“It was a snowy and cold day”. Well, it sounds like a traditional Christmas atmosphere for the Northern Hemisphere people and a nice beginning for an article about this special season. Nevertheless, this beautiful scene is just seen on Christmas cards, Coca Cola advertisements, but not in this tiny South American country called Uruguay. Uruguay doesn’t have mountains or cordillera; we’re far from the Andes. December is a hot and humid month in which to spend Christmas season.
Children from the Renacer Methodist Camp Center Sunday school program had been rehearsing for the last three weeks of December, and they were expecting to show their talents in the San Lucas Methodist Church Christmas service in downtown Paysandú. The program included Christmas carols, poems and the presentation of the Scripture of the manger of Bethlehem, based on the Gospel of Saint Luke 2.
The reading said “She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” Mary and Joseph’s little boy was born in a manger surrounded by sheep, goats and probably other kind of domestic animals, too.
One of our members, Mr. Fernando Gallarza, has a minivan in which he normally takes the children and people from the Camp Center to downtown. That day, everything was ready for them to be picked up. The rain started and the minivan had a mechanical problem. It was almost time for the kids to go to church. We made some phone calls, but there was no solution to the problem. We had to find another way. Suddenly Pascual said: “A truck! I have a friend who has a truck.” Pascual called the truck driver. He immediately picked the children and people up from the camp center to church. Believe it or not, the little truck had transported sheep and goats the day before. The truck was smelly and dirty. The rain started and a large piece of yellow nylon was the only cover for the children that day.
When they arrived at the church, most of them were wet and smelly. But they were really excited about the Christmas party. We had a cup of hot chocolate and we started the Christmas program. When the reflection came, all the children were paying attention to the pastor’s story. He said: “There was no place in the inn, so the little Jesus was born in a manger with cows, goats, and sheep, among other animals”. Suddenly, one of the children said: “Pastor, it was just like being in the truck, smelling like a sheep!” Everybody laughed, but it was probably one of the most realistic ways of experiencing Jesus’ birthplace. There was no minibus, only an old little truck; there were not a pleasant smell, only that of sheep and goats. That rainy Christmas party was one of the greatest memories of this Christmas season, not only for the children, but for all of us who were part of this celebration.
