A not so snowy Christmas...

Christmas away from home is the absolute most terrible thing in the world.

I know plenty of people do Christmas away from their family, but for me… even the idea of it was unbearable. My family can tell you I cried pretty hard on the phone. I made whoever was holding the phone give me a play by play as little Jaxin opened gifts at the Marcotte house for the first time or as my siblings worked through their stockings that Santa still so kindly brings us. I made my dad talk to me while he made coffee cake for breakfast and I let Aunt Candy cry on the phone and tell me she missed having me there. I let my mom be silent with me as we realized that this was only the first of three Christmases that I would miss. Life was the worst that day.

You’re probably thinking this is the most depressing blog post ever. Up until this point it has been pretty disheartening. However, I need to tell you about a Peace Corps Volunteer named Lori.

Lori is a former nursing instructor who felt the Lord tugging at her heart, telling her it was time to quit her job. She did and, with no prospects of another job, she spent months faithfully looking for an answer. The Peace Corps sort of landed in her lap and she left her two kids (both around my age) to set out for the dusty roads of Hoima, Uganda.  Hoima is the town in which I have been doing language training. The Peace Corps was worried about my group of trainees because we would arrive at our language training satellites three days before Christmas. They asked the Volunteers who were near our sites to be available, just in case we needed a place to go.  Lori got to work.

A couple trainees headed to Lori’s on Christmas Eve. I decided to stay with my homestay family until Christmas Day. I wasn’t sure I could do this holiday away from home. I missed the snow. Instead I was walking 45 minutes in a country on the equator. I missed making cookies with my mom. Instead I had made rice, beans, and cabbage on an outdoor coal burner called a sigiri. I missed my home. Instead, I came across an atmosphere I had never expected.

We had all talked to Lori once or twice before we came that day. An outsider looking it wouldn’t have a clue. She treated all of us as her own children. Her house was decorated from top to bottom in Christmas decorations. She had invited two other nearby volunteers to join in on the festivities. She let us open every present that was sent to her from the states because she said it brought her more joy to watch us open them. She also used her own money to buy us each a couple small gifts that were perfect. On top of that she organized a white elephant gift exchange (for which she also bought all the gifts). Lori cooked up dinner and nailed dessert by trying out homemade funnel cakes. She let us stay at her house and then cooked us breakfast and sent us home full of food and love. I told her when I left that I bet my mom would kiss her for taking care of her baby girl.

Was it as good as being at home? Never. Nothing will ever be the same. However, I am nothing but grateful for Lori. I am thankful she listened to the Lord that day long ago when he told her to quit her job. My first Christmas away from home quickly went for unbearable to survivable because one woman was faithful enough to listen and kind of enough to love. Thanks Lori!