Merry Christmas!

Despite this being our 4th year in Lithuania, this was our first Christmas spent here. It was particularly special being our first family Christmas with ieva in the picture, and we had a fabulous time!
Christmas Eve was spent at our friends Kim & Mark's home hosting a party for the international students who weren't able to travel home for the holidays. It was a fun time of food, gifts, singing & games, and hopefully helped some of our students feel more at home, despite being so far from their families.
After the party, our friends Janneke & Reuben and their kitten Sasha came over and spent the night here so we could all get up & do a "family style" Christmas day together. We spent the day opening stockings & gifts, made and enjoyed a tasty breakfast of egg casserole & cinnamon rolls (Janneke has a bread machine!) and spent the afternoon playing cards. In the evening we went to an intimate Christmas service at our church where we sat in a circle with the 15-20 friends, colleagues & students who were still in town.
I found myself being surprisingly emotional during church (although I realize that being emotional should never come as a surprise to me...but believe it or not, sometimes it does) as I contemplated the reality of the birth of baby Jesus & looked down at my own precious baby curled up in my arms. I was especially touched when during one colleagues' prayer he thanked God for sending Christ as an sweet, innocent baby - much like our Ieva. We ended the service by lighting candles and singing Silent Night - which again, kept my tears flowing as I looked around and realized how blessed we are to have such a community - such a family - here in Klaipeda to live alongside.
The five of us came home from church to make a huge Christmas dinner - complete with honey-glazed ham (you can't buy it glazed here - we made it ourselves!), sweet potatoes, potato casserole, corn fritters, jello, salad, and Christmas cookies & hot wassail for dessert. Labai Skanau! (Lithuanian for 'very tasty!')
It was an extremely meaningful day of friends, fellowship and the distinct reminder of how blessed we are by Christ's birth and the opportunity we've been given to serve Him here in Lithuania.

Here are some photos from Christmas Eve & Christmas Day:

Christmas Eve Party with International students


Kylie Hoelterhoff & Ieva at the Christmas Eve party
(Kylie's getting practice for her new little sister coming in April!)


In front of the Christmas tree on Ieva's first Christmas morning


Andrew got a new scarf & hat for Christmas!


Ieva got new shoes from Janneke & Reuben!


Such a surprise! I got the Amazing Bullet for Christmas!
(to read the funny story behind this, click here)


Christmas dinner in our living room


We didn't have a very white Christmas, but woke up
this morning (Dec. 26) to a winter wonderland!