Christmas

This year we had a bit of a different Christmas from previous ones. 15km or so to the north of us, there is a village where the Assemblies of God planted a church a few years ago. Over the last year we have become good friends with the Togolese pastor and his family. They are faithful church planters in difficult circumstances, living in a village hostile to the Good News, and having arrived there not speaking the local language.

These friends invited us to come to their church on Christmas Day, and we thought it would be lovely to spend time with them and to encourage their small group of believers.

Here is the church, with the pastor's two small daughters in the doorway:



And the children singing during the service - there were just 16 adults and 26 children present, including us:



We were slightly surprised at the end of the service to be asked to come up to the front to sing something for them. I wasn't entirely sure we knew a Christmas song in English or in French that our whole family knew by heart. But then since very few people in the church speak Monkolé (many are outsiders who are living in the village because of their jobs), we decided to sing a little bit of a Monkolé Christmas song, and so our whole family did manage to sing!

Everyone ate together after the service. Here we are with the pastor and his wife:






Actually not me, the photographer is rarely in the photos! But here I am later in the day, wearing some festive earrings which were sent to me:



We very much appreciated the presents we received from others on Christmas Day. Such a treat!