Ever since mid-November, the mission office has been overwhelmed with packages from the families of our 170 missionaries. USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon delivery people are practically on a first name basis with us! We at the office have had to find creative ways to get all these packages off of the shelves and to the elders and sisters. Deliveries were particularly heavy this past week. Below is just a sampling of one day of USPS. (Sisters Bosley, Grahl Delvaux, and Jensen)
We asked our Zone Leaders to come to the office on Friday, December 21st between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. to collect all the remaining packages since the office would then be closed until the 26th.
Below are those elders who finished the day with us that Friday.
Elders Karl, Dopp, Hirschi, Eilers, Fawson, Sanders, Jensen, and Packard
Also going on during the week was "Remembering Christmas". Tuesday through Friday, two zones came to the mission home to have dinner, collect packages brought from the office, watch the Polar Express, exchange white elephant gifts, open a gift from their family, decorate sugar cookies, and sing carols around the neighborhood. For the sugar cookie decorating, three of us senior sister missionaries had each baked 20 dozen cookies. I bought colored sprinkles, mini M&Ms, and a huge bucket of icing from Sams Club. Each afternoon of Remembering Christmas, Steve and I drove to the mission home so I could help get the cookie decorating all set up and so Steve could hand out new fuel credit cards in exchange for expiring ones. Then we returned to the office - except for Tuesday when Steve and I actually stayed for the whole event. It was really nice. Food was so good. I love the Polar Express more and more with every viewing. And, it was not as cold as last year when the sun went down. Oh, it definitely got chilly but there were more propane tower warmers this year, too. Here are some photos of the events.
ugly sweater photo
Friday, December 21st, Kirsti, Ryan, and Alice flew down to be with us for Christmas!
And, on Saturday, Sarah and her two dogs - Lily and Bones - drove down to be with us. This is Alice saying "hello" to Lily. For the most part, when Alice was up and around, Lily was outside or in her kennel because she is so rambunctious. Bones, on the other hand, was allowed to hang around because he is so calm and gentle. Alice just loved him!
Also on Saturday afternoon, Kirsti and I drove down to Mesa to play Christmas music for my sister Jerri's care facility. We were joined by a very old friend, Diena Moore. She grew up living in the house behind my sister Jerri and we got to be good friends when I lived with my sister for two summers during my high school years. Jerri was working night shifts at Motorola and, in the summer when school was out, I came to supervise my nephews Rob and Jim, and my niece Amy. So, last summer, when I learned that Diena was still in Mesa, I texted a proposal that she and I play Christmas string duos. I had remembered her to be a good violinist (and pianist). She agreed but, as the months progressed, it became clear that she was clearly more comfortable playing piano. When I knew Kirsti was going to be in town on the 22nd, I suggested she bring her violin for Kirsti and she bring a keyboard and play piano. And, so, that is what we did. And it turned out very well. Diena is a fantastic pianist and sight reader and Kirsti did terrific on violin.
my sister, Jerri
Here am I with Diena, seeing each other for the first time in probably 40 + years. And then me picking oranges from the dozens of trees surrounding my sister Jerri's care facility.
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