A few years ago I bought J-Main a motorcycle. It wasn’t necessarily a "Christmas present", but it was around that time of year. A couple months after getting the motorcycle he sent me a photo and said “My motorcycle died. The Airplane killed it.”
For the past 3 years J-Main and many of the JDS students have lived on the front lines. Their only experience with airplanes is getting bombed and shot at by them. The sound of the airplane sends shivers down my spine, even to this day. When I hear an airplane engine in the sky, my ear picks up the noice almost before it’s even audible. It’s like the ripple in the sound waves reaches my ear before the audible noise communicates with my brain, a threat is coming, get ready.
It’s Christmas break at JDS. The first semester in our history has come and gone. We are taking a ten day break to visit family and rest before we start second semester. Some students had no where to go for break and ended up following me back to CM. My personal security and friend, KMT, was one who came back with us.
I bought a small Charlie Brown Christmas tree online - it was my feeble bachelor attempt at making my house Christmasy. I decided I’d buy a little present for the guys that came to spend the holidays with me. KMT was an easy one to buy for and I got him something small, wrapped it up in nice Christmas wrapping paper, put his name on it and put it under the tree, I honestly didn't think too much of it.
When I was a kid we had such beautiful Christmas’. I grew up in a log home on a frozen lake. We’d make a family outing into the bush and find a family tree. My dad would cut it down and we’d put it on a sled and drag it back to the house. Mom had such beautiful Christmas decorations, simple and classy. As the days counted down and the advent calendar chocolates got eaten, presents would start to pile up under the tree.
All shapes and sizes, wrapped up and labelled would start to appear under the tree. Me and my brothers would take turns spying on the presents, wondering what it could be that has my name on it. On Christmas Eve we’d always have a tourtiere pie, then go out to Baptist Idol at the local church and then come home for dessert and we’d be able to open one present on Christmas Eve. We usually picked the one from Grandma because we knew it was probably some socks or knitted sweater we’d never wear. We’d save the good stuff for Christmas morning.
I didn’t think much of KMT’s present, it wasn't anything expensive, but when I put it under the tree in my house I was reminded of my own Christmas memories. KMT had never, in his whole life, received a present wrapped up before. He wanted to open it right away, giggling like a little kid about it (this is my personal security man, remember). I told him he had to wait until Christmas morning. Every day I’d come downstairs and see him holding his present. He’d shake it. Squeeze it. Smell it. He'd even try to peek around the wrapping paper corners. He'd have a grin on his face the whole time. KMT has received many presents in his life, but never a Christmas present, never a wrapped up gift. There is something special about the anticipation. The glimpse of love, wrapped up, for us. We can see it there, our name on it, but we don't know what it is, but we know, someone thought of me.
I had another Christmas surprise up my sleeve. Early on Christmas Eve morning we piled into the truck and headed out of the city. The boys are used to me taking them somewhere and they don't fully understand where they're going until they get there (That's JDS in a nutshell). But when we pulled up next to a runway, they all started smiling and laughing. We walked along the side of the runway until we came to a big hanger with its doors open. My friend Titus was in there doing his checks on the plane. "Who wants to go flying?" He said as he came over to shake their hands.
The only experience the boys have with airplanes is death and destruction. We were just in Shawdaw a few weeks ago on our mission and as we wandered through the streets of the once bustling little town, we were all stunned at the level of destruction. All the work of the Burma Army airplanes. I have been on the receiving end of the airplanes myself. The jets come in the middle of the night and drop their bombs, sometimes 500 pound bombs of destruction. It is horrifying. One of my students who is here with me now has lost three sisters in the same bombing that took J-Main's motorcycle.
I want them to make new memories. Of Christmas and of airplanes. We can get so sick and tired of the commercialization of Christmas. I hate it, shopping, buying presents, spending money, expectations. It brings my inner grinch out. But when I see KMT sitting next to the tree, eyeing his present, I am reminded of the little boy who used to love walking through knee deep snow and watching my Dad mightily swing the axe to chop our tree down. I am reminded of the boy who used to try to figure out what was under that wrapping paper. I am reminded of the joy of anticipation. I want the boys to laugh and have fun in the airplane. It's original design isn't for death and destruction, but rather for joy and wonder and whimsey and excitement. Kinda of like us. Our original human design wasn't for killing each other and sinning, but rather for adventures with God.
'Tiss the season of Emmanuel, God with us. God invaded our stories a few thousand years ago in a little barn in the suburbs. But God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow - He is still Emmanuel, God with us. Where do you need God with you today? This season? I know he is with all the soldiers in Burma on the front lines, getting bombed. He is Emmanuel, God with the KNLA. Emmanuel, God with the KNPP and KNDF and KA and KIA and AA and CNF and PDFs and all the groups fighting for freedom. He really is Emmanuel, God with YOU.
As I watch KMT sit next to the tree with the grin on his face, I can't help but think about the fact that Jesus will come again. We should also sit with a grin on our faces as we wait, like KMT on Christmas morning, anticipation building for the unwrapping of love.
Merry Christmas friends.
From Dave Small and all the JDS team.
Opmerkingen