Dear Friends & Family,
I hope this blog finds you well! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and are having a Happy New Year! I am so blessed to report culture change and being almost 9,000 miles from home have not taken away from this season of celebration!
My team and I celebrated this Christmas in Durban, South Africa right on the Southeast coast of Africa. I have to be honest, initially I was struggling with being halfway across the globe as my family participated in all of my
favorite Christmas Eve traditions. We had just finished decorating our little tree and eating the brownies I had made and I was sitting alone on the red brick steps as the clock turned from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am on Christmas Day and my on heart just felt so sad. It was so strange being 8 hours ahead of my loved ones and not being able to be there for all the fun things they were doing and the yummy food they were eating. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let being away from home affect me too much but I couldn’t help it as a tear or two slipped down my cheek and the lonely feeling sunk deeper into my stomach.
Just then, my friend walked through the hallway, carrying a similar weight on her shoulders and she pulled me in for a hug and said just what I was thinking, “This is way harder than I thought it would be.” There was a lot of comfort knowing that I was not alone in missing my family, but I still just wanted to be at home.
It was not until another friend reminded me that, while Christmas is a good time for traditions and quality time with family, the holiday is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Jesus. The sobering reminder didn’t take away the homesickness, but it restored 
joy in me. The deep, sad, lonely. feeling was replaced with the joy that Jesus came to this earth to save me! It just reminded me that I’ve had a choice this whole time: I can always wish to be back home and be comfortable or I can embrace the uncomfortable, press into community, and serve where the Lord has asked me to. With a new revelation and a new attitude, I went to sleep soundly.
We started our holiday by waking up bright and early to get ready for church because most South Africans are in church on Christmas mornings and our hosts are no different! Feeling much more joyful than night before, I put on the red dress I thrifted from Guatemala and made myself a cup of coffee! It was so fun to see how the girls put together special Christmas outfits so that we were all wearing red and green!
The worship was a beautiful mix of typical christmas songs like Joy to the World but with an upbeat twist that the congregation could clap along to! The younger girls of the church also danced on stage to a couple of the songs, wearing matching green skirts! It was such a fun morning of singing and thanking God for His Son!
After church, we were so blessed to be invited to a lunch with a family who neighbored the place we were staying! The Paulsen’s daughters came and walked us up to their home, where we were warmly welcomed in! We sang Christmas karaoke as we waited for the food to be finished up and as soon as it was ready, the table was filled with a large spread of typical Durban foods. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for the family’s hospitality nor my appreciation for the food of South Africa! It is all SO delicious!
We finished off our Christmas Day by making some calls home and having a game of White Elephant around our mini tree! We weren’t super hungry after such a large lunch, but we enjoyed cookies, a veggie tray, and some sparkling juice as we enjoyed each other’s company!
A couple days after moving to LIV Village, the children’s home, and starting ministry there, we all celebrated New Year’s Eve! The best part of New Years is all the party foods, so my team and I whipped up some American classics tocelebrate! I made a charcuterie and veggie trays and others made chicken tenders, queso dip, ham pinwheels, and more! This year, however, I had a new favorite part! We lit sparklers and waited for the moment to come! We watched the skyline light up as the city below lit hundreds of fireworks as the clock struck midnight! We all laughed and shouted “HAPPY NEW YEAR” as the kids- who had been sent to bed hours ago, ran up the hill to give us some of the first hugs of 2025!
I am so incredibly thankful for this time of year and the celebration it brings, but I am even more thankful that God sent His one and only Son so that I may have true joy all year round! Jesus gives life, and life abundant to those who believe in Him and follow Him closely!
Updates!
We just moved to Kloof, South Africa this week and will be starting ministry tomorrow! My team will be going into rehab centers and local schools to help disciple people in those facilities! Please pray that hearts will be willing to receive the Gospel and for those who already know Jesus to have new revelation that He is worth following all the time! Also, please be praying for continued protection over our squad and for our health! We are still doing pretty well healthy-wise here, but one of my teammates has a pretty nasty cough!
Grace & Peace,
Maggie Claire Richardson
P.S. If you would like to help partner with me financially, please reach out! Even though I am fully funded I am still responsible for purchasing several things on my own, like toiletries and laundry!
