Hot Christmas!

How silly of me. For the past five months, I have been marveling at our busy schedule. We haven't had time to breath! How can we be so frenzied in a country where hammock sales are at an all-time high? Then I realized, we are within 100 miles of the equator. If I recall Geography 101 correctly, the earth is moving a whole lot faster at its middle--something close to 1000 miles an hour! So that explains it. Why shouldn't our schedules mirror the rapid rate of spin? I'm relieved; it's all clear now.
We kicked off December with an excellent visit from Dusty Schroeder. Dusty brought encouragement to us (and some others) here at AVA, as well as some Starbucks peppermint flavoring (thanks, Mom Gutman).
No new news about Finn. He has been happy, healthy, and potty-training. Our hearts skip a beat every time he falls over, but so far it's just typical two-year-old high jinks. We have sent all his charts to a doctor in Spokane and are awaiting his analysis at present.

On December 13, I accompanied a group from school on the Christmas ministry trip. We boarded two Brazilian Bible Society boats and chugged out to a couple of island communities. The students presented the gospel using skits, stories, songs, puppet shows, and clowning. Afterwards, we distributed toys, food, and Bibles. There is a stark contrast between the island communities and the city, although many of these communities are within the city limits. From what I have heard, these river people receive little or no support from the government, and have little access to amenities that we take for granted (electricity, clean water, medical, etc.).
Coming around a bend in a channel, and what to our wondering eyes should appear, but the Belem city skyline. From jungle to metropolis in a few turns of a propeller.

Jill was the assistant director for the school play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. She helped the Herdmans with their attitudes. Imagine sweet Jill helping students act tough--unbelievable, I know. I played a tiny part (good thing there is no such thing as a small part!), Reverend Hopkins, a man who may need to take Bible Interp 100 again. All the students did a great job; it was so good to remember what Christmas is all about: the only gift worth talking about, the beginning of Christ's human life, the advent of new life for the world.

We spent Christmas Eve with other missionary families, and kept to tradition: Christmas carols and too much food.
Christmas dawned hot and steamy. We drank cold sparkling cider, ate panattoni (traditional Christmas cake), and looked at pictures of snowy Spokane.

George collects stocking stuffers that Santa hung on our clothesline.




We sweated through Christmas dinner at a restaurant overlooking the river. Most of us thought more about swimming than eating, as it was the heat of the day. Unquestionably, it was our most unique Yuletide season. Thankfully, God's grace flows over the whole earth--from the cold, stationary poles to the hot, whirling tropics!