What You Don't See at Christmas in Kenya

by the Coghlan family, missionaries to Migori, Kenya

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

The sense of Sight immediately brings to mind hundreds of images of the teams of doctors, nurses and other health professionals that take their time and resources to sleep in bunk beds and brush their teeth with bottled water, all to restore sight to the blind.  I think of Christine, the now 8-year-old we found abandoned in August whose eyes were so full of infection, she couldn’t see; and how God had placed an eye team here at that time to give her desperately needed medical treatment.  We can go on endlessly recounting the people whose lives have changed by the restoration of their sight.

But today, as we enter full steam into the holiday season, I want to describe, if I may, what you don’t see in Migori this time of year.  Like out of the end pages of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” in Whoville, you will see no silver or gold, boxes, ribbons or bows.  You won’t see Christmas trees, poinsettias or elaborate window displays of wintery scenes or streets lined with twinkle lights, wreaths and garland. There are no sightings of Santa, elves on shelves or red-nosed reindeer.  You won’t watch an endless steam of commercials of gifts and toys that are deemed a necessity for true happiness and fulfillment.  You certainly won’t see shopping carts filled to the brim with ingredients for casseroles, stuffings and pies nor will you experience people overwhelming their tastebuds or their stomachs.

You won’t even hear Christmas music playing in stores, radios and ringtones.  What you do hear, as in Whoville, is the sound of a cappella voices, praising the birth of our King.  What you’ll see is genuine joy for the gift of our Savior and the hope that He provides to their very difficult lives.  Instead of feasting, many fast, pray and read the Bible to keep their focus on the One that has saved them.  Gifts, if any, are mostly handmade.

As much as I miss the magic that the holidays bring, I don’t miss the stress and anxiety that it also brings to so many.  Unspoken expectations abound to have the right gift and Hallmark setting.  All of these things have become distractions to reflecting on what His birth has meant to the world and, particularly, us.

I’m sure our Christmas in Kenya is not one we will soon forget.  Yet, we fix our eyes on what is unseen and all the joy His indescribable gift has meant to us  - 2 Cor 9:15

The Coghlans live in Migori, Kenya where they are Resident Missionaries at Kenya Relief overseeing the operations of an orphanage, primary school and medical clinic.  They lived in Hampton Cove and attended Cove Church for over a decade, where they were equipped to serve on this mission.