CANADIAN CHRISTMAS!

While we are gone from our normal Christmas traditions and our loved ones back home in the United States, we recieved one of our BEST EVER Christmas gifts from Cory and Adam which contained each of our daughter's and their families personal memories and testimonies.  We enjoyed their comments so much and touched our hearts so deeply that it brought tears to our eyes as we read it. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE...YOU MADE OUR CHRISTMAS!!!

We had our Ward Christmas party and these are the 3 Chinese Elders...Wu, Warner (who goes home on January 4th) and Gibson. Below are the Chinese Sisters...Sun (pronounced soon) and Okada.  It took the english speaking Elders and Sister 12 weeks at the Missionary Training to learn Mandarian Chinese.  They are all very special! 

Ted and Christine Newman sat at our table with the Lewis'.  They are both converts to the church.  Ted was a Buddist and Chistine is from the Phillipines where she joined the church.  Ted was 55 and Christine was in her 30's when they both got married for the first time.  They met at a single adult dance.  They have a son, Brad, who graduated from High School last year and is now preparing to serve a mission.  They are a great couple.

The regulars (us) and some of the Chinese Branch members behind us.  This branch is growing very rapidly and has some tremendous new converts.  The man behind us in the yellow and black stripped shirt joined the church 2 months ago and is already serving in the Elders Quorum Presidency.  They are all growing in faith, testimony, and works!!

Instead of Santa Clause, our Bishopric, recited in the Christmas story and handed out gifts to all of the children (oranges and candy canes). Bishop Cook has the microphone, Greg Umbach is in the white shirt and is the 1st Counselor, and Steve Brodie wearing the bath robe is the newly called 2nd Counselor.  This was much better than the traditional Santa routine!

We were very fortuante to have our calendar full for the Christmas week-end.  Here we are getting ready for Chrismas Eve dinner at Brother and Sister Wolsey.  They had 15 people there for the dinner and activities which included all of the children acting out the nativity story.  We had a great time visiting and coming to know them better.

 Before we started the Christmas Eve dinner we did the "Chinese Crackers ".Sue is holding one. This is a holiday tradition in Canada.  Everyone has a cracker, crosses their arms and joins hands with the people on each side of you.  You then pull them and they split exposing a gift inside for the person that retained the center part.  The other person doesn't get anything.  Sue won the paper crown that she is wearing.  CUTE!

This is Christmas dinner at the Lewis' apartment with our office Elders...Muhlestein and Tippetts.  As you can see Sue is wearing a new coat and scarff...a gift to herself from herself.  She is very generous! All in all it was a wonderful Christmas.