18 December 2009
CHRISTMAS AT PLACE OF RESCUE – I wonder how I can find words to describe it.
If you have three excited children in your home, then multiply that by 70 and you might get some idea of the level of anticipation and joy here. The planning began months ago. Numerous evenings from my veranda I could hear the music as the dancers went over and over the moves to get them perfect for this once a year special performance. Many hours were spent cutting colorful paper decorations or baking Christmas cookies at Makyeay’s house. The room that was a chaos of toys and gifts gradually got organized as we tackled the monumental task of choosing and wrapping more than 200 gifts brought from Canada.
Finally it was the day before Christmas (we celebrated on Dec. 17) The stage, packed away since last year was set up, curtains ready to be pulled back and forth. A huge plastic banner announcing the birth of Jesus was hung in the front of no wall hall and the entire ceiling was hung with paper stars, birds, crosses and santa heads. The sports court next to the hall became a dining pavilion as the beautiful tent roofs that are usually used for weddings were assembled. Fifty round tables each encircled by 10 chairs were prepared, ready for tomorrow’s feast. The teenagers wanted to stay up all night to have fun getting ready.
In the morning all the women including house mothers, baby care-givers, patients, and teen girls flocked to the market to get their hair done and faces made up. My mouth flew open in surprise to see the transformation as they returned, hair in ringlets and eyes ringed with false lashes – living dolls! Then they dressed up in their beautiful silk skirts and lace blouses.
As the program progressed, my heart overflowed gazing at the wonder that the Lord had accomplished. He took the despised and desperate, the most needy, and the wounded and lifted them up to great heights of joy and love and self-esteem. And He let us him do it!
He let us see his little lambs dance with intense concentration and joy as more than 500 people watched them with great pleasure. He let us laugh with amazement and delight as the Grannies lined up to sing, some of them pushed into line in their wheelchairs. The AIDS patients got up to sing a Christmas carol and Grant, the Aussie guy sitting by me exclaimed incredulously, “THOSE are the AIDS patients?” No wonder he was surprised. There they were, looking like the fanciest rich ladies ever, in their beautiful clothes and happy faces.
One of Place of Rescue school teachers wrote a traditional Cambodian chant that described how he felt about this place. It was totally non-Western and my heart rejoiced to realize that the Lord Jesus was being welcomed and praised in a context of pure Cambodian culture. As Makyeay (Gramma), the only full time non-Cambodian staff member of more than seventy people, I had very little input in planning this wonderful affair. The Cambodian staff did it all and did an amazing job. The children performed dance after dance to the accompaniment of Cambodian Christian songs, beautifully illustrating the meaning of what was being proclaimed. The age old story of the birth of Jesus was portrayed in a way that could only happen in Cambodia. It is called “Yeekay”. There is no way to describe it so you can know what it looked like… and what it felt like…. to see the gorgeous young women (normally Place of Rescue teens!) dressed in traditional outfits come out and dance as the play was introduced and to see the story unfold, not in a Western way, but in a totally Cambodian way, with music and chants alternating with dancing and acting. Yes, Jesus was born for Cambodia and that afternoon He was welcomed into Cambodian hearts in a Cambodian way.
The long program was followed by a feast of Cambodian salad (one of my favourite things!!) stir fried beef and hot and sour soup and lots of fruit. Oh, and rice! All those fancy dressed Moms and patients and staff could sit down and enjoy it because we had it catered. What a treat!
The kids could hardly stand the anticipation because they knew that after the feast it would be gift time! Everyone reassembled in no wall hall as all those packages containing clothes and toys and candy bags were loaded onto the platform. Everyone’s name was called and one by one they came eagerly to receive their presents. It was so much fun for those of us who were giving them out. Months ago, in Canada, many people participated in making this possible for us. Dolls were dressed in cute outfits and wrapped in hand crocheted blankets, teddy bears were packed and little cars boxed up. Anyone headed out this way by plane was imposed upon to bring along a hockey bag of goodies. Last night made it all worthwhile. I have no doubt everyone would agree with me if they could have seen it!
There is nothing like a little girl with a doll at Christmas time! I especially loved seeing Srey Heang playing with her doll during the rest of the evening.
To complete the evening, the music was turned up LOUD and everyone danced their joy to the accompaniment of Christian songs. Halfway through the dancing huge platters of cookies were brought out. Well, yes, this was rather Western, especially since the favourite cookies were like Makyeay’s Mama used to make. Those fat cookies with white icing and half a maraschino cherry in the middle were the first chosen as each kid was allowed only two cookies from a choice of six kinds.
My heart received so many gifts of joy and love. I am overflowing with love to Jesus today. I thought the best gift was this: The little girl whom we have been calling “Precious” in a previous blog decided to come to stay at Place of Rescue. I hardly recognized her as she smiled at me so sweetly. I hugged her for a long time and told her grandmother we would love her and give her a good future. All evening long whenever I saw her she would grin at me.
I thought that was the best gift. But this morning I received another even better gift. This morning I went out early to pack up presents to take to Place of Rescue II at Mongkol Borey next week. On the swing near my gate sat Reaksa’s grandmother, the mother of her father who raped her. I sat across from her on the swing thinking I would just say some nice words to her and pray for her before she left us. As I spoke with her I began to ask her the important questions. Did she believe God existed and created all things. Oh yes, she did. Did she believe she had sinned? Oh yes. Haven’t we all! Did she understand about Jesus, who He was and what He did for us? Did she believe that when he died, he died not for his own sins but for ours? Yes, she believed that. Would she like to commit her life to him? She replied that she lived so far away…. I don’t think there is a Christian presence in her village yet. However she readily accepted that God is everywhere and if she gave her heart to Jesus he would remain with her wherever she was. We prayed together and she was born into God’s family. I was delighted to discover she could read so gave her a Bible which she received like the priceless treasure that it is. I told her to be sure to read it every day and to seek to obey what she read. And then she said her moto had arrived and she had to go. So my best Christmas present left on the back of a moto. She is really a present for Jesus and He will never abandon her, no matter what. I pray she will have some proof of that today and will know it for always.
So that was Christmas at Place of Rescue, as full of magic and wonder as Christmas could ever be.