Away from home at Christmas

Christmas can be a hard time of year to be away from family and friends.  Knowing that everyone back home is spending their time together opening gifts, enjoying Christmas meals, and doing the catch up with people they don’t get to see all year long.  When away from home you spend time dwelling on whether or not you are missed at the dinner table, if there’s any gifts for you under the tree, and if there is any chance you might make it home for the next Christmas.  For these reasons we are so grateful that there are so many selfless people out there who not only give up their time, but do so when everybody else they know is celebrating this most amazing time of year. 

The staff and volunteers of organisations like GVI already give so much of themselves all year round – but to dedicate time and energy to those less fortunate in the days leading up to the 25^th of December is a truly amazing Christmas gift.  Our reward, however, is something that cannot be wrapped in paper, nor stuffed into a stocking.  Instead it’s the smile on so many faces, the gratitude that we are with them and not our families, as even if they don’t celebrate Christmas themselves, they still understand the importance of this day to us.

So thank you to the staff that work tirelessly to reach large goals for others, to the volunteers that strive to make a difference, and to families back home that understand why we are not joining in the celebrations with them this year.

But most importantly, thank you to those in the countries we are working in, thank you for letting us into your lives, thank you for letting us help, thank you for working with us, thank you for being a part of our Christmas! 

Away from home at Christmas