A Christmas Story

On Fast Sunday we had a Christmas lesson - the teacher shared a really beautiful story with us. I asked her for a copy, and thought I would share it. It's a little long, but it is a good one. It helps me remember all the wonderful blessings I have in my own life.


In 1994 two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics, based on biblical principles, in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments, and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls, who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of the government-run program were in the orphanage. They related the story in their own words:
“It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city. Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States.”
“The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about six years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the story accurately until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to adlib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, ‘And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay, I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t, because I didn’t have a gift to give to him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, “If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?” And Jesus told me, ‘if you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.’ So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me, and he told me I could stay with him – for always.’
“As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him for always, and who would bring him comfort and joy forever,
At this sacred season may we remember that Jesus Christ is always there for each of us, bringing us comfort and joy! He is the end of death, tears, sorrow, crying, pain and guilt. He is the beginning of Joy, Peace, Love, and Life Eternal.

Hard to say goodbye (again)

We had another group leave us, this time we had sixteen Elders and one Hermana say goodbye.
We take them to the airport VERY early in the morning - but the traffic is really good at that time of day. :)

One of the Elders had a little mishap after arriving at the mission home, he was downstairs and passed out. He just happened to be right by the sliding glass door and fell against it. The glass shattered (I guess they don't have to use safety glass here) and he ended up with a large gash in his left leg, a small cut on the hand and a small cut on his lip. It was pretty bloody everywhere. Russ rushed him to the hospital and got him stitched up. They came back and we ended up having our dinner/testimony meeting only one hour late!

I didn't take time to take a picture of the broken glass, but the maintenance guys came over and got rid of all the glass and put cardboard in the door. Ryan and some of the other Elders played a little hoop while they were waiting for the Elder to come back from the hospital. He was able to go home the next morning on schedule. Luckily, his mom is a nurse.

The missionaries got their packets with their passport, visas, a little travel money, their release info for their stake presidents, and their tuberculosis test info.

We really enjoy having the missionaries come to the house before they leave, it's a very special meeting. We hope that we don't have anyone else pass out and need stitches though! :)

Second Stake President's Dinner

These are some of the other Stake Presidents and their wives that are in our mission. We've enjoyed getting to know them better. Reyna made her wonderful chicken enchiladas; she made them a little spicier than usual, knowing that it would be mostly Mexicans eating them. Mexicans like food a little hot/spicy!

One of the couples brought their daughter with them, and we also had Presidente Parra with us for the evening (he is Russ' 1st Counselor, far right on the second row). His wife couldn't come, she was in Italy helping their daughter. And of course, Elder & Sis. Cabrera (Area Seventy assigned to our mission, middle of the front row). It was a nice time.

New Missionaries

We got our seven delayed missionaries from Provo on Tuesday! It's great to have them here, we hope they'll adjust quickly. We took them to La Onda for tacos al pastor, gringas, and alhambre. Some of the favorite foods of the locals :) We almost always have the two secretaries with us, and also the two assistants. They enjoy going with the new missionaries - and they enjoy having some great tacos. :)

We'll do it again in about four weeks :)

Russ and I were counting it up - in 2008 we've had about 142 missionaries go home, and 142 missionaries arrive. That's 71% of the mission that is new this year. Next year will be more stable, and the groups that arrive and depart won't be so huge. I think the biggest group next year is 9. This year the biggest group was 26. I'm glad it will settle down a little - big groups are a lot of work!

Christmas Tree for Ty #2 :)

I'll try posting this picture again, and not moving it as Jill suggested. I'm hoping that will allow it to enlarge when it is click ed on. We'll see.

Luke

We are so thrilled to have this precious baby in our family! He looks a lot like Brandon did :)

Christmas Tree for Ty

I sent the Christmas Tree to Tyler last Monday - and he got it on Wednesday! That's what sending it FedEx can do - I won't even mention how much it cost - but it was more than I thought it would be. It is worth it to me, though because we really haven't sent much to him during his whole mission, and now he only has six months left.

I think it turned out really cute! Russ made the tree, it's about six feet tall. Tyler wrote that he already has it up on the wall by his desk. :) Thanks to everyone who made ornaments and sent them.

(Jill, I know your family's ornaments are still floating around Mexico somewhere, when we get them I'll let you know!)

I wish I knew why sometimes I can click on pictures and they go big, and sometimes they don't. If anyone can help me with this, please comment or send me an email. Thanks!

Baby Boy is here!

Our grandson Luke was born on Tuesday! He weighed 10 pounds - 4 ounces, and he is 22 inches long! Yes, he is a BIG BOY :) We got the news on Tuesday night, and we are so thrilled - when I figure out how to post pictures from email, I'll put some on :) Congratulations Brandon & Camille - we love you all.

Re-dedication of the Temple

Last weekend was a wonderful time to be in Mexico City as a missionary. We got to participate in the Re-dedication of the temple here, and also the Cultural Celebration at Azteca Stadium. Here are a few pictures from last weekend. Some I took myself, and some are from the Church News.

President Thomas S. Monson, his daughter Ann Dibb, President Henry B. Eyring and his wife Kathleen Eyring came to Mexico City. Russ, Ryan and I attended the second dedicatory session. The music was so beautiful! The last song actually sounded like angels were singing with them. I loved it!

This is part of Azteca Stadium where the cultural celebration was held. It has a capacity of 110,000. I read that there were 87,000 people in attendance. The crowd loved waving their white handkerchiefs to say hello to Pres. Monson

Russ and I got to sit in the box where Pres. Monson sat. It is a large booth and probably holds over 100 people. The Area Presidency, Area Seventies, and other mission presidents from Mexico were in attendance.

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The front row of missionaries are from our mission. Somehow they got positioned on the front row facing the prophet! It was great.

All the missionaries from six missions sat together. Ryan got to sit with them, we think he is the one standing right in the lower middle of the picture. That's the area where he was anyway.

Our mission provided parking attendants for the re-dedication, and they are also featured in the Church News this week. They all loved being a part of this extraordinary event.

Zone Leaders Council for November

We held the Zone Leaders Council here on Thursday. Eighteen zone leaders, two assistants and three secretaries. What a really great group of missionaries. They work hard at keeping the mission on track and really are dedicated to finding those who are searching for the gospel. It was great to have them here again.

Back row, left to right: Elder Puga, Elder Flores N, Elder Magdaleno, Elder Ojeda, Elder Adams, Elder Beltran, Elder Porter, Elder Mead, Elder Munoz, Elder Sander, Elder Inalef

Middle row: Elder Bolles, Elder Rush, Elder Zapata, Presidente, Hermana, Elder Lopez A, Elder Flores Y

Front row: Elder Bryan, Elder Fillerup, Elder Pena, Elder Alpuche, Elder Carretaro, Elder Camacho, Elder Jaramillo

Four Zone Leaders and one secretary will be leaving in the next end of the cycle. We'll miss them, they've been very good missionaries.

La Casa del Senor

Last night we took Ryan over to the Open House of the temple. This was only his second time touring a temple. The first time was in Mt. Timpanogos and he was only six years old. It was great to walk through with him and discuss the different rooms and have him feel the beautiful, reverent spirit of the temple.

Tens of thousands of people have toured the temple in the past two and a half weeks. The open house ends this Saturday. The cultural event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15th. The re-dedication will be Sunday, Nov. 16th. What a great time to be a missionary in Mexico City!

I didn't take these pictures, they are from the church web site, but I love these. The celestial room is so beautiful. The ceiling has an Aztec pattern, so does the carpet. Every temple has the same elements, but somehow the Church manages to personalize each one to the location. It's a really beautiful temple.

Dia de los muertos

On our way over to the other side of the city last night we went down Paseo de la Reforma, probably the most famous street in Mexico City. There is always something interesting to see whenever we go on this street. There are lots of fountains, monuments, and people! Last night there were these large paper mache sculptures for Dia de los muertos, or Day of the Dead. They are really large and colorful. Here are some of the favorites.....

No More Hospital Time, Please

Yesterday Ryan had another football game in Guadalajara. Russ and I decided not to go since it is about 6 hours away and also the second largest city in Mexico. We were worried that once we finally got there, we wouldn't be able to find our way around.

During the 2nd quarter, Ryan was hit pretty hard and injured his right shoulder. He had to be taken out of the game. At half time he and another player - his friend Intenso - were taken to the hospital by ambulance. (One of the coaches went with them) They x-rayed his shoulder, and found that nothing was broken. They figure one of his bones probably popped out and then popped back in. Ryan isn't sure how Intenso's shoulder was, he thinks he dislocated it.

Anyway, his shoulder is pretty sore today, and he has his arm in a sling. We are supposed to take him to see Dr. Aguilar on Monday or Tuesday. Dr Aguilar is the team doctor and an orthopedic surgeon. We are hopeful he will tell us that Ryan just needs to rest his shoulder and will be just fine in a few days.

So Russ, Ryan and I have all been to the hospital while we've been here now. Ryan and I have both been in an ambulance. We've all had x-rays at the hospital. I think that this is enough medical to last us another ten years!

P.S. Ryan's team lost the game :(

Christmas In October :)

We've received some of the ornaments for Tyler's Christmas Tree. They are all so cute! I can hardly wait to get it all together with the tree and send it off! I think he's going to love it. I know I do! Thanks to everyone for helping with this little project. I know it will mean a lot to Ty.

New Assistant

On Tuesday Russ called a new assistant - his name is Elder Zapata. He was in the first group that arrived here after we did, back in August 2007. He'll do a great job. He will be the companion to Elder Lopez A.

Here's a picture of Elder Lake and Elder Lopez A - Elder Lake was released as the assistant and called to train a new missionary and work in a new area for his last cycle. He'll be going home in November. Elder Lopez A will be going home in December, so I think we'll probably have another change in the next transfer, too. Both of these Elders have a done a wonderful job and have been a tremendous help to Russ. We hate to see them go, but are anxious to see what they do in the next chapter of their lives.

A New Temple in ITALY!!!

We are so thrilled to hear the news of a new temple in Rome, Italy. We could only imagine the cheers of delight that went up from the missionaries and members there as President Monson announced this exciting news! We can't wait to hear from Anziano Bulloch - I'm sure he'll let us know all about the reaction.

Another win for the Bears!

Ryan's whole team had a great game last night. Ryan contributed two touchdowns to the winning score of 26-7. It was great to watch him play. He has really improved - and so has the rest of his team.

Here are a couple of action shots and one of him after the sweet victory! :)

Way to go Ryan! Way to go Bears!

Unity

In an effort to help create unity between the stakes in our mission, under the direction of Elder and Hermana Cabrera, we hosted a dinner for some of the Stake Presidents and their wives last night. We have a total of 14 stakes, and invited seven to the dinner. We had six that said they could come, and five couples showed up.

This picture includes the Cabrera's, the five Stake President's and their wives, and also the second counselor in the mission presidency, Pres. Torres & his wife, and their cute little son Alan.

They all seemed to have an enjoyable time, talking and sharing experiences. We are planning to hold another dinner next month for the rest of the couples.

Zone Conferences

Last Week we had three days of Zone Conferences. It was great to see all the missionaries again. This time we had Elder and Sister Thomas with us. Elder Thomas, a psychologist, is the mental health advisor for the area of Mexico. He and his wife visit each mission periodically and give a presentation during zone conferences.

I really enjoyed hearing his message - he taught that the key to our mental wellness really begins with controlling our thoughts. If we get depressed or down, by examining our thoughts, we can change ourselves. Negative thoughts bring a negative result in our lives. Replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts can make all the difference.

He gave each missionary a gratitude rock. Each time they start feeling down or depressed or discouraged, they are to get out the rock and put it between their thumb and index finger and rub it while they think of all the things they are grateful for. By the time they have named several blessings, the discouragement will be gone! I've tried it and it works - and I'm grateful that Elder and Sister Thomas were able to be with our mission this week.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

Today is a big landmark for Ryan - 18 years old! Hard to believe that many years have passed since he joined our family. He's done a lot in those years, including attending seven different schools, soon to add an eighth (BYU, baby!) in the winter. He's moved four times, and has had a good, happy attitude each time.

He has been a lifesaver when it comes to reading maps and getting us around this city. I think when he goes home, and when he goes on his mission, we will be sending a map and a cell phone with him. If we get lost we'll call him and he'll get us home!

Ryan loves to laugh, and he laughs really hard. It makes me laugh when he is laughing :) He is a great young man and we are very, very proud of him.

Here are some pictures of him with his brothers in the past year or so. I don't have any others of when he was younger, they are all packed away at Grandma and Grandpa's house :)