Merry Christmas from Cambodia!

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

Merry Christmas! We are now in Siem Reap Cambodia, near the ancient ruins of Angkor. It's Christmas morning here, so we hope you have a good one, whenever it comes in your time zone. This morning, we will be going to a local pastor's home to have breakfast with other Christians from Siem Reap. Spending Christmas morning without celebrating Christ's birth with other Christians just wouldn't be the same.

It's been too easy to forget about the season in the warm weather and tropical surroundings, but we've been making a deliberate effort to be thankful for Jesus and what he accomplished during his time on Earth. This morning, we remember his birth, when God became man in order to suffer as a man and die for all the sins of mankind. What a joy to know that we serve a God that knows how it feels to be human!

Here in Asia, they celebrate Christmas as well, though we're not sure they do it for the same reason. Nevertheless, you see Christmas decorations everywhere and hear Christmas music in all the restaurants. One person in Ho Chi Minh City told us that there are services where you can hire a Santa Claus to deliver gifts by motorbike for you. Sadly, we weren't in town to witness that. Either way, it seems that most people know the holiday, but sadly, it's lost its meaning.

Still, we can celebrate today along with our friends and family back home. It's Christmas! Here's a picture of the closest thing we have to snow: