In that last post, I mentioned waiting for the young people from church to arrive and sing Christmas carols.

In preparation of their arrival, I had informed my building owner, Sulisak, to please tell the staff these were not unwanted guests pulling up to steal and cause trouble. This was a Western and European tradition to spread joy and cheer for Christmas and the New Year. I was on their list of stops. All was well.

Yet another announcement I sent to the group chat among all the residents in my apartment building and those in our palatial gated houses lining the alleyway: Sorry for the slight disturbance but carolers are coming to my home, they’ll be singing a few songs with guitar, they’ll be gone fairly quickly and (by the way) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Next order of business was for me to prep in appropriate Christmas attire (Christmas shirt and jewelry), get all the decorations in order, put the dog away in the back bedroom (she gets too excited with visitors) and wait.

They’re Here!!

My guests arrived in an open-air bus, known as a tuk-tuk, at 7:45 pm.

They first sang outside to greet my apartment neighbors . . . .

before entering my home on the first floor.

What lively, enthusiastic Christian Laos songs filled my home! My office manager, Khamxay, was in the lead with his younger brother as guitarist. Youth leaders Nyai and Thamnong gave extra energy to the group, encouraging them to sing louder and more joyfully. What was somewhat a shy, hesitant beginning quickly blossomed into a vibrant spirit.

A prayer for my home and the new year followed, after which memories of this special evening were recorded in pictures. My many Christmas stuffed toys came in handy with all 10-plus being snatched up as appropriate props. As you can see, we made the most of my Christmas house, excellent backdrop and all.

Before leaving, a small gift was in order: Cookie packets for their journey onward. Nyai (seen below) held onto these until their final destination, that of country director David and his wife Sora, completed their musical holiday rounds.

I later heard this greatly satisfied their munchy needs, especially as they’d eaten dinner quite early (something around 5 p.m.) which left them in desperate need of something to eat on the long journey back to the church, located 40 minutes outside of the city.

Connie’s Surprise

I requested my carolers to sing their way out into the night, serenading my hallway neighbors whether they wanted it or not. They did so with gusto, climbed aboard their tuk-tuk and with many “Happy New Year! God bless you!” shouts filling the evening air, off they went.

I returned to my holiday home, soon to be dismantled the next day, and was about to change into my less attractive attire when there was a knock at my door.

“Ah,” I thought to myself. “I bet someone left their cell phone here or a purse.”

I opened the door to find my Korean neighbor from across the hall, the wife, smiling and holding out a plateful of stir-fried rice noodles.
“Merry Christmas!” she said, rather shyly with a smile, and thrust them into my hands while I expressed, as best I could, my Laos and English thank you’s.

This Korean couple I have had so very little contact with. The husband and wife are avid golfers, that I know, as they are often loading their outside van with golf clubs. We exchange smiles and hello’s every so often but that’s about it. They speak little English and I speak no Korean.

Her gesture of kindness I know was spurred on by my visiting carolers. The happiness and delight these Christian youth brought to me were obviously felt by those who heard them from within their homes in my building.

What a truly special night. I couldn’t have wished for a better closure to 2024: the spirit of Christmas touching the hearts of others through a simple act of faith-sharing through song.

This is Connie (and Winnie) in Laos, wishing you a Happy New Year’s Eve. See you all next year!