Summer Christmas!!

Hi friends:) I know I'm a bit late with the update, sorry about that! So much has happened since my last one: my first summer Christmas, first Boxing Day, New Years in the Philippines, and so much more!!

CHRISTMAS TIME!!

Christmas in a HOT climate is very different to what I'm used to. There are more palm trees than pine trees, Christmas advertisements feature sales on things like bathing suits and beach towels, and songs like "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock" don't really make sense. You sit down to watch a Christmas movie and the characters are shivering away, while you're sitting in a puddle of sweat...Nevertheless, I really loved it!! Once you realize that it's not going to be what you're used to, you can get excited for all of the new things! We had Christmas carols in the park and the base put on a huge performance that was open to the community in Perth. We all went and sat on picnic blankets on a warm summer night and sang along to songs like "Angels We Have Heard on High"! It was so beautiful!

There aren't many Christmas lights around where we live, so my housemates decided we should go find some. One night, five of us piled into Faith's (tiny) car and set off for an adventure! After some searching, we finally found the jackpot!! (just before he shut the lights off :P)

Christmas on base is quite the event! The hospitality team starts prepping for Christmas in August and they go ALL OUT. There were about 500 hundred people on base celebrating on Christmas Day. We all had lunch together and played games, then had a massive gift exchange. Here is a picture of the dining room all decked-out and the stockings (for everyone on base) hanging up. First thing Christmas morning, a couple people from each house go and collect stockings and bring them back.

Here is my lovely housemate Kate thoroughly enjoying the present opening experience :P

Christmas this year was very different from the Christmases I grew up with, but I really loved it. My house in Perth has become a family to me, so even though we didn't have a big Christmas tree, or a fireplace, or Hallmark movies :P it felt like home. I honestly feel so unbelievably blessed by the incredible women that I live with. They love me so well and always push and encourage me closer to God.

This is my house family, from left to right: Khryss is on my back, Kate is next to her, then Katie, Faith, and Emma. Carole is next to me, then Katy.

The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day, and in true Aussie fashion, we headed to the beach for the day! I'm pretty sure everyone got some level of burnt...one of the girls was peeling for at least a week!

At the end of Christmas week, I came down with a bad cold that unfortunately followed me to the Philippines. Thankfully, I am almost 100% over it now, just a bit of a cough lingering.

On December 29th we got on a plane and headed to Manila, we have been here for just over 2 weeks now and have had so many incredible experiences so far!!

Also, for those who are wondering, the bushfires are not near where I live in Australia. The Volcano that is erupting in Manila is about 40 miles away and we are experiencing ash fall, but we have face masks to protect us and we are safe!

I will be posting an update about the ministry here in Manila soon, but I wanted to get a Christmas update up first!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! Please continue to pray for me and the team. We are here in Manila until February 1st, then we head to Jakarta!!