A White Christmas Posted on 31st Dec 2010, 11:47am by admin

This Christmas, we bring you greetings and Christmas joy from our friends currently across the world!

USA - Fransisca

Dear All, How have you all been?

First and foremost, from my cozy lab, my mice and I wish you a merry christmas.

Yesterday has been tough for me, as I was running an experiment and also rushing to finish before the Christmas Eve starts. The scheduling has been quite bad, as my experiment kept being delayed until it stretched to Christmas day. I was expecting that no one would come to the lab on the 24th Dec, but it turned out that there were quite a number of people here. Well, they dont celebrate Christmas apparently. My supervisor is on call in the ICU during Christmas too ( I just found out he’s Jewish btw).

So.. to cut the long story short, I eventually managed to finish my experiments before mass started. I’ve been praying really badly so that I can still go to mass despite my busy schedule and being around the workaholic people in my lab. and God really answered my prayer. not only did I finish on time, I also got a ride from my friend to go to the church (the bus stopped running pretty early on Christmas eve). even though I was a little bit late for the mass yesterday, I felt kind of relieved to have made it there, be there for Christ despite all these obstacles that I faced.

The moral of the story is.. no matter how bad / gloomy things look like, don’t forget that HE is always by your side, ready to help you, catch you before you fall. Even if He doesn’t seem to catch you, I’m sure there’s already a spring / cushion underneath (just my thinking..hehe). =)

OK then.. have a blessed Christmas to you all!!

Lots of love,
Fransisca

Taiwan - Leonard

Hi everyone!

My Christmas story in Taipei was going for Christmas Vigil Mass in a different country

I went for the English service mass at the Holy Family Church near where I stay. It was heartwarming to go for christmas mass in a foreign land and yet find that the mass is universal wherever you go in the world…

yes, same words, same hymns…and what’s more, so many different pple around the world share the same belief…there were pple from Iraq (in Taipei??!!), Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, America, HK, Ukraine…it was amazing to find all these different people from all across the world in Taipei on Christmas Eve going for mass together. =)

Anyway, I stayed behind after the English mass to listen in on the Chinese Midnight Mass that followed (when in Taiwan, we must see how the locals celebrate christmas rite? =P ). I was struck by how at times, the Chinese words evoke a deeper meaning compared with the English ones… And some of the Chinese Xmas hymns have the same tune as the English ones but have totally different lyrics.

Anyway I was quite interested to learn more about the chinese mass so I went for chinese mass again this morning! (this is something this yellow “banana” never thought he would do!)

It’s pretty cold here now, about 8 degrees in the day. and what a memorable Christmas Eve!!! Wishing everyone back home, a very Merry Christmas!

God Bless,
Leonard