This Nativity scene was handcrafted by trainees at the C.S.I. Katpadi Industrial School
Christmas Letter 2009
Dear Friends
Last Christmas we were far from home, as were the 43 young people with whom we were privileged to share our celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary and Joseph, too, were far from home, that first Christmas.
Our friends with whom we were living, were studying at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, on the shore of Lake Geneva. They came from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Poland and the USA, representing 25 different cultures.
So, during Advent, we shared together traditional celebrations of the Christmas season. In one African country the whole of December is a public holiday, with state sponsored parties and carols playing on TV. In villages in Nigeria, a suspended ‘superstar’ moves across the sky throughout Advent and palm branches are laid at the end of every ‘Christian’ street. Houses – and graves – are whitewashed, everybody goes to their own village, although in Rwanda everybody goes to the city as many villages have been destroyed. There is much singing and church choir competitions throughout Advent.
In India, Christmas is a time for Baptisms, in China a time for evangelism when crowds gather in public places to hear the Good News and youth in Korea hold an all-night watch on Christmas Eve. In Poland, there are long ‘confessions’ queues on Christmas Eve and for the Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Romania, there are 40 days of fasting during Advent, and Christmas is celebrated in January. Carol singing, feasting, decorating homes, giving of gifts to the ‘poor’, exhausted pastors, lighting candles – and the waiting time, were common experiences for us all.
We shared also in the local Advent traditions and walked to the ‘Vente des Couronnes’ in one of the local villages – a cold night and hot mulled wine and tasty snacks were very welcome. The next morning we watched another local community gathered to put up their village decorations centred around a blazing log and a huge Christmas tree. The staff Christmas party started, appropriately, in a cattle shed, where 30 cows and 4 calves kept us company and we were served with fresh milk and cheese, wine and apple juice – all home-grown! The students conducted a multi-cultural carol service in the college chapel, including music from around the world, readings in many languages, and a lovely representation of the Nativity, with Mary from Myanmar and Joseph from Thailand. For one of the students, Bonaventura – the Nativity had a special significance – his wife, Veronica, far away in Burundi – gave birth to girl/boy twins, Gabe and Gabide, that day!
Most of the students were unable to go ‘home’ for Christmas, and missed their wives and young families. We too missed the usual gathering of family, in our home, but were delighted that Iain could join us in Bossey and represent ‘family’. In the New Year, Chris, Ruth, Ruth’s friend Libby, and Anne’s sister, Jean, all visited, so we were not forgotten!
December this year will see various family gatherings – Iain’s 40th birthday celebrations at Ruth’s and Catriona’s homes in Edinburgh, Christmas here in Connel, and New Year at Chris and Ruth’s. Family news has changed somewhat this year. Having had great difficulty finding work as a Primary School teacher when she returned from Vietnam last year, Ruth now has a full-time ‘Support for Learning’ post in Carricknowe primary school – a new experience and a challenge, but she is glad and thankful to be there. Chris and Ruth give lots of support to Tony, Chris’ father in Salisbury. He is 87 and likes to keep very busy but had an episode of heart failure earlier this year. He has responded well to medication and Chris visits him at least once per month. Alison, Chris’ sister , also keeps an eye on him. Catriona and Damir and the family moved to Edinburgh at Easter-time, because Damir’s work as a senior solicitor in the field of immigration is now based there. Catriona left her very challenging social work post in Castlemilk, Glasgow in August and now has fostering and adoption work in Edinburgh. Hana has started secondary school, and both she and Benjo are keen swimmers – at 6 am some mornings ! They have both passed piano exams with merit, Benjo plays the double bass and Hana has just started flute lessons at school. Catriona and Damir have put lots of time and effort into making their small flat and garden in Marchmont ‘home’. In London Iain is finding plenty of opportunities to use his recently acquired qualification ‘D.E.A.’ doing energy efficiency assessments on domestic properties and so pursuing his commitment to save the planet.
We returned home from Switzerland early in March and were grateful to Ealasaid who had taken care of Torridon while we were away. Spring in the garden was a busy time, but with colourful rewards. The first part of the summer was warm and sunny and we were able to entertain many of our visitors in the garden. For our holiday, at the end of August, we took local buses up to Ullapool, the ferry to Stornoway, and then spent two weeks enjoying the fresh air, hills, beaches, stories and warm hospitality of the ‘locals’ – especially the bus drivers! – as we travelled south to Barra, from where we took the ferry back to Oban, along with a few hundred sheep, enjoying a lovely sunset on the way.
Among other things we spent a week on Iona, possibly the best ‘Community Week’ we have ever been at, and have just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lesslie Newbigin at a service and a seminar in Edinburgh. Murdoch is still conducting worship occasionally and we are preparing to sing in Graham Kendrick’s Christmas musical “The Gift” in our local church. Our prayer is that we may be able to experience the real joy of the kind of global Christmas in which it was our privilege to share in Bossey last year. We hope that you also may know the Peace of the Christ-child at the centre of your own life and thus capture something of the spirit of Bossey.
Anne and Murdoch
Christmas Letter 2009
Dear Friends
Last Christmas we were far from home, as were the 43 young people with whom we were privileged to share our celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary and Joseph, too, were far from home, that first Christmas.
Our friends with whom we were living, were studying at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, on the shore of Lake Geneva. They came from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Poland and the USA, representing 25 different cultures.
So, during Advent, we shared together traditional celebrations of the Christmas season. In one African country the whole of December is a public holiday, with state sponsored parties and carols playing on TV. In villages in Nigeria, a suspended ‘superstar’ moves across the sky throughout Advent and palm branches are laid at the end of every ‘Christian’ street. Houses – and graves – are whitewashed, everybody goes to their own village, although in Rwanda everybody goes to the city as many villages have been destroyed. There is much singing and church choir competitions throughout Advent.
In India, Christmas is a time for Baptisms, in China a time for evangelism when crowds gather in public places to hear the Good News and youth in Korea hold an all-night watch on Christmas Eve. In Poland, there are long ‘confessions’ queues on Christmas Eve and for the Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Romania, there are 40 days of fasting during Advent, and Christmas is celebrated in January. Carol singing, feasting, decorating homes, giving of gifts to the ‘poor’, exhausted pastors, lighting candles – and the waiting time, were common experiences for us all.
We shared also in the local Advent traditions and walked to the ‘Vente des Couronnes’ in one of the local villages – a cold night and hot mulled wine and tasty snacks were very welcome. The next morning we watched another local community gathered to put up their village decorations centred around a blazing log and a huge Christmas tree. The staff Christmas party started, appropriately, in a cattle shed, where 30 cows and 4 calves kept us company and we were served with fresh milk and cheese, wine and apple juice – all home-grown! The students conducted a multi-cultural carol service in the college chapel, including music from around the world, readings in many languages, and a lovely representation of the Nativity, with Mary from Myanmar and Joseph from Thailand. For one of the students, Bonaventura – the Nativity had a special significance – his wife, Veronica, far away in Burundi – gave birth to girl/boy twins, Gabe and Gabide, that day!
Most of the students were unable to go ‘home’ for Christmas, and missed their wives and young families. We too missed the usual gathering of family, in our home, but were delighted that Iain could join us in Bossey and represent ‘family’. In the New Year, Chris, Ruth, Ruth’s friend Libby, and Anne’s sister, Jean, all visited, so we were not forgotten!
December this year will see various family gatherings – Iain’s 40th birthday celebrations at Ruth’s and Catriona’s homes in Edinburgh, Christmas here in Connel, and New Year at Chris and Ruth’s. Family news has changed somewhat this year. Having had great difficulty finding work as a Primary School teacher when she returned from Vietnam last year, Ruth now has a full-time ‘Support for Learning’ post in Carricknowe primary school – a new experience and a challenge, but she is glad and thankful to be there. Chris and Ruth give lots of support to Tony, Chris’ father in Salisbury. He is 87 and likes to keep very busy but had an episode of heart failure earlier this year. He has responded well to medication and Chris visits him at least once per month. Alison, Chris’ sister , also keeps an eye on him. Catriona and Damir and the family moved to Edinburgh at Easter-time, because Damir’s work as a senior solicitor in the field of immigration is now based there. Catriona left her very challenging social work post in Castlemilk, Glasgow in August and now has fostering and adoption work in Edinburgh. Hana has started secondary school, and both she and Benjo are keen swimmers – at 6 am some mornings ! They have both passed piano exams with merit, Benjo plays the double bass and Hana has just started flute lessons at school. Catriona and Damir have put lots of time and effort into making their small flat and garden in Marchmont ‘home’. In London Iain is finding plenty of opportunities to use his recently acquired qualification ‘D.E.A.’ doing energy efficiency assessments on domestic properties and so pursuing his commitment to save the planet.
We returned home from Switzerland early in March and were grateful to Ealasaid who had taken care of Torridon while we were away. Spring in the garden was a busy time, but with colourful rewards. The first part of the summer was warm and sunny and we were able to entertain many of our visitors in the garden. For our holiday, at the end of August, we took local buses up to Ullapool, the ferry to Stornoway, and then spent two weeks enjoying the fresh air, hills, beaches, stories and warm hospitality of the ‘locals’ – especially the bus drivers! – as we travelled south to Barra, from where we took the ferry back to Oban, along with a few hundred sheep, enjoying a lovely sunset on the way.
Among other things we spent a week on Iona, possibly the best ‘Community Week’ we have ever been at, and have just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lesslie Newbigin at a service and a seminar in Edinburgh. Murdoch is still conducting worship occasionally and we are preparing to sing in Graham Kendrick’s Christmas musical “The Gift” in our local church. Our prayer is that we may be able to experience the real joy of the kind of global Christmas in which it was our privilege to share in Bossey last year. We hope that you also may know the Peace of the Christ-child at the centre of your own life and thus capture something of the spirit of Bossey.
Anne and Murdoch
