MERRY CHRISTMAS,

SHEPHERDS AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Merry Christmas to each of you who are following our blog.  We like that here in Malaysia the celebration of the Savior's birth continues after the 25th.  Today in Church we were greeted many times with "Merry Christmas".  That is as it should be.  

     We stayed home in KK this week and that is nice to be able to do that.  We had our FHE on Monday night and only one sister came but we watched the First Presidencies Christmas Devotional together and ate scones and black currant jam.  I spent some time baking our favorite Woodlawn Ginger Cakes, fudge, and some sugar cookies that I decorated with red or green jello.  

     On Tuesday we went to our district meeting.  We don't get to go to that very often because of our travels but this one was especially nice because Elder and Sister Douglas and their daughter, Diana, who is visiting for 3 weeks from Canada, prepared a really  nice Christmas dinner---roast chicken and dressing, and the works.  They had even baked rolls and square pumpkin pies (no pie pans here) in their toaster oven.  I took a green salad and some of the fudge.  Those elders sure tucked into that meal as they usually do.  Sister Douglas likes to cook American-type foods for them.  When we got home from the district meeting the electricity was off which is not unusual but this time they couldn't get the generator going for our building (it is enough to run the fan and the fridge until the power comes back on).  So we climbed the stairs---14 floors, 22 steps each floor---to get home.  I'm glad we were not carrying bags of groceries.  That was our exercise for that day!

SISTER CHRISTINE, MARY AND ELLEN
MAKING SOME CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

On Wednesday evening we met with many members at the church to decorate and practice for the branch Christmas party on the evening of the 24th.  Each auxiliary was to prepare something for the program and the RS was doing a fashion show.  We had so much fun.   Some of those quiet and shy sisters could really strut their stuff.  (I haven't giggled so much since I did dueling irons with Charlotte Barnes for the Castle Rock Ward RS birthday celebration just before we left for our mission.) 

     Then on Thursday was the actual branch party.  The program included just about everyone in the branch at one point or another.  The Primary children sang 'Jingle Bells' and other Christmas songs.  The Young Men danced, the Young Women sang, then they danced together.  The Elders Quorum danced the Christmas Macarena!  How funny to see past branch presidents doing that one.  Then the RS did the fashion show and we ended with the missionaries doing the 'nativity'.  Bill and I were shepherds.  That is Sister Douglas behind me and her daughter, Diana, as angels.  Mary Ann Teo was the MC (wearing the green shirt) and we recruited a young couple to be Mary and Joseph.  The young elders were narrator and wise men.  

A CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY AT THE BRANCH

WE WERE SHEPHERDS

ELDERS QUORUM DANCING
THE CHRISTMAS MACARENA

THE PRIMARY CHILDREN SINGING

After the program we had a potluck dinner served outside which is good and bad. The 

gOod part is easy clean up. The bad part is we couldn't see what we had on our plates.  

Of course, the food was chopped chicken and rice. Each brought her favorite way to fix 

chopped chicken. I took a cabbage salad and they didn't know what it was but they ate it

all. At one time I saw a bug take a nosedive in my plate of food. I just flicked him in the 

bushes. And I disposed of the chicken bones in the same bush. Hope the neighborhood

cat had a nice dinner. The members love to be together and have fun.

We had a quiet Christmas morning; just the two of us.

And then we pushed the furniture back and set out plates of goodies and the doorbell rang. They arrived in small groups of about 10 and it took me a while to realize that our district president was shuttling people from a pick-up point up the hill to our apartment. I had been kind of worried about how they would get here as most didn't know where we live and the bus stop is at the bottom of a long steep hill. They figured it all out. We wereso happy to see so many people. In this picture they are playing the 'Animal Game' and laughing so loud I thought our neighbors might complain.

WE HAD OVER 50 AT OUR OPEN HOUSE

CHRISTMAS DAY

THE TWO WINNERS OF THE

ANIMAL GAME

And they loved the food. I had ordered little cinnamon rolls and an apple pie kind of thing (they call it a slice) and a fruit cake from the bakery at the Hyatt here in KK. That 

along with my cookies and dishes of candy and they were happy. They don't normally eat

sweets but they certainly enjoyed them. Another thing they really liked was looking out our windows---since we are so high up they can really see for a distance. Then after all had

gone home---shuttle and bus---2 little Philippino sisters, Alice and Kiko, insisted on helping me clean up. Sister Alice carries a 8 month old baby in a front carrier everywhere she

goes and her sister Kiko is always with her. They are so sweet. They missed the shuttle

and had to walk to the bus stop. That was one of the few times we wished we had a car.

BAPTISM THE DAY AFTER

CHRISTMAS

Bill writing now. . .

I am sitting here writing this blog listening to songs about turkey and mistletoe. One could 
not ask for a better Christmas than what we had here in Malaysia. We so enjoyed 
ourselves being with the branch members. We had an open house for all that wanted and could come at our apartment. We thought that most would not come because there was nota bus stop near our place. Most do not have cars and it is a sacrifice for them to take the 
bus such a long distance and of course the cost. However, we were pleasantly surprised, we had over 50 in our little abode. They were so happy and fun. We played the animal 
game and they all had a ball, laughing and joking. Many of them enjoyed the "National 
Geographic" magazines we bought while we have been here. They just poured over the 
mags and loved all the pictures. They are so easy to be with and are just so happy to be together and enjoy each other. One doesn't ask what you got for Christmas here. It is not 
part of the picture at all. Their celebration is all about being happy with each other and 
helping out and eating and talking and just having a good time and thinking of Christ and 
talking of Christ and his message.

It was so refreshing to not see any pressure or stress regarding the Holidays. When you 
try to describe to them the stress of the holidays at home they just can't comprehend it at 
all. It is just so foreign to them.

Needless to say we have learned again from those who we serve and again the Lord has 
blessed our lives with new information and perspectives.

Remember the taxi driver Ellen talked about in the last post? Here he is.He is a very good 
source of everything you wanted to know about KK and didn't know you needed to know. 
He is always on time to pick us up and is car is kept very clean. He came to our open 
house and sat on the floor where most sat and played the game also. He delivered to our apartment the goodies we got from the bakery without charging us. He just said, "Merry
Christmas".

BROTHER GARY AND WIFE WITH 2 OF THEIR 4 CHILDREN

I went on a teaching appointment with one of the Elders last week. We traveled a very long way at night. We had to change taxis because we were leaving the first taxi's area. I had 
no idea where we were at all. But we ended up at a very poor home...actually a shack... about what we would consider less than most of our garages. Here is this poor family and they are so excited about the gospel. It make so much sense to them. They are anxious to join and probably will in the next few weeks. Why is it that the poor and humble
understand spiritual things so quickly? It was the same when Christ taught. The poor and meek understood Him and believed him and were healed?

This is one of their 4 children. Born into poverty. I wondered as I sat there listening to the
lessons being taught in Malay, "What will her life be like?" My thoughts were not about her temporal welfare because that seems obvious but about will she be as happy as her 
parents are about the gospel of Jesus Christ? Will she find ways to be of service? And is it possible for me to be as happy as she will be and is?


We leave for Singapore on Tuesday for our third visa run. We will celebrate the New 
Years Day there. It is our chance to have a small taste of civilization for a few days before we come back to hit it hard again. We will be traveling 2 to sometimes 3 weeks a month 
from now until we come home.


We so appreciate all those that sent us greetings and especially for our kids that called. 
We love and miss you all. We sure hope you are having a wonderful Christmas holiday.