Although it seemed we were running a full-length marathon leading up to the first ever Gypsy Christmas party, every ounce of energy exerted was well worth it. For over a week leading up to the party, and now in the days following, I have been fighting sickness, but miraculously, I experienced much relief the day of the party. Many invites had been extended to families from two different villages, leaving us unsure of how many people to expect, as culture dictates everyone RSVPing “yes,” but not actually showing up is common/culturally acceptable. There is certainly no “evite” option here! We were expecting anywhere from 30-100 people to show up, all knowing they would be attending a party specifically celebrating Christmas.   This was the first time an invite had been extended to our Gypsy friends to come to one of our homes in the city, as doing so could result in hindering relationships rather than showing our desire to deepen relationships.

Guests starting arriving shortly before noon and stayed into the early evening. When a party is paused twice so that they can perform their prayers (five times, each day), I think that is a good sign! We were prepared for children to come, but unfortunately, none of the families came with children, which brought our count to about 30 guests. Although we were aware of some tension between invited guests, the potential for neighbours being upset that Gypsies were in the neighbourhood, along with various other concerns, these worries have been nonissue, thus far. During the course of the afternoon, we enjoyed many treats, bowls of soup, many pots of tea, and fruit. We spent a good portion of the afternoon chatting with our guests – I am still doing much more listening than chatting – and we even facilitated a Skype call with a man from another Gypsy village in another country who they were interested in connecting with. And with much excitement, I am happy to report that we shared the incredible story of Christ’s birth found in Luke 2. Our team of five divided the Christmas story into five parts, each of us being responsible for a section. I was giving the first chunk in Luke 2, which includes the birth of Jesus. They listened with full attention, and one lady quietly said to us afterward that the story we shared was “true.” In the coming days, I am confident there will be many more conversations surrounding the Christmas narrative. And interestingly, at one point in the afternoon the guitar was picked up and we spontaneously broke out into the song “My Jesus, My Saviour,” followed by applause from our Gypsy friends. They also eagerly shared a couple of their songs with us, too. It is really interesting getting to hear them sing their own songs, as melodies here are much different from what I have experienced in North America!

As the sun started setting, the festivities came to an end. Once we finished cleaning up, I took the quickest and most direct route back home, and stayed horizontal on the couch until I could move again to get into bed for the night. Although there does not seem to be anything overly physically exerting about any of the above (or events written about in other posts, for that matter), I think my body has become increasingly sensitive to the spiritual component of life here in Central Asia. Sometimes, I think this results in increased tiredness, as I believe the fight can be fiercer than I realize, at times. So with that, I am thankful for your steadfastness in prayer for me, and the beautiful people here in Central Asia.  Pray on!