Dec 25 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just a short email.

Yesterday was the Christmas party. We woke up early and went to the chapel with our district (Enoggera 1 and 2 and Bunya Forest 1 and 2) and cleaned up. I had the cool portable ghost-busters vacuum thing, it was fun. Then we changed and traveled to Karawatha for the party, arriving at about 9:45.

The first activity was more service. Two groups of missionaries (about 30 each) split up and drove to different nursing homes in the area. the other missionaries stayed at the chapel and created letters, cards and bracelets for children in foster care. I was with one of the nursing home groups, we sang Christmas carols. There was a lady there who was being visited by her husband. As we finished, the husband was crying and holding the hand of his disabled wife. I went over to shake his hand and wish him a Merry Christmas afterwards.

The next activity, upon our return, was lunch! All of the Chinese missionaries ended up congregating together at one table, which was fun. After lunch we had skits.

For our Skit, two missionaries starting singing the intro to Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, but intro-ing the Australia Brisbane Mission zones. Then, they introduced our districts and areas to the tune of Hark the Herald Angels sing. Our skit after that was myself (dressed as our super-tall, basketball playing AP) and another elder (dressed as our round polynesian AP) introduced a new missionary to the mission and they went tracting for the first day. Different groups of missionaries played different doors. There were stereotypical old ladies, drunk Aussies, "F.o.b." polynesians, and touristy Chinese people. the final door they knocked on was our Mission President, played by my companion, who started "Snapping the gravity" (our catchphrase for exercise in the morning).

After all the skits were done, my companion surprised President by performing two hakkas for him along with other Polynesian missionaries. It was a surprise orchestrated by my companion and the polynesian AP.

Then we had a devotional/message from our President. Finally we ate dinner (pizza) and watched "It's a Wonderful Life", which I've never seen before.

This morning we woke up early early early to drive down to an area further south to play footy again another district in our zone. We won! 5-1. Then we came back and opened up presents with the rest of the district (i.e. the sister missionaries in Bunya Forest). then we came to a recent convert's house for Skype and emails, and there you go!

Tell you more next week! Have a merry Christmas!