My wife and I served for many years as IMB missionaries in the Philippines. Christmas there begins in mid-October and continues through the Feast of the Three Kings in mid-January. We arrived in Davao City in the southern Philippines in 1976. Like all new missionaries, we had to learn the language (Cebuano) and the culture. Christmas brought with it a whole set of customs for us to learn. Of course, we had to learn a new climate (tropical), too. On our first Christmas in Davao, friends invited us for a picnic on the beach. We enjoyed the day, but the whole idea seemed strange.
One of my vivid memories is walking down San Pedro Street, the main street of Davao, during the Christmas season. I walked along, wiping perspiration off my brow with my handkerchief. I walked past a department store, and they were playing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” I laughed aloud and thought, “For sure, that’s a dream here.”
We noticed that many folks hung a Christmas star on their front porch. These stars were four or five feet long, made of rattan sticks, and covered with red cellophane. We thought they were pretty, so we bought and hung one. What we did not understand was that a Christmas star indicated you would welcome Christmas carolers. Now, I had grown up in the USA going caroling the week of Christmas. We would go from house to house, singing Christmas carols for our church’s shut-ins. When we finished, we’d return to the church for hot chocolate and cookies. Caroling in the Philippines was quite different. There, groups of people, often from a church or organization, would go caroling, and the homeowners were expected to give them money. We didn’t know that, so our first Christmas we were surprised that so many caroling groups came to our house. The folks from the Roman Catholic chapel in our neighborhood came by every year. They sang carols to raise money for the upkeep of their chapel. They knew we were Baptist missionaries, but they sang at every home in our barrio and expected a donation. One year they arrived at our place at 1:30 a.m. I got out of bed and gave them a small donation. I told their leader I would give more next Christmas if they would come earlier.
Our missionary friends, Mike and Kristi, lived in a subdivision with lots of houses, and they got lots of carolers. Groups of children would go from house to house, singing and hoping to get money to buy candy. Mike and Kristi had three young daughters, and they noticed the girls were running in and out of the house. When they investigated, they discovered their girls were giving out Monopoly money to the carolers.
When our children were born, we learned to plan ahead for Christmas overseas. On one furlough in the USA, we bought a bicycle to give our daughter for the next Christmas in the Philippines. So, on Christmas Eve at about 10:00 p.m. I began assembling the bicycle. I put it all together; but when I went to attach the seat, the nut was missing. I had the bolt that secured the seat but no nut. I looked through the box, but there was no nut. At 10:30 p.m. no hardware store was open. I thought, “I can’t give this bike tomorrow morning but tell her she can’t ride it.” Then, I thought maybe I had a nut that would fit. I went to my storage closet and found an old toolbox that we had inherited from another missionary. I found an old rusty nut in the box. I prayed, oh, Lord, let it fit. I oiled it and took it inside. It fit perfectly, and Christmas was saved. I heaved a sigh of relief and thanked the Lord.
Christmas trees were not available during our years in the Philippines. So, the Filipinos improvised. They would cut the top off a coconut tree and decorate it with lights and ornaments. Most churches displayed one of these, and many homes, also.
Of course, we were able to serve in the Philippines because Southern Baptists gave faithfully to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. The Lottie Moon offering provides 55 percent of the International Mission Board’s budget. I want to send a shout-out of congratulations to Steve Swafford, the long-time pastor at First Baptist Church of Rockwall, Texas (Dallas suburb). His church members gave over $1,000,000 to Lottie Moon this year, and they have surpassed the one-million-dollar mark for several years. Steve has announced his plans to retire, and I want to recognize him for his devotion to SBC missions. He has served as a trustee for NAMB and for the IMB. He has raised millions of dollars for missions. Well done, good and faithful servant!
I also want to recognize my friend Herschel York. He serves as professor of preaching at Southern Baptist Seminary and as senior pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky. Buck Run Church gave more than $100,000 to the Lottie Moon Offering this year. Herschel served on the IMB trustees, also. He’s made many mission trips to Brazil. He provides a great example to his seminary students.
Dr. Ralph Winter was the founder of the U.S. Center for World Missions, and he was a leader in evangelical missions. He wrote this—“The greatest need in missions is not for more giving, more prayers, or even more missionaries. The greatest need is for mission-minded pastors. If we have more mission-minded pastors, then we’ll have plenty of the other.”
One last Christmas item. My wife and I take our grandson to preschool at the First Baptist Church of Keller, Texas. The teachers put a manger with a doll, representing baby Jesus in the hall. The other day, a little girl leaned down and kissed baby Jesus. That simple act of pure love touched me more than I can say. Let’s all renew our devotion to Jesus this Christmas.