This isn’t the first time we’ve experienced something totally new on our trip, but it is something pretty big. This is the first time that any of us have spent Christmas outside of Canada. It is very being in Asia. First of all, Thailand and largely Buddhist so today is just like any other day – no holiday, stores are open, people are working everywhere, and the city (Chiang Mai) is buzzing.

It is actually pretty interesting for us. We started our day as usual with our gift exchange, but shortly after we went to the pool which was pretty cool. We’ve been in Chiang Mai for almost two weeks, and we did see some Christmas decorations at the local mall. That made us feel a little closer to home. Even thousands of miles away from home I can recognize that locals take advantage of the commercial opportunities associated with Christmas.

Last night we had a bit of a surprise at our condo when a group of Thai people came and started singing Christmas Carols by the pool at around 7pm. It really gave us a taste of home because it felt like a Christmas Eve church service with the exception that most of the carols were being sung in another language. It didn’t really matter to us though because we knew the tunes of the songs.

Afterwards, when we were getting ready to head back to our room, I said “thanks!!” to several of the singers, and they responded with “God Bless You”. It felt really good, and that made me feel like I was back home. It reminded me that the Christian community is global, and no matter where we are, we can find family.

God Bless, and Merry Christmas to you all….wherever you are celebrating.

Shawn