Early Saturday morning few weeks
ago, I quickly put on set of clothes prepared beforehand and take didi (Chinese
equivalent of über) to Mariott Courtyard hotel in Suzhou. There are some ladies
already there making preparations for Christmas treasures event for women.
Esther, the mastermind for this event, gives me a warm hug. She is hyper
energetic and her face shines in the indirect and also literal sense of the word, as there
is glitter all over it. The glitter is everywhere in fact – on handmade name
tags, programs of the event, and tables. There are some vendors already selling
for charity and good causes. We wait for our guests to arrive. From those I have invited, six ladies will be coming, two of which are my colleagues at the university, three are students
and one is friend. They gradually arrive, and the program starts.
Esther who has been trained as opera
singer stats off with some Christmas carols together with the worship team. She
takes some high notes which surely no one else in the room could and which
resonate to the depths of our bodies and souls. Then there is the Christmas
tree decoration and explanation of meanings behind each decoration. One of them
is the icicle which represents the sharp, hurting and unlovely things in our
lives. Those ladies who want that are invited to hang their icicles on the tree
at the stage as an act of surrendering these things to God. The icicles will be
prayed over at one of our meetings later on. Then there is a drama about a
woman calling to the phone number of psychological support, and it turns out
that the one answering the phone is Jesus. He is inviting to call again any
time. Next, guest speaker tells about the trip of the wise men to worship baby Jesus
and about the meanings of the gifts they offered. At some moments, I wonder
what my guests think of the program and if I should comment or explain
something, but I feel it is best to sit back and let the content speak for
itself. A moving part of the program is singing of the “Silent night, holy
night” together while standing up and with lighted candles in our hands. A special
dance program by a ballet studio about the theme of Maria, mother of Jesus
follows.
As souls of ladies are warmed up,
they are ready to give back. Good amount is collected in donations for Claire,
a Chinese girl who needs many operations. It looks pretty lively at vendor
sales too afterwards. We have a nice lunch and talks with our guests then. Students
stick around the longest; we take some pictures next to nice Christmas decorations
at the hotel and talk some more. These Chinese students feel it was quite impressive event
and the first real experience of Christmas celebration in their lives. I agree
that it was a quite special day when I believe many of us found some Christmas
treasures, either in form of a thought to consider, Christmas atmosphere enjoyed, a handmade souvenire bought, or else. Perhaps most importantly, our spirits were lifted as we were able to share the message of
Christmas peace with our friends. I later on heard there were
some women who have lost their family members lately and who were moved to
tears during the program. One lady later on shared about quite special guidance by God while being seated so that in the end, the gift of the table went to the person who needed it most (there was a sticker at the tablecloth of each table, and the gift inside the box on the table would go to person sitting oppesite to it).
This event was a fruit of work of many ladies at the church, but meant for wider circle of women. Altogether, there were about 140 present at the event.In the days to follow, I often replay the videos taken at the event on my phone as I go about my day, and review the pictures. And just a few days ago, I received a very special Christmas gift from students I invited. It also included a Christmas greeting engraved in wood which was made into shape of our university participants group picture taken at the event, with each person’s profile and face. This memory will surely be cherished.
This event was a fruit of work of many ladies at the church, but meant for wider circle of women. Altogether, there were about 140 present at the event.In the days to follow, I often replay the videos taken at the event on my phone as I go about my day, and review the pictures. And just a few days ago, I received a very special Christmas gift from students I invited. It also included a Christmas greeting engraved in wood which was made into shape of our university participants group picture taken at the event, with each person’s profile and face. This memory will surely be cherished.