Happy New Year, Again!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for
every activity under the
heavens..." Ecc. 3:1

Were you aware that there are dozens of New Year’s celebrated throughout the world?  The next one I know of is the Chinese Lunar New Year coming up on Friday, February 12.  It's a big deal in China, where businesses, schools and stores are closed for 1 to 4 weeks!  Some say it is the largest annual human migration event in the world with over 400 million people traveling to their hometown--under normal circumstances.  Not much movement was able to happen last year because of Covid-19 and most travel is still prohibited in China for this year.

For those of us who experienced the smallest Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas in our lifetime (our Thanksgiving was 10% of the normal size and Christmas was 25% of the size it normally is!)  Imagine being 'stuck' 10,000 miles from home all alone in a dorm room during the largest global pandemic in 100 years and having a mid-term on Christmas eve!  If you can imagine that, then you will get a tiny glimpse of the loneliness that some of our Asian friends are experiencing as they get ready for what should be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.

Just as food, gifts, and conversations with relatives that we don’t see on a regular basis are all key elements to our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the US, the food and social aspect are a huge part of this event for the Asian world. Read more about these traditions in the article in this newsletter, "New Year's Celebrations Around the World" to learn more.

IFI is planning an event on Feb. 12th to help students celebrate by having a mix of virtual and small in-person gatherings.  We are following the University and governor’s guidelines and only having small groups of 8-10 people, limiting mixing and mingling and requiring masks when not actively eating the dinner.  Please pray for safety and wisdom as we do our best to follow the guidelines to keep everyone safe as we plan to celebrate this important holiday with the students!