One sure thing about celebrating Christmas on the mission field is that it will be different. This past holiday season proved to be more than different. It was not only a vivid reminder of how many people face this time in uncertainty and despair, but gave us a visual look into the Albanian Christian culture we will not soon forget.

     We began Christmas week by visiting the women in a high security prison  who were waiting for their initial hearing. “It takes the system sometimes two years before they get around to viewing their case and either dismiss the charges or initiate their trial,” a fellow missionary explained in apparent frustration.  We had been warned that it was not easy to speak to these women. See “Light in Darkness” for complete story.     

    Two days later, on Christmas Eve, we ushered in His birth with the “gift” of being together. It was the first Christmas we can remember without exchanging gifts. “It is not part of the tradition,’ they said, ‘but the day must  be special.” See “The Only Gift for Him,” for details.