Inspired to remember this Christmas

1. Introduction
On Christmas Eve last night around 7pm, I got a pleasant sweet surprise. I was going through donated clothes, shoes, bedding and food in the fridge to go into Adelaide City and find someone who needed anything. Well, it was my sister Sabi’s original idea that she invited me to join her on this giving journey. My dear sweet friends Ronda and Laurie fronted up gently and warmly with a nicely wrapped Christmas gift. It got me teary after they had left. I moved deeper into my thoughts. I would like to write about them.

2. Ronda and Laurie

This two beautiful people met and married in PNG when they were on their missionary trip. Ronda is an Adelaide girl. She had heard the calling of her God strong that she signed up for a long mission work in the central highlands of New Guinea when she was only a beautiful young woman many years ago. As open, nurturing and adventurous as she is, she learnt the local language, culture, food and social norms. She loved and accepted the local people as her own. They did the same. Well, Laurie was also in the mainlands of New Guinea on his own missionary journey. They met at a church conference and married a few months after courting. Theirs is a beautiful story of love, giving, service and simplicity.

I have known them since I started going to the Brighton COC Church. Their simple life, their love for God, their heart for service, their faithfulness, and their undying fidelity to their ministry especially in PNG are just speechless source of inspiration for me. Sharing a meal, coffee, conversation and plants with them have made me a better person that I am today. This Christmas and many more to come, in my heart I am very grateful for Ronda and Laurie. Thank you. For the sacred people that you are. For the impact you have made amongst my people in PNG. And for always showing how to love with a selfless love. I not only remember you everyday as a source of inspiration but as ones that move me to be inspired to be and do different.

3. Our pain to remember

Sabi collected me moments after Ronda and Laurie had left. It was about 8pm. She had loaded a small esky with soft drinks, water and chocolate. I packed a huge bag with clothes and shoes that my boys had overgrown.

I packed a box of oranges, bread, tinned food which I received mostly free from our church Grocer With Heart. we headed off into the city. Adelaide is such a beautiful city. Well designed with carefully thought out streets and conservation. It was unusually quite and peaceful. There were a handful of people in-front of our big Christmas Tree on Victoria Square. Oh well, expected in these times of covid crisis. We parked in-front of a huge Morton Bay Fig on a particular street on the eastern end of our city. In the dim light under the tree lay a thin middle aged man on a tiny empty backpack on-top of a thin blanket. We drew nearer and gently greeted him. We said we had brought drinks, food, sheets and clothes for him. We were politely asked to leave, to not speak with him, to leave him alone, to just have nothing to do with him. By then we sat down a fair distance from him and tried our hardest to convince him. We pleaded that he received something, at least a drink. We knew he needed all we had. When we started receiving louder yells, we got off our feet and ran to the car. At least we were not chased or threatened. Even then, he was only as thin as grass, harmless. We shared our pain together. Had he loss all Hope? How long had he been here? Why? What more can we and could we have done? Everywhere we are together, we meet at least someone like so. We agreed we could only remember them. In our hearts, in our prayers, in our thoughts. That they too have security, love and kindness. And hope for living. And see that life is bigger than just a season or situation.

4. Conclusion

This Christmas my wish is to remember people, events, experiences and emotions. To think on these things and to relearn some of the most important human values which were meant to be good for all of humanity. To get deeper into my own consciousness, to reach far and wide in my horizon and to pull them apart and rebuild. As the brand new year closes in, my wish is to take all of these and innovate, create and make something different, and be different. May you and yours have a safe festive season.