This week’s blog in our 2024 Advent series comes from Jonah Yang. Jonah and his wife, Memee, are mission associates with Mennonite Mission Network. Their ministries focus on walking with Hmong people in Southeast Asia, an ethnic people group that can trace their roots back to central China. The Yangs ministries include:
- Sister Care seminars for women, a program of Mennonite Women USA
- Compassionate Care seminars for couples
- Journey, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s (AMBS) missional leadership development program
To learn how you and your congregation can support their ministry, click here.
According to stories passed down through older generations, Christianity first reached the Hmong people around 1948, but it was in the mid-1950s that many Hmong came to Christ. Significantly, few men were available for biblical training during those early years due to limited resources and language barriers. Most leaders who attended short-term Bible courses returned to serve their local villages. As I recall, the two main events shared in the church were Christmas and Easter — Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ and Easter to commemorate His resurrection. But the question was always: How should we prepare for these events?
One cold afternoon in Phou Khoua, a village in Laos, situated over 4,000 feet above sea level, children gathered to build a fire, sitting together to tell and listen to stories. I was one of them. Winter was approaching, and we eagerly anticipated gathering at the church to hear the story of a baby born in a barn who received many presents from visitors. My friends and I never tired of hearing this story because we only heard it once a year. We did not fully understand it and had to wait all year to listen to it again. I could not imagine how this baby was born in a manger, nor how shepherds and people from far and wide came to visit.
That afternoon, as we sat around a fire talking about Christmas, a plane flew over our village, dropping cards I did not recognize. The cards had a picture of a tree with a star above and a baby lying in a crib beside it. A few animals surrounded the baby. Through these cards, I began to experience the story of Christ’s birth, though I still did not understand the words or their whole meaning. After receiving the cards, my friends and I were excited to learn more about the baby on the card — what happened to Him as He grew up and how He saved the world. Every year, I could hardly wait for Christmas to come. My friends and I would start talking about the story of the Newborn King as early as July, eagerly anticipating the chance to hear it again. Instead of preparing for Advent just in November, we prepared ourselves for months, longing for the day when we could listen to new stories about Christ’s birth.
For me, Advent is not just about preparing when the season comes but preparing my heart daily to accept God’s mercy and love. I grew up in a country where I didn’t have many opportunities to hear the story of Jesus or to get ready for His birth.
Last July, I was invited to visit a village in Laos after conducting an AMBS Journey weekend learning event. When I arrived, parents and children welcomed me into their homes to pray for them. I visited a family with four daughters and three sons. The girls, aged between eight and twelve, were sitting outside sewing. I asked what they were making, and they explained they were sewing npaj ntaub (fabric patterns) for new clothes to wear during the Christmas celebration. They were preparing their outfits in advance. I asked them why they were sewing so early and not waiting until October or November. They replied that this was part of their Advent — preparing to celebrate Christ’s birth. By starting early, they will have their best clothes to wear in church to worship God with a prepared heart. The youngest girl said she could not wait for Christmas, having been preparing for so long. I asked her why she was so eager, and she explained that each Christmas brings a new story, and she could not wait to hear a new story that she would learn about the birth of Christ. Her words reminded me of my experience forty years ago when I eagerly awaited the cards falling from the sky every year in my village.
It is true: the story of Christ feels new to me every day, and I must prepare myself all year round to celebrate His birth and praise God. Looking back, I see how far I have come — from the mountaintop to the flatlands — to witness God’s mercy and love in my life. My Advent does not start four weeks before Christmas; it’s a year-round preparation. I am grateful that I no longer have to wait for cards to be dropped from the sky. God is with me daily, and I can celebrate daily, accepting the salvation that Jesus brings to me.
May the boundless love of Christ surround you and bless you with health and peace as you celebrate the birth of our Savior. As we reflect on the season of Advent, let us remember that this time of preparation is not just a one-time event but a continual journey. May we be reminded each day to prepare our hearts year-round, drawing closer to Christ in love, faith, and service. May God’s light shine brightly in your life, guiding you with hope and grace through all seasons, and may Christ’s presence bring peace and joy to you and your loved ones throughout the coming year.
