Christmas Dinner
Our Christmas dinner was different this year. Of course, for us, that’s normal—it would be hard to find two Christmases in our highly mobile lives that were more than slightly similar! But this one was different in even more ways than usual; we are living on a different continent, neither of our girls was with us, and we had no home-made decorations. 
What we did have, though, was a warm and festive Christmas dinner together with our landlord’s family. We made roasted mutton with potatoes and bell peppers and a mushroom gravy, with fresh mushrooms! We brought the food downstairs and laid a festive “tablecloth” on the floor of their apartment. Everyone enjoyed the food and conversation in two languages.
What do we really need in order to celebrate Christmas? Many people celebrate from year to year without ever asking themselves this question, but we’ve had to answer it numerous times. Our answers: we need music; my husband has his guitar and chord sheets, and our favorite CDs are recorded on our computer. We need candles, and thankfully they are available in almost every corner shop, due to constant electricity cuts! We need the Scriptures, to remind us of the timeless incarnation story and its meaning in our lives.
And food—if turkey or ham aren’t available, mutton will do! But what makes holiday meals memorable are the family and friends we share it with. 
Our landlord and his wife, two teenaged daughters, and toddler son are the closest thing we have to family here in our new community. After dinner we played some games together until we had room for dessert– pumpkin pie, and an apple pie made by one of the girls (in our oven). No one was surprised when our landlord’s little son asked for seconds and thirds of whipped cream on his pie! On days when I feel like the light of my candle isn’t brilliant enough to drive away all the world’s darkness, I’ll remember his happy whipped-cream smile. It just might be bright enough!
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Christmas by Lisa
Candle Light
There isn’t much sign of it here, but in much of the world, Christmas is just around the corner. I had planned to write about doing my Christmas shopping at the local market, but in recent days candlelight has filled my reflective moments. For four weeks now we’ve been lighting our Advent candles and anticipating the celebration of the coming of Emmanuel, God With Us. 
But it seems that every year as the light of the candles increases, the darkness of the world pushes back, and this year is no exception. Last week almost 150 children and teachers were killed in Pakistan in a terrorist attack on a school. The young victims in their school uniforms looked just like our neighbor children. Only a few days later a similar attack took place in Nigeria. The faces of the dead African students reminded us of our former students and friends. I am a teacher, the daughter of a teacher, and the mother of a teacher. The world’s darkness is real.
Students and their families here in our town held a candle-light vigil in remembrance of their murdered comrades; you can read about it here: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-peshawar-school-attack-candle-light-vigil-held-across-india-in-solidarity-with-victims-2044908 Muslims around the world are in mourning and feeling anger and confusion at the violence that seems to characterize their religion. A recent NY Times editorial entitled “How ISIS Drives Muslims from Islam” pointed out that young Muslims are increasingly disillusioned and are turning to social media to express their pain. Just a few nights ago, at a neighbor’s home, a young man pulled out his cell phone and told us how he and all his friends are putting candle icons on their What’sApp, Facebook, and Twitter profiles as a protest against the violence perpetrated in the name of their religion. They are asking hard questions and finding few answers.
We light candles at this time of year as a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the World, and that because of His coming we never have to live in darkness again. But the darkness of the world is still around us, and it’s real. Candles also symbolize prayers; as we light our candles this year we pray for those who are trapped in that darkness. And may God use me, not only to light a flame, but to be one.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged candle light by Lisa
Bollywood Comes to Town
As a Southern California native, I’m no stranger to movie shoots—most often, they seem to randomly block traffic just when I’m in a hurry! But it was a thrill to happen upon a Bollywood shooting in progress during an afternoon walk in a nearby park. We had heard rumors that a film crew was in town, but busy as we are with language study and practice, we hadn’t paid much attention. Filming in our valley is actually fairly common, as the misty mountain scenery makes for a romantic backdrop.
And this one was definitely romantic, although we couldn’t get near enough for a close-up view. Film crew kept us, along with a handful of other bystanders, well away from the action. 
At one point during a break, locals were allowed to cross the set from one side of the park to the other. Like the locals, my husband and I were dressed in at least four layers, two of which were wool, as the temperature hovered below 50 degrees. The Bollywood star was waiting off to the side, wrapped in a thick blanket. Then “ACTION,” and the romantic Indian music swelled from the speakers. Our heroine threw off her blanket, revealing a scanty red dress, and ran through the fallen leaves into the arms of her dark, handsome co-star, who twirled her around as the cameras rolled. 
As soon as the short scene was over, our starlet rushed for her warm blanket. I asked the people standing around me who she was. None of them could remember her name, but they all assured me that she was a Very Big Star. Like me, most of our neighbors have to put all their focus and energy into meeting the demands of daily life, and don’t have much to spare for films and fantasy. As we turned to leave, I wished I had had the language ability to ask them which of us looked more out-of-place—the starlet in her skimpy chiffon dress, or me, obviously a foreigner dressed up like a local. Next time maybe I’ll be able to ask, and to understand the answer. Either way, I hope my neighbors can see that the part I’m playing is not just fantasy. It’s for real.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged bollywood by Lisa