THE CCM ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT

At the CCM with President and Hermana Christensen
They are leaving next week

Not a creature was stirring......not true at the CCM this Christmas. President and Hermana Christensen had their new missionaries that had been there for almost three weeks. They were leaving on the 28th...and the new group comes in the following day.

All the missionaries want their picture taken with Santa

The Senior Missionaries all made cookies and we went and helped them with a musical program. Each group of missionaries sang a Christmas song popular in their country. It was so great. Then we sang a couple of songs....then Santa came. He gave them the Santa bags that we had filled the night before at the Johnsons. Mrs. Santa was even there (Adele Blackburn). They make the cutest Santa couple.

They loved their Santa bags....thanks Jennifer

It was great to partake of the spirit of the CCM....we love these missionaries.....and are so uplifted whenever we are around them!!

SERVICE...THE BEST WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS

Having a great time at the orphanage on Christmas morning

How blessed we were this year to spend Christmas Day doing service. There is an orphanage right around the corner from our apartment complex that Hermana Taylor found. They were going to have about 70 orphans there Christmas morning (all under age 5), and we were invited to help them with the children for the morning. Taylors had their 3 granddaughters and a friend here for two weeks. The girls had come up with games and had spent quite a bit of time at the orphanage over their two week visit. We were so privledged to help them on Christmas.

Three of the Taylor granddaughters

The Graffs and Tilleys giving service
We grandmas had a great time just hugging

When we arrived it was so heartwarming to have the little children come to us. I just sat down and had little girls (and boys) come up to me and raise their arms. They just wanted to be held. It was a sobering experience. The power of a hug is so real. MOMS....Hug your children!!! It was hard to put them down. Wayne played with some of the boys and blew bubbles.

Doing something with the boys

After awhile I went upstairs to help with the babies. Beautiful children that noone can take care of. I sat and fed babies and rocked them. One of the little boys has a cleft palette. We are so excited that a group of doctors will be here the middle of February and they have consented to take care of this for him. There is so much service that is done here in Central America. These people are truly loved.

The nursery with the newborns

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Myrna Graff making her famous Scones

Christmas morning started fairly early for us....dressed and across the hall to have SCONES with Dick and Myrna Graff. The Graffs opened their apartment so that we could have hot chocolate and scones, along with my citrus cocktail and Tilley's sausage/bacon. It was so fun to have our Christmas morning start with these wonderful friends and great people. We have decided that we could definately live the law of Consecration with this group. What a blessing in our lives.

Our favorite people....the Graffs, Tilleys and Taylors

Later that afternoon we had Christmas dinner with the 4 couples that didn't have family visiting here....the Tilleys, Graffs, Blackburns and Tomkinsons. We were also joined by Gert Karnitschnig who is a member here who joins us for our FHE and other events. It was a great day...full of food and fun.

From my left...Gert, the Blackburns, the Tilleys, the Graffs

YOU REALLY CANNOT DESCRIBE IT

President and Hermana Torres
Guatemala City North Mission

Later on Christmas Eve....11:00pm to be exact....we went to the home of President and Hermana Torres. They are serving as the mission president for the Guatemala City North Mission. They are from Utah and we love them. Hermana Torres opened her home to the Senior Missionaries so that we could have traditional TAMALES. Can we say excitement? They were great...actually wrapped in corn husks with fantastic masa......she even had sweet ones with fruit flavored masa.


The official reason that we were at the Torres' was that at midnight on Christmas Eve EVERYONE shoots off fireworks. My pyrotech was really excited to see this. We have been looking at fireworks booths with things on sell for over a month now. I think that all the families in Guatemala buy some sort of firework....even if it is only one or two.

View of the city from the roof

We went up to the roof of their 15 story apartment building a little before midnight. The fireworks started going off....and then at midnight it was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. They are really no words to describe the display. Literally thousands of fireworks going into the air....and I don't mean the little ones. There were big fireworks that riveled our Fourth of July or Disneyland displays. Wayne of course was fascinated.

The displays went on for about an hour....we were trying to find out the meaning of the tradition...and the only thing that we could come up with was the new star in the heavens. It would have been fun to be flying over the city or trying to land at the airport for that hour!!

Here is an attempt to show what the display looked like to us. As far away as we could see....you could see fireworks going into the air. It was truly spectacular.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!!!

Around the dinner table Christmas Eve

Last year for Christmas we spent the entire day in our pajamas talking to our family. It was wonderful. This year in Guatemala we were busy from Christmas Eve all the way through Christmas Day. I will try to capture some of the thoughts and memories of things that we did this wonderful Christmas season.

It really started with Wayne giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting on the Pure Love of Christ. He did a fantastic job. Wish I could have had a picture of him doing that....but I really do not want to bend the rules that much! It was a great beginning for our Christmas. He probably gave the shortest talk of his speaking career....he had practiced the Spanish pronunciations so much that he completed the talk in about 12 minutes!!

Dic and Jennifer with Mark, Carrie, Brooke and Santa

Christmas Eve was spent with family....Dic and Jennifer Johnson and their visiting children. We had a GREAT meal of Navajo Tacos. Can I tell you how great it was to have Rosarita Refried Beans? When we were cleaning up the meal, one of her girls saw that there was a little bit of beans in the bottom of the dish, and said that we shouldn't save that....I had to laugh because I insisted that it be saved!! No throwing away genuine refried beans.

Our neighbor and Santa....Elder Blackburn

We visited, had a visit from Santa (our very own Elder Blackburn) and packed bags for the missionaries at the CCM. It was a great evening and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Thanks Johnsons for including us as family!!

Filling Santa Bags for the missionaries at the CCM
Brooke, Suzanne, Hermana McBride, Jennifer

THE NATIVITY

Every year our family acts out the Nativity from Luke 2. We have watched our children grow while playing the roles of Mary, Joseph, Shepherds...even the donkey. We have watched them learn of the inn keepers telling Joseph that there is "no room". Now we watch our grandchildren take the same roles and the tradition continues. Because we won't be able to watch this year, we are sending our own Nativity story. One of the things that I have learned to appreciate this year is that in English Christmas really does begin with Christ. I can actually see Christ in the word. Hope you enjoy your Christmas and take time to remember the reason for the season. Enjoy the video.

INGLEBY IS COMING.....WITH POUCH

Santa Ingleby and Elder Guymon delivering pouch to Elders Mautama and Sorensen

Missionaries love mail. That has been evident this past week as Christmas is approaching. The office has planned to take tomorrow and deliver packages and letters to all of the missionaries. They will be able to do most of the mission in one day. Elder Tomkinson and Elder Ingleby (our secretary in charge of materials...including mail) along with his companion Elder Guymon will leave Tegucigalpa tomorrow morning around 5:30am. They have the pouch (letters) to deliver as well as needed household items: ie refrigerators, stoves, etc. Hopefully things will go smoothly and they will have a fun day.

Today the office elders sang a song in honor of this event tomorrow. Here are the words:

THE CHRISTMAS MISSION SONG

You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better keep rules,
I´m telling you why,
Ingleby is coming with pouch.

He know when you are teaching,
He know when you are not,
He know what you are doing now
with your neighbor and your comp.

Oh, you better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better keep rules,
I´m telling you why,
Ingleby is coming with pouch.

Words by Elder Santos

Watch the following video and enjoy the accents...listen carefully!!! We love our office Elders!!

Elder Orellana, Elder Ingleby, Elder Guymon, Elder Payne, Elder Ayau and Elder Godinez!!

CHRISTMAS CARD

I am not usually good about sending Christmas cards each year. This morning I watched a presentation that the Church did using missionaries to tell the story of the birth of Christ. I cried when I heard their accents. I especially love how the missionaries try to speak English and need to do so slowly and while thinking of the right word....that is how I sound in Spanish.

What a beautiful season and wonderful time of the year. Enjoy the video and know that we are thinking of you. We love the gospel and especially the message of the birth of the Savior and Redeemer of the world!!!


Love, Elder and Sister Tomkinson

PASCUAS.....POINSETTIAS

My tree

I have always loved Poinsettias. They are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I have looked at them longingly for about 3 weeks here...they sell them everywhere...in Walmart, on the side of the road, in nurseries.....and I haven't had enough confidence to stop and buy one. And I really couldn't know if I was getting a fair price or not!

Today we found a POINSETTIA TREE. I had always heard that if you planted poinsettias in your yard, they will grow. Well this tree was unbelievable. There we were talking to two of our hermanas and waiting for their landlord to show up to show us a new apartment for them. I realized that the tree next to us had blooms on it....poinsettias!!! I looked twice, and then yet again and said something to Wayne...he couldn't believe it either. Here I am with Hermana de la Cruz and Hermana Cardona next to the tree.

Hermana Cardona, Hermana de la Cruz, Hermana Tomkinson

Plant your poinsettia on January 1st......and wait!!!