Christmas with Missionaries

Christmas eve we enjoyed being with the sister missionaries and zone leaders, and the other senior couples.  The "younger set" had purchased $5.00 gifts and did the gift exchange game.  It was fun as they "stole" from each other.  Afterwards we sang carols and watched the movie, Johnny Lingo, and had fabulous desserts.  We went home to bed and they went to the stake center and played games until 11:30 pm.

Here's sisters: Fung, Cutler, Clark, Watanabe and Smith.

Here's the rest of them, after playing the game: Aguda, Mango, Ochiai, Hu, Kafusi, Latu, Ganouchkina, Ieremia, Bridge and Saito.

Can you match the Country or State of their birth: Idaho, Tonga (2), Kiribati, Japan (2), Utah (3) Russia, Phillipines (2), Scotland, Taiwan.

This morning began with the senior couples cooking breakfast for everyone - 25 all together.  Great food.  Then we gave them a gift from the "seniors."  We bought Chad Hawkins drawings of the Laie Temple and framed them, and also got them temple recommend holders with the same drawing.  Here's a picture of our two great zone leaders opening their gifts, Elder Hatch (6'5") and Elder Wooten.

The other picture shows some of the sisters with blankets made by Sister Eubank.  Donna got a lavender one.

The VC was open from 12 noon until 6:00 pm.  Donna and I opened and worked two hours.  We were busy! and three visitors I helped were from Poland.  One asked, "can I buy a Book of Mormon in Polish?"  I said, No, but I will give you one and have it delivered to your home in Poland by two missionaries who will share a message of the gospel.  She thought that would be great, and her sister, who now lives in Pennsylvania asked if we do the same for her.  So we got two referrals and they left with a new information of the gospel and a greater appreciation for Christmas.  Nice gift don't you think?

A little later a man from Turkey asked Donna (at the counter) who the statue represented.  She told him "Jesus Christ" and shared as much as she could before he had to leave to catch his tour, including referring him to mormon.org.

This evening we had dinner with the other three senior couples, another missionary couple living across the drive from us, and two artists from Rumania who are here for three months restoring the murals in the temple.  The senior artist escaped from Rumania in the 80's and ended up in Utah.  She found the gospel and the Church found her and she has since worked on art restoration in 15 to 20 temples.  Her cousin still lives in Rumania, is not a member of the Church (yet) and is retired from heading up the art department of a University.

All in all, while we missed our family!!!! we also enjoyed Christmas in a special way today.