world when your own back yard is burning. Race riots, politicians, natural disasters, terrorism. You can go all over the world an see the same picture painted with the faces and blood of a dozen races. For me, the simple fact is this. The harvest is plentiful but the harvesters are few. You need only choose your field and begin to reap.
     I chose Ukraine based on many reasons. The easiest to explain is familiarity. The trip in 2003 was merely an introduction. After Pastor Max came to my church to speak, that introduction became a piqued interest. The 2014 trip cemented that interest. That interest drew me outside the borders of my country to learn more about this growing nation. In it, I could see many parallels to my own nation's history. We fought to be independent from a controlling and strangling nation. And a few short decades later, we fought again to remain free.
     After their independence from the USSR in 1991, Ukraine began to grow up and learn how to be independent. But they again had to fight for freedom from outside influence. The world saw the first shots fired in that battle two years ago. They are still fighting. Thus, the familiarity rolls back around. In this growing and maturing nation, I see the image of my own nation shortly after it's birth. It's not quite a time machine. But it's probably the best, closest thing I'll see in my lifetime.
     So what does that mean for my view of the world? The struggle for independence, freedom and patriotism aren't only American ideals. We may have become the go-to example for the last 239 years but it's a story played out all over the world time after time. Ukraine is just the latest in a long line of nations throwing off the yoke of oppression to build a better life for itself and it's people.
 Christmas in a strange land:
     When I say "strange," I mean different. While this is a very Western country, Ukraine still carries the traditions of hundreds of years of Eastern Orthodox teaching. Christmas day is celebrated on the 7th of January. It's also a time that many who don't attend church regularly will make their annual or bi-annual church visit.
     But with the influx of Western thoughts come traditions and marketing as well. Modern Christmas music is becoming more and more common in stores. The images of Santa Claus are very similar or identical to what is seen in America. Coca-Cola adds with the polar bears and Santa are common as well. Vendors sell Christmas trees of every size and variety (mostly live cuts) on the sidewalks and in parking lots. Kiosks around the city even sell small strings of battery-operated LED lights.
     For me though, I've tried to ignore most of these modern trappings. Yeah, it's part of the modern Christmas. But to me, none of that is Christmas. It doesn't matter what day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. What matters is that we remember what we celebrate. It doesn't matter what we decorate the tree with or what songs we sing. What matters is that we remember what we celebrate. It doesn't matter how numerous or big the gifts are. It doesn't matter with whom we celebrate. What matters is that we remember what we celebrate.
     For me personally, I haven't done a lot to decorate for the Christmas. I was gifted a small tree last night and spent most of my morning (while I wasn't sleeping) creating decorations for it. Angels, birds and an origami star to top it off. The tree is actually a step above Charlie Brown's tree. In actuality, it's just a stick attached to a base with real tree clippings tied on. But for me, it's perfect.

     For those who are interested, I'll be spending the day with the missionary family upstairs. The McLanes are the family I met the day the team from church left. I wrote about it in this post. I was invited to spend the day with them and their kids. It should be a lot of fun. I get to make my version of fried-rice-and-ham again for brunch. Then I think I'm supposed to play video games with the kids. While it's not important in the grand scheme of things, I will feel more comfortable if I spend Christmas in a family environment. It's all I've ever known for the last twenty-eight years.
     It makes me even more thankful for the men and women who choose to spend Christmas away from their families to protect our nations. The American and Ukrainian militaries are both sacrificing limbs and lives to protect the people at home. Pray for their safety over the next few weeks.
     That's all I have for now. May you remember the reason for celebration this Christmas season.