12/12/12
This seems like a very good day to start a blog entry, since
such a date will not come around again for 100 years. (at least that is what I
think) December is about half gone, and
we will not have seen even one snow flake or had one day of freezing
temperatures. We have seen plenty of 90 and 100 degree days, and then we have some in the 60’s and
70’s. We are not sure what the real
summer months will bring but my guess is more consistently hot days. We are not fans of hot days and are less fans
of hot nights. It was in the high 70’s overnight and in the high 90’s yesterday,
and today and our flat is a bit like a WWll bunker; cool when it is cool out
and hot and staying hot when it is hot out.
Oh well !
We had an amazing Mission Presidents Fireside earlier in the
Month, the music mostly by the missionaries. It made us less aware of the fact that we are
missing the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. We also have watched and
listened to the First Presidency Christmas broadcast, and on the 15th we have
the Chinese Branch Christmas Devotional and social event. On the 24th for FHE we are doing
the nativity. Sharla has handed out the
script and parts for every participant, most of whom are new members or
investigators. It will be interesting to
see who shows up and how it goes. We
love these people. They are kind, loving, appreciative, and so willing to enjoy
life. They are a boisterous and loud bunch and often sound angry. They are not;
they are just loud. Later next week we have the Mission Christmas activity at
the Mission Office.
Now it’s almost a week later, and we just concluded the Branch
Christmas Devotional and feast. It was an experience of a lifetime. The program
was rather traditional with lots of Christmas hymns, scripture reading, short
talks and a power point presentation prepared by Kikik, who has been a member
for 2 weeks. The music was provided by
missionaries and branch members. Some
of it was amazing, and the rest of it was also amazing, but in a different way.
There is no doubt however, that the spirit was present, and the event was
enjoyed by everyone. The food was much
like you would get at home, but how the whole thing was handled is very
different. People started showing up to
set up and prepare food at 3:30 for an event scheduled to begin at 5:30 with
the devotional, and the meal to follow at
7:00. Even hot food items were prepared
and set out around 5:00, long before the meal was to be served buffet
style.
The rule that hot food should be served hot, and cold food served
cold does not apply with the Chinese or Vietnamese. One night for a Vietnamese Fireside we were
at a member’s flat helping prepare food to take in. Her “flatmate” came
bursting up the stairs yelling at her and telling her that she could not prepare
food for a commercial event in their “shared kitchen”. It went on and on. A couple of missionaries came
by to pick up food to take, ( a 20 or 30 minute tram or train ride) and Elder
Guy, a big rugby player from England was about to flatten the scrawny
little “flatmate” with his fists. Sharla
shoved as much of the food as was ready in their arms and told them to leave, then
used her “calm down angry parent principal negotiation skills” on the
flatmate. We concluded the preparations
and headed for the train station, me carrying had a big aluminum roasting pan full of
something that was very hot, and Sharla and Tam loaded down with bags of
food. I’m sure we made quite a sight traipsing/running
down the street one after the other carrying all of this food, with Tam tottering
along in very high heeled shoes. Tam
finally succeeded in hailing a cab, and we arrived sort of on time. It was the same that night…meeting first, eat
later.
I am one to eat first and perhaps talk later, but in this
blog I have talked way too much. We love
serving these people and serving with “our missionaries.” We love sitting in
teaching situations and feeling the spirit witness the truth of the teachings
of Jesus Christ. We are thankful for the
opportunity to share our testimony that He lives and invite others to hear his
message of love and salvation. There is no doubt that Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ love and care for and about the whole human race. We value their love
and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Max and Sharla
