Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
Merry Christmas
Living here in Guinea, Christmas could really come and go and you wouldn’t really notice. There are no lights on houses, no TV specials, no stores full of gift giving ideas, no signs of Christmas anywhere. It can be difficult to think of all the traditions happening without us back home. It can be difficult to read how everyone is celebrating the season…BUT, there are also great things about having Christmas over here. It’s much easier to focus on the real meaning of Christmas when you take away all the hype and commercialism. There was no mention of Santa Claus at all.
We read from the book of Luke several times and talked about how amazing it was that God would choose to send His Son as a baby in a manger. Luke 2:10-11, “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
When we read that I asked the boys why is it good tidings with great joy? They knew it was because Jesus would save us all from our sins. Then we started talking about all the people in our village. I asked if their religion is full of good tidings and great joy? They knew too that it is not. All the people around us are just trying to do enough good things to make up for the bad things in the hope that their god will let them into paradise. That can’t bring joy to a soul. I just kept reading that passage and thinking how much I long for my friends and neighbors to know true joy. To no longer strive to be good enough, but to rest in the fact that God already did everything for them.
Of course, with three boys, we did celebrate Christmas with a few traditions. We made Christmas cookies (even as our frosting was melting 
And we sang Christmas carols and had some presents for them. We asked our guard to give us a few hours as a family on Christmas morning without people needing us. They think it is so incredibly odd that we would want to be alone for ANY reason!
We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day visiting with our friends and family in the village – giving out gifts and offering our holiday greetings. It’s a bit hard for them to offer those greetings back to us since it is rejoicing in the birth of Jesus, but we appreciate their efforts. It was such a wonderful time giving gifts to others. I had a great time of choosing clothes, toys, and candies for each family. Our boys loved being a part of it and helping kids with their gifts. I love that we could share our holiday with our friends this way. I love that we can bring some of our world into theirs and let them know how much we care about them. I have tons of pictures, but here are some of my favorites…
Taking gifts to friends and their kids
I loved seeing their excited littles faces as we visited different families
Having a fashion show trying on the new clothes
Visiting my namesake Casey with her parents Mohammed and Mawa.
I love seeing how happy they were to get gifts for baby Casey
Sweet baby Casey and I
