Immanuel Changes Everything

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS WITH WORLD LANGUAGE

I have lived in several countries, so I have had the opportunity to experience Christmas in different flavors and colors but with one common denominator: the celebration of the birth of Christ.

In these countries, Christmas Eve is the biggest celebration. Joyful music and traditional carols enliven the stores and neighborhoods, typical food and turrones fill the table, and decorations are put up well in advance and are not taken down until after Three Kings Day. Family and neighbors all come together to celebrate and share, and if someone cannot make it, a nice plate of food is brought home to bless them. That is the Spanish-speaking Christmas spirit I have experienced! The celebration begins at the beginning of December and ends after

Día de los Reyes on January 6. Christmas Eve is the celebration of the birth of the Savior of the world—joy and more joy.

Of all the Christmas Eves I remember, there is one in particular that I will never forget because it was the night my maternal grandmother and one of her granddaughters went to church and accepted Jesus as their Savior. That night marked my life forever, and every Christmas Eve I have lived since then, I always remember that redemptive experience. I saw the saving power of Immanuel, God with us, in action in the lives of two very dear people.

Thank you, Immanuel, because without you, Christmas would not exist!

MARELENEY RODRIGUEZ | SENIOR SPANISH PROOFREADER FOR THE WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

Mareleney Rodríguez serves as a senior Spanish proofreader for the World Language Department. She has been faithfully serving this department and the Church of God of Prophecy for over 25 years. She and her husband, Luis, are currently serving as overseers for the South Central Hispanic Region of the Church of God.