O Come Emmanuel

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My departure date is only six weeks away! I will be flying out of Minneapolis on February 18 and arrive in Kathmanud on February 20.  I am so excited – please pray for for my dear family as they say goodbye, again, to their daughter and sister.  Please pray for me as well; for the heartbreak of saying goodbye to my family and friends, and health and safety as I embark on this journey.

There is much to prepare for: buying headlamps, cockroach houses (ish), extra laptop batteries and external hard-drives, a gazillion bottles of contact solution, long underwear, and much more as you can well imagine.  Any further thoughts or suggestions on how to survive life in the Himalayas is very welcome! J

As we start the New Year, and wrap up Christmas 2010, I wanted to leave you all with a thought I had during our Christmas Eve candlelight service.  We were singing the song “O Come O Come Emmanuel”, and I thought how fitting this song is for the people of Nepal who are still waiting to read and learn about the Messiah.  I have taken the liberty to replace “Israel” with different Nepali tribes…

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Tamangs

Who mourn in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, people of Tamang.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse,

Free thine own from Satan’s tyranny

From depths of Hell thy people save

And give them victory over the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o people of Gurung.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to Thee, o people of Thakali.

O come Thou Key of David come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, all peoples of Nepal!

Does it change your understanding of this beautiful Christmas hymn? 

It did for me.  

Blessings to you all in this New Year.