by Lisa Leeger
As my first December in a Muslim West African village approached, I braced myself for loneliness and disappointment. We were the only Americans for many miles around, and at Thanksgiving I felt fortunate to have found a skinny chicken to cook in the pressure cooker over our one gas burner for our family dinner.
I turned the calendar page over and prepared myself to be overwhelmed by the absence of family, festive decorations, and favorite foods. What I actually experienced that season was completely different and unexpected: For the first time, Christmas became real.
As we lit the first candle on our makeshift Advent wreath, God began opening my eyes to what was so obviously around me. We were living among shepherds, for Heaven’s sake! Every family we knew had sheep — the sounds and smells of their presence were a daily reality (as was the taste of their meat!). These were the people God chose first to hear the tidings of great joy, and they were our neighbors!
As Advent continued and the light grew, I noticed guys with turbans riding by our house regularly on stately (if somewhat uncooperative) camels. Next to feet, camels were the most common means of transport. What need had we for crafted creche figurines when our neighborhood was full of the real-life characters? The wise, and the not-so-wise, still seeking.
Our neighborhood had no electricity, and the nighttime darkness was deep and real. Because of the heat, we often slept outside under the brilliant canopy of stars. One night we saw a comet blazing overhead, and I couldn’t get to sleep for the wonder of watching it. I realized that my neighborhood in the US had been so filled with artificial light at night that I might not have even noticed a comet in the sky. How wondrous the light is when all around is darkness!
And the longing and the waiting were also real. The 25th of December would come and go, and those around us would still be in bondage to fear and shame; corruption, injustice, and pain would continue to be daily realities. “Glory to God in the Highest” had never been heard in our part of the world. With the prophets we read, my heart cried out, How long, O Lord? How long until the truth of Emmanuel becomes real for them as well?
Before lighting each Advent candle, we would pause in the inky darkness to feel and appreciate the reality of the absence of light. Our Advent candles were small, and yet each flame made a world of difference. This was Christmas for real — God Himself had shown up in a place just like this, and now we had the privilege of joining Him. Incarnation went from concept to dusty reality that first year on the field, and our joy and hope were renewed.
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Lisa and her family spent sixteen years in ministry in West Africa and are now based in California. She is a spiritual director and is on staff with Studio Internship, which provides practical training for new field workers, focused on long-term resiliency and fruitfulness.
