Like celebration--Merry Christmas!
I might observe that Christmas is my favorite holiday because international ministry is all about incarnation--physically entering other "worlds." But it's also my favorite because I grew up with parents who were busy in ministry almost all the time--but made Christmas a time to focus on our family. As a result, some of my fondest memories are of Christmases, celebrated in California, Texas, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. And besides, I have gotten gifts, big or small, from friends and (mainly) family every year at this time for 52 years!
When I was six, my dad left nuclear engineering and went to seminary--with 3 kids and pregnant wife (Carolyn was brought home in a stocking the week before Christmas in Mesquite, Texas. It was both a time of loss and loneliness as well as incarnation and celebration. But my dad turned his small bookshelf in our tiny house (under 1000 square feet, for sure!) into a fireplace to hang stockings, using boxes wrapped with brick-printed wrapping paper. It was a very different Christmas from the family Christmases in California, when we lived across the bay from both sets of grandparents--I'm sure even more for my parents in their late 20's with little money and 4 kids aged 6-0.
My mother later explained that we got underwear, socks, and so much more ;-) under the tree from then on through my teens because every year people would send us special gifts for Christmas, but she would use them to replenish our basic necessities. (I got jackets, jeans, and shoes from the missionary closet, a bit like a church goodwill outlet, but never underwear!) It was normal for us, but I can't say I enjoyed all the Christmas gifts equally ;-) But I was able to take being fed and clothed as a given! By the way, this is not a tradition we have continued! (Giving underwear and socks for Christmas gifts, I mean. We do continue to enjoy being fed and clothed...)
This year, for the first time since we left Colorado for Taiwan in 1996, we're taking a year long home assignment. We're traveling a lot, but we're based in CO this year instead of Taiwan. This is our first Christmas in the US since 1998. So it's good, but very different from what we're used to. Traveling so much has brought home to us how much dislocation is itself a stress, one that we experience as a family who has no single place to call our home, though we have many places where we are welcome and several places we call our own (one house rented out, one apartment in Taiwan, and one home we enjoy sharing thanks to Laura's parents, where we are now.)
So when I remember Christmas, I think of celebrations in many places, where we always remember the one who entered our world not because he belonged here, but because he wanted to adopt us into his own family, and leave us with a paraclete--the gift of his presence in each of our worlds, no matter how challenging our circumstances or how exciting (or modest) our gifts. For me, the celebration of his incarnation is made more precious by taking time to share gifts, meals, and memories. I hope you find room to celebrate and remember, wherever you are. My own parents are gone now, and my sisters are in Spain, Texas, and Taiwan (I think this is a shout out!) Meanwhile, we're here in CO with Laura's parents, her sisters from Ohio and Texas, and 7 of 9 grandkids. Sheng Dan Jie Kuai Le (another shout out to everyone in Taiwan and beyond!) Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad.
With love from the front range of Colorado, Steve and Laura (together with Sarah, Joey, and Robby, at least for a few more days!)
PS I haven't written an email update for months now while we traveled in Taiwan, then in the eastern US for close to 3 months, and most of you have gotten moved into a "google group." Since you're probably distracted at the moment anyway, I'll write more about that later. Hopefully it won't be too different for almost everybody! Basically it means I send this to the "TEAMspinella" and then "TEAMspinella" sends it out to all of you one by one. Email me back if you have any questions (and you got this email!)
Dr. Steve and Laura Spinella, Sarah, Joey, Robby
Da Yi Street, Lane 29, #18, 2F-1, Taichung 40454, TAIWAN
011.886.4.2236.6145, of 4.2236.1901, fx 4.2236.2109, cell 9.2894.0514
USA: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, 719.528.1702, cell 713.408.7208 (new cell #, note Houston area code)
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60187, 800.343.3144 <www.team.org.tw/ccg>, <http://groups.google.com/group/TEAMspinella/>,
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu>, <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>
