Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!

I just attended the 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service here at the McMurdo Base Chapel. The chapel is aptly named “Chapel of the Snows”. It is listed in the literature as the southern most dedicated place of worship on earth. Attending the Christmas worship service here was an experience I’ll never forget. Imagine singing Silent Night at almost midnight on Christmas Eve with sunlight pouring through the stained glass windows. The chapel is aligned so that the sun shines directly through the window at midnight. It was absolutely beautiful – both the sight and the experience. When we started this campaign, I knew there was an outside chance of getting home by Christmas. Due to a variety of circumstances, most of them weather related, it didn’t pan out. I know that there is no such thing as a random occurrence. God is in control of everything. If the weather had been good and I was home by now, I never would have had this experience. Being home would have been very nice. We would have attended Christmas Eve services and had our traditional Christmas Eve gathering at our house just as we have done for years. Tradition makes you comfortable, experiences make you alive. My soul is alive tonight. I thank God for the blessing I have received from Him. My heart is full. Merry Christmas everyone!



The Chapel of the Snows. Note the anchors out front signifying the Navy origins of McMurdo.

The very unique stained glass window above the altar

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much Mike, the same to you and all the staff of CSBF and the Scientific teams on the ice

Best regards

Deanie said...

All I can say is "WOW!"

This made me cry a little.