Dear Families at home,
I know that most of you have spoken to your traveling child in the last few days so you know how yours is doing. As a group we anticipated that Christmas, of all holidays, was likely to bring on some home-sickness. Of course it did. But, as is typical for this group they tended to each other offering a hug or a joke so that tears were honored and joy shared. After two days of touring gardens and an old village on the canals near Shanghai we had both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day free. Some shopping for warm clothes was done along with watching favorite Christmas t.v. on digital recordings. Packages from home had been carefully conserved to open on THE DAY. Christmas Eve we had a feast that included two roasted (not toasted) turkeys. Our Chinese hosts went to much effort to secure these so we could not complain that all we had to cut them was a huge cleaver. Wrick did his usual fine job even with the odd tool. We sang Christmas songs. The students in full costume presented the Christmas story. (Truth be told Herod looked a bit like a Pharoh.) Then some sang Holden Evening prayer. The night ended with a reading of much of The Christmas Carol. In the morning the photos and letters you sent evoked much enjoyment. There are some people whose faces seem to just be set at birth and others we worked hard to identify. And the stories brought gales of laughter and a few tears. After this Christmas in China, the familiar and taken-for-granted (even the previously distained) customs will be all the more precious. Expect to be making some cookies in January or February. Finally Santa, dressed in a red silk dragon robe, brought pastries from Starbucks and the "affirmation" cards we'd prepared for each other. So, let me close by saying how we have come to admire the good spirits, cooperative nature, strong backs, and deep affection your children have shown through these months of travel. Just this morning, as we jumped off the train with all our many bags and marched out to yet one more bus, I marveled at how well they adapt and work together. Such skills coupled with such compassion give hope for the world they will soon be responsible for.
Blessings upon you in this season of lights and peace, DeAne