Christmas with Li Ayi （跟李阿姨的圣诞节）

This is Christmas with Li. Our housekeeper Li has been with us since I was just starting to get morning sick while expecting Phoebe. now phoebes is ten months old, and she is still with us, riding the ups and downs. She was with us for seeing us open our presents this year, and it was big fun.

Li still is a long way off from believing in anything other than traditional Chinese talismans such as lucky peach pits, but recently she has asked more questions. She wanted to know about the birth of christ, about his crucifixion, and about the nature of the trinity. She related very easily to jesus birth narrative, as she recently had to return to her old homeplace for her and her family to be counted in a national census, just as joseph and mary had to return to bethlehem. She asked if Joseph and Mary also had to "dai yesu de hukou", or get his official residence book, as they must do in china to satisfy the residential requirements. We said we weren't sure it was exactly like that, but more or less the same idea. She was perturbed that Joseph and Mary had to make this trip, especially with Mary expecting, but she also understands having to satisfy the authorities no matter how inconvenient it may be. It was touching to me to see a Chinese migrant worker relate to this ancient story regarding a detail that Americans often skip right over, because we are missing the mental template for an experience like this. He reaches all peoples in His own way, and in His own wisdom. Praise Him for that.