First of all . . .
Yes, kids, we DID get to have a real "Thanksgiving Dinner"!
Minus the Turkey . . . but it was great just the same!
OK . . . so Christmas in Takapuna is a lot like a typical Christmas in Dallas, Texas!
Yes, kids, we DID get to have a real "Thanksgiving Dinner"!
Minus the Turkey . . . but it was great just the same!
OK . . . so Christmas in Takapuna is a lot like a typical Christmas in Dallas, Texas!
Lots of sunshine and no snow!
Well . . . maybe it IS a LITTLE different here!
(This picture was taken on the 23rd!)
. . . And we have the Beautiful Pohutukawa Tree (called the "New Zealand Christmas Tree")!
This little Pohutukawa tree is in the parking lot of our local mall.
Maori Mythology:
Legends tell of the young Maori warrior, Tawhaki,
and his attempt to find help in heaven to avenge his father's death.
He subsequently fell to earth
and the crimson flowers of the Pohutukawa tree
are said to represent his blood.
The neighborhood grocery store has a few different Christmas items too!
We have traveled most of the month of December and arrived home only a few days before Christmas
. . . so . . . we have a total of ONLY 5 decorations in our apartment and NO Christmas tree!
However . . . the Area Office has a tree . . . and guess who decorated it!
The talented Debbie Buckner finished decorating the lobby and Susan Henshaw and Ral helped a little!
The Humanitarian Team gave a large "donation" to three local charities here in Auckland for the "Light the World" launch, the first of this month, and just before Christmas, we were honored to present each Charity with their "gifts" - much needed computer equipment, medical equipment, and sports equipment for their youth programs. Here are a few pictures of the "Light the World" reception; us visiting the charities; and delivering the equipment.
The Reception - LOVE these Fijian and Maori (the figures) Nativities!
We had a Family Home Evening with our friends, the Hales,
and helped them decorate their little Christmas tree.
All the Senior Missionary Couples put together a Christmas Party for the Apartment building and even though Ral worked on it, we missed it because we were traveling - but it was a big success!
On the Saturday before Christmas, December 23rd, we walked around Devonport, a little town about 5 minutes away from us, located on the harbor. The folks in the fish store had already "Gone Fishing" for the Holidays and others just knew how to make the most of life! Haha!
Loved this house and the Best "Climbing" Tree EVER!
Saw the movie, "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (about Charles Dickens) in a quaint little theater . . . Look hard to find Ral - it was pretty crowded!
We spent Christmas Eve with a few of the missionary couples at the Area Office. We had a nice dinner, did a "white elephant" gift exchange (we received awesome luggage tags!), shared Christmas memories, sang carols, and pondered the Christmas story in Luke 2. The next morning, we met again together and had a Christmas morning brunch.
(Ral's hair isn't really "ratted" that high in this picture - Eric Anderson is just standing behind her, and he has white/gray hair too!)
When we came home, we gave each other our gifts - "Old People" Book of Mormons! (We set a regular size one next to them, so you can see the difference!) Yahoo! We can see the words!
HERE IS THE BEST PART OF CHRISTMAS!
We were able to Skype and FaceTime with our Friends and Family!
We were even able to FaceTime and see Don's namesake, Walter (after Walt Disney) Don Bennett, only a half hour after he was born!
These pictures bring us to our "Christmas Message" for this year:
Ral was on the Area Office Christmas Party Committee.
Ral was on the Apartment Building Christmas Party Committee.
For two weeks in December, we traveled to Kiribati and Fiji to train new Humanitarian Missionary Couples and monitor projects on those islands.
We missed the Area Office Christmas Devotional.
We missed the Area Office Christmas Party.
We missed the Area Office Gift Exchange.
We missed the Apartment Building Christmas Party.
. . . but we didn't miss Christmas!
Because, Christmas isn't about the parties, or the gift exchanges, or even the Devotional . . .
Christmas is about FAMILY.
Christmas is about a Heavenly Father and Mother - who love their children SO very much; they want to be with them for all eternity. Their love is so great, they stood back and watched their first-born son suffer unimaginable pain and sorrow at the end of His life on the earth.
Christmas is about a Brother, who loved his brothers and sisters SO much, he willingly suffered for their sins, so that they would have a chance to become clean and be united with their Heavenly Parents once again.
This is what Christmas is all about . . .
Family
. . . and wherever we are in the world at Christmastime,
Family
is foremost in our minds and hearts.
Our Heavenly Family
Our Savior
Our Earthly Family
Family
Merry Christmas!
