This Christmas, that we celebrated just two days ago, looked a lot different than what my Christmas normally looks like. Though I wasn't at home with my family, it turned out to be quite a lovely day. There was free starbucks coffee and pastries in the morning, gift opening with friends, an impressive Christmas brunch, a lazy afternoon of hanging out with friends and watching Christmas movies, facetiming with family, and then visits throughout the ship for "Christmas Open Cabin" night.
But my favorite part of the day was sneaking in the last 15 minutes of the ward Christmas service. I didn't even know there was a Christmas service on the hospital wards until a friend of mine suggested we go; and I'm so glad we did! There was just something special about it.
To see the patient's faces light up when they received their Christmas gifts. To hear familiar Christmas tunes sung in Malagasy. To have Marinah, a patient of mine, extend her arms out and give me a big Christmas hug when she saw me. To worship the birth of our Savior, the true meaning of Christmas, with people of differing countries, languages, traditions. Oh, it was special.
I'll let these pictures do the rest of the talking today.
