“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home” (Matthew 1:20)

I really looked forward to my first Christmas in Kenya. I thought this was gonna’ be so different.  It was different from the start – even the precursor signals that let us know Christmas is coming were very different.  Certainly the slum in which I lived was devoid of any of the commercial excess.  There were no malls, no black Friday, none of the things we just accept as part of our background and routine.  Occasionally, you could hear Christmas carols, traditional and tribal, float out of one of the dwellings or tin sheds that passed for stores.  As for my traditional Christmas expectations about the season or weather were different – the days were growing a little longer and warmer – such is life below the Equator. Continue reading →