Merry Christmas!

Our first Swiss Christmas tree. Like everyone else in this country, the tree is kind of skinny. :-)

     Since it is almost Christmas, your alien friends are thinking about gifts. Our Nativity Wise Men are travelling across the living room, on schedule to arrive at the manger with their gifts for Baby Jesus on January 6. Our skinny and fake Christmas tree is surrounded by gifts (mostly thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Waggener, recently arrived from the U.S.), waiting to be opened on Christmas Eve. We're headed to some Christmas markets next week to put some final touches on our own Christmas shopping. I asked each family member to share one gift that the past year has brought. Here are our responses.

     Lucas: School. Lucas began school in Geneva with a great amount of trepidation. After being warned that he would probably be beaten up on the playground, he was pleasantly surprised to find the other children at Institut International de Lancy to be kind and welcoming. He has a nice group of friends who get together at each other's houses and support one another on the playground. He can bike or ride the public bus to and from school, giving him an unprecedented amount of freedom. Not only that, he's also enjoying most of his teachers and subjects. I do think that the social aspect has been the real blessing, though.

     Johanna: Learning French. One of the things that Johanna looked forward to most about moving to Geneva was the opportunity to learn a foreign language, and she has worked really hard these first few months. Besides taking French at school, she's joined a running club where most of the kids -- and all of the trainers -- speak only French. I'm sure her determination will pay off!

     Drew: Skiing. This is something that is not a natural sport in Ohio, but here, the second question everybody asks (after, "Where are you from?") is, "Do you ski?" After one lesson and one day on the slopes, we are certainly not veterans, but at least we can answer that question with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

     Me: More time with family. Since we have arrived in Switzerland, we have eaten more meals together, played more games, and gone on more outings than we were able to with our busy schedules of last year. I love watching the kids play Ping-Ping in the sun room, spending time playing Scrabble and Yahtzee, and taking walks on Sundays.

     Eric: The opportunity to experience a new culture together. We've loved getting to know people from all over the world, experiencing a truly international workplace, city, and church. One thing we've learned is that while a lot of national and cultural sterotypes certainly have a basis in truth, it is also true that people are the same all around the world. Of course we knew that before, but to truly experience it is a gift.

     The greatest gift: For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves. It is the GIFT of God. Ephesians 2:8

Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful friends and family!