It seems unusual to spend Christmas outside of the United States. It reminds me of the year we were visiting Chile in South America during Christmas. It’s a whole different, but exciting experience. I love seeing how various cultures celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I marvel at their love and warmth, their friendliness and hospitality, and at their devotion to our Savior!
It’s certainly not ideal to be without family and friends. For we love them and always want to be near them. But during this season in our lives, we thank God for the opportunities He has given us to share in the cultures and traditions on the islands, to meet new people, and to be a blessing to those who have yet to know the true meaning of Christmas found in the life of our Lord Jesus!
On Christmas Eve, we spent a wonderful time with a warmhearted group of boaters at the “church on the beach” on Stocking Island. This was the first meeting of the year and will continue every Sunday morning from now until the sailing season ends in June. It’s not a formal church service, but it is special. A group of men who love the Lord come together to read the Word of God, share a message, pray, and lead the congregation in songs of worship. Some of the men who lead are former pastors, elders, and deacons, and some are simple disciples of Jesus who love and fear the Lord and have a desire to spread the good new!
We heard a message on “peace,” particularly the peace that comes through Jesus Christ, who is our Prince of Peace. It was a special time of worship and fellowship, and an experience so few get to have. We were blessed to be here during this time of year.
After church, we walked around the island for a bit, headed back to the boat for lunch, and then took Gracie to another beach to run and play. We enjoyed our jaunt along Sand Dollar Beach, but didn’t find any sand dollars this time!
Early evening, we watched the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, and enjoyed a candlelit dinner with our little Christmas tree twinkling, and Christmas music playing in the background. We didn’t have many decorations, ornaments, and trimmings this year, but it was quite a memorable Christmas Eve on our boat, filled with Hope.
On Christmas morning, Kory and I listened to Christmas music, prayed, talked about the Bible story found in the Book of Luke, and opened our stockings. We decided not to buy gifts for each other, but to fill our stockings with things around the boat, some practical, some funny, and some quite meaningful. Kory gave me a key-box representing “the key to his heart,” and a slip of paper with a takeout order on it from my favorite Mexican restaurant in Arizona. If he could have gotten this meal for me, he would have. We also decided not to buy gifts for each other in The Bahamas because we have family and friends coming from the U.S. starting January 5th, and they will be bringing all sorts of items that we ordered from Amazon and West Marine, so we actually do have Christmas gifts on their way soon.
We’ve had a tradition in my family that has been kept since I was a young girl, putting an orange or tangerine in the tip of the toe of the stocking. Since we didn’t have an orange, Kory put an entire garlic bulb in mine. I was cracking up; very clever and very funny! I asked him if he was trying to ward off vampires.
We had a memorable morning. We were able to FaceTime with our daughters, son-in-law, and grandchildren! It was so delightful to watch our little grandson, Truett, open his gifts. He’s almost two years old, and his eyes light up to everything. And our sweet little granddaughter, Nora, loved her babydoll rattle. We miss them all, but are excited to see them soon!
I made cheesy eggs, roasted potatoes, and banana bread bars for breakfast. What a special time! I spent the rest of the morning making Paula Dean’s Amazing Chicken Casserole for a Christmas potluck on the beach. Over a hundred people from the boats in the harbor signed up to bring a dish for this potluck, and my was it wonderful to have such a variety of food.
We met at Volleyball Beach just after noon, secured a spot on one of the picnic tables spread throughout the beach, and mingled with folks from all over the world. A gentlemen called everyone together for prayer, prayed for our food, and then opened the food line for all to enjoy. What a feast! We had turkey, potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and all of the traditional food. But we also were treated with a variety of ethnic foods including sushi, coconut rice, and Vietnamese noodles, not to mention the salads, breads, pastas, and plethora of yummy desserts! It was a Christmas gift in itself to enjoy such a banquet with new friends and old.
