Yesterday our student church here had their Christmas program.  We were very proud of them for all the hard work they put into it, from the decorations to the dances to the food.  There was one quite amusing drama where they did the nativity as if Jesus had been born in modern day Mongolia.  Because the taxi driver couldn’t find the hospital, Jesus was born in the back seat of his cab (at least that’s what we think happened since the bundle sort of magically appeared and our Mongolian wasn’t good enough to follow).  The shepherds were replaced by three business men and the three wise girls communicated by cell phone.  All in all, it was a fairly realistic depiction because hospitals are hard to find, you spend a lot of time waiting in taxis because of traffic and everyone here has a cell phone.

The program which was supposed to begin at 3:00 was about 30-45 minutes late.  We finally left at 7:15 before they got to the food.  The most interesting thing we learned was a result of the late start.  We had to wait because the Hindu group that had rented the building in the previous time slot went overtime.  When we learned that the room had been used for some unknown ritual, the leaders spent time in prayer asking God to “clean upâ€? after that event. 

To help you understand, you will need a bit of a Mongolian lesson (welcome to our life).  There are two words used for the pronoun “you.â€?  The first one is “ta.â€?  This is used for persons older than you or in positions of respect (bosses, leaders, teachers, etc.)  If the person is younger than you or in a position under you, you use the term “chee.â€?   Undraa always corrects us, because we often slip and call her “ta.â€?  At 23, she doesn’t want to be called that by a couple of old folks like us.  She calls us “taâ€? because we are both older and her employer.

When you are praying, God is always referred to as “Ta.â€?  You probably would have assumed that.  However, when Dawgee prayed to stand against the devil, she used the word “chee.â€?  What a great picture of our position in Christ.  Even though Satan has been around since before Adam and Eve, because we are in Christ he is a “chee.â€? 

As we go through our Christmas festivities, we can remember that this is a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.  The baby is Eve’s promised child that will bruise Satan’s head.  So when the devil is roaring about, trying to make you think he is a lion, remember that he is just a “chee.â€?

Today we attended our school’s Christmas/New Year’s party. After last year, I knew a bit more what to expect. There would be lots of food from every nation. The Mongolian teachers would put a huge bowl of potato salad in the middle of the American student’s table. That is an important part of their celebrations, so it goes on every table, regardless. Each nationality/group is expected to participate with some song, dance or reading.

Then while we eat, they will play the Abba song “Happy New Year� over and over and over again until we are finished. The Koreans will only eat Korean food and the Mongolians will only eat Mongolian food and the Americans and Europeans will share their food. The start time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. which means that is when everyone will arrive. Then it will take about an hour to set up, so we will actually start at 12. At three o’clock, when we can’t listen to that song one more time, we’ll find a way to slip out while everything is still going strong.

At 11, everyone began arriving, so things were starting as expected. Surprisingly there was no potato salad – on any table. Perhaps after they had 7 huge bowls left over last year, they realized not everyone shares their affinity for it. Again, surprisingly everyone was set up and ready to roll by about 11:30.

After last year, we didn’t really think anything could surpass the African priest and the Columbian nun doing the bump and grind, but we underestimated the Mongolian student’s creativity in pulling off a nativity scene. To the left of the stage was Mary, stunning in hot pink, holding baby Jesus with no Joseph in sight. In center stage was a man and woman. He was wearing a crown, so we assumed he was Herod.

Three very attractive Mongolian students entered, carrying staffs (I think) and gifts. Another Mongolian girl holding a large silver star went and stood behind Herod. The three wise girls, in their 7 inch high stiletto boots followed the star and stood before Herod. Then after a brief two-step to the tune of “Jingle Bells� they again followed the star that had by that time moved behind Mary and the baby. With much difficulty, they knelt in front of the baby (stilettos aren’t conducive for kneeling).

At this point, Mary arose with the baby Jesus and proceeded to dance, lifting the bundle up to the sky. So far, still not too far off base. It was hard not to chuckle, when she put the baby Jesus down and began to dance, in turn with each of the wise girls. Okay, maybe that could have happened, right? Where it went beyond any feasibility was when Mary went to Herod’s throne and convinced him to dance with her also. So, you have Mary and Herod dancing while his wife, the star and the three wise girls watched.

Unfortunately, as is too often the case, the baby Jesus was totally forgotten, alone in His manger, while all around him were lost in their festivities. It was one of those situations that was at the same time funny, but heart-tugging.

After that, most of the talent offerings didn’t venture far from the unexpected. We heard Silent Night and Joy to the World in English, Mongolian, Korean, Thai, Finnish, Chinese and an unidentified African language. While not unexpected, it still thrills, to hear a small taste of what we will experience some day for eternity.

To our pleasant surprise, someone must have forgotten that Abba CD. And everyone flocked to our table and ate all our food. Everything was winding down and we checked our watches and it was only 1:30. So, once again we remind ourselves, that we should always expect the unexpected.

Last winter, my heart was always moved when the little street boys would come into the church service. They would sing and clap and totally engage in the service, but as soon as they sat down for the message, they promptly fell asleep. No one minded, really. They found a warm comfortable place. I knew that seeds were sown and that God could bring to mind the truths they heard in the songs and prayers and that they would remember His people who allowed them to feel safe and warm for an hour each week.

I confess to feeling a little differently last week. We are renting a new building and have purchased new chairs (probably not conducive for sleeping in). I confess that when they came in and sat their grimy, dusty little bodies in the new chairs I grimaced inside. When one of them leaned his dirty sleeve against the freshly painted wall, I confess I started wondering where we packed the 409. Until…

It was during the offering and Bernie leaned over to me. “Did you see that he (the little street boy sitting in front of us) put 20 tugriks in the offering?� I didn’t see, but now I can’t forget it. In the big picture, he gave the equivalent of 2 cents. But in his reality, if he had held on to that, only four more would have bought him a steaming hot hoshur for his hungry tummy. While I was enjoying the nice new facility, God was enjoying a heart that would give sacrificially.

It’s the same story Jesus told in Luke 21. When Jesus saw the poor widow put her small copper coins into the offering box, he told his disciples, “I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she put in all she had to live on.�

David also understood this. When it was time to build the temple, he said, “How can I give to the Lord that which costs me nothing?�

I find myself wanting to give in the same kind of environment the street boys want to sleep — the comfortable kind. Some weeks it is a struggle to offer the percentage that we have determined before the Lord to be our tithe. It’s going to make our grocery budget a bit tight. Or we might have to put off replacing our water boiler for another week.

I’m not only convicted about this on a financial level. I do the same thing with my time. I want to give to the Lord of my time, but I’m much more hesitant to give it up sacrificially. I can comfortably have a 20-30 minute quiet time. Anything longer than that, and it starts to cost me something. I might have to get up earlier, or not have time for breakfast. I want to give so much time in ministry, but not so much that it deprives me of my free time, or my family time.

It’s easy to put God on our calendar, or daytimer, or PDA or in our Outlook. It’s harder to give it all to Him and if He gives us some back, so be it. If not, perhaps He has found the same joy in our offering as He did from the widow and the street boy.