dvi silkes

Every chair in the room was filled, and more people were inching their way through the doorway. On Thursday’s food distribution at the Salvation Army, we handed out bags of food to a record 86 registered clients, many of whom were visiting for the first time. The total number of people the food will help is a staggering 217.

Though a small amount of food is donated each Thursday from local shops, the few wizened vegetables and at-expiry-date goods we receive are never enough to meet the need. This week, however, we were very grateful to have a freshly stocked pantry of dry goods to supplement the donation from the shops.

Earlier this week, three of us went on a fantastically huge shopping trip to the largest grocery store in town, and piled six carts to overflowing with food. From staples like rice, buckwheat, sugar, and oil, to goodies like tea, coffee, and cookies, we managed to buy enough food to keep the pantry going a little while longer. Also, a donation from family enabled us to buy enough milk and butter to give everyone one of each over the past two weeks.

We are extremely grateful for donations from our Canadian church, family, friends, and even strangers that helped make this possible! The need here is great, but your generosity, kindness, and your prayers are making a difference in people’s lives. Thank you!

It’s no surprise that I am very fond of order. While being married to someone who manages to locate his socks whether they are lined up in a row or tossed in a drawer has considerably lessened my organizational cravings, “a place for everything and everything in its place” still fits me well.

Perhaps then, it is a bit incongruous that Christmas is my favourite time of year. After all, the mayhem of Christmas shopping, the dozens of last-minute gatherings and details that inevitably arise, and the absolute impossibility of fitting everything into a tidy schedule all create an avalanche that obliterates my attempts at maintaining calm order. Still, the wonder of Christmas, the smells, traditions, music, and of course, the story of a baby born in Bethlehem, all have very special meanings to me. And so, once a year, I take a step outside the cozy room of predictability, and jump onboard the hayride of Christmas (especially if there will be hot chocolate at the end!).

Here are a few highlights from this year’s busy (but fantastic) ride…

Snow – and lots of it!

Our little tree

Meals for the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the Salvation Army. Also went to a local shelter to share a meal and fellowship with some men who live there.

Helping to sort food and raise funds to help the poor through the Salvation Army Food Bank.

Serving a meal to a group of homeless people who came to our church unexpectedly (fantastic!).

Dinner with friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, too (we were spoiled).

Opening gifts mailed by our crazy families and friends!

…which meant that our Christmas hayride really did end with hot chocolate ☺

So, the season may not have been particularly tidy, or tucked neatly into manageable time slots, but that’s OK. After all, the reason for Christmas didn’t come delivered on a convenient schedule and wrapped up in a perfectly tied bow. With straw for a bed and twinkling stars for nightlights, perhaps a little bit of mess at Christmas is just a good reminder of how it all began.

While bundled in blankets and sweaters this morning, I heard a sound that I have been straining to hear for the last few days: the trickle of hot water. With the temperatures dropping, our unheated, un-insulated apartment has been feeling pretty frosty lately, so we are relieved that the city has opened up the taps that bring hot water to our radiators. There is a steady swirl of hot water running through three of our four radiators; I’m not sure why we don’t have heat in the kitchen. To be honest, though, I’m so thankful to be a bit warmer that I don’t really care.

Still, we know that not everyone is celebrating the start of the heating season. The cost of heating has gone up, and since apartment dwellers cannot regulate the temperature, people will be forced to pay for heating whether they can afford it or not. With unemployment increasing, wages being reduced, and costs rising, it is going to be a long and difficult winter for many.

To say that our apartment is warm would be quite an overstatement. The radiators provide little more than enough heat to take the edge off the cold. But, we are immensely grateful that we have heat, and that we can afford to pay for it.

This winter, we hope and pray that the warmth in people’s homes will be accompanied by warmth of heart, and that families, friends, and neighbours will find ways to help one another through the months ahead.