As a missionary, Christmas can be a season which summons our most intense feelings of homesickness.
-You are away from friends and family. No matter how broken family structures become, people always get together over the holidays.
-The nation you serve in often does not “feel” like Christmas. The first warm weather Christmas I experienced was a shock to my senses. Now, I find Christmas sneaks up on me as I serve in a nation without a lesser degree of the materialistic, “mall decorated prior to Thanksgiving” kind of atmosphere. It just doesn’t look or feel like the holidays.
– Most individuals and families have more traditions wrapped up in Christmas than any other time of the year. Missing those family gatherings or celebrations can bring a sense of isolation and loneliness.
As I write this, my family is on a short furlough in the United States for Christmas. We attempt to return once every three years for the holidays. But in those other two years, we have incorporated a few strategies to both survive and celebrate being away during the “merriest” time of the year.
Here are some tips I have learned from 20 plus years on the missions field:
To see all the suggestions, head over to A Life Overseas, where I have the privilege of being one of the contributors.
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