Sister Williams with the packages from one of  Monday's three deliveries!

More!

Sister Williams is way too busy getting ready for the mission Christmas to do the blog, so she assigned me to do it! (Now she owes me.) It's been a wild week, with most of the stress on her shoulders. Monday, the senior missionaries got together for FHE and organized the 32 packages for elders and sisters without packages from home. (The hard part is that the quantity and sex is nothing more than a wild guess until the VERY last minute!!) Today, she, Sister Shapiro and the office elders have been calling every missionary to ask them if they have received their packages yet.  The mission Christmas devotional is Friday (the day after tomorrow), and I'm sure my companion won't return to normal until a day or two after that. She loves it, and is doing a GREAT job, but she lives in fear of missing someone!  I'm constantly amazed how hard she works and how much she loves the missionaries!!!!  We also have been amazed and gratified how generous parents and senior missionaries are in donating to help the missionaries who don't receive as much!  My mother made 20 necklaces for us, each of the senior couple donated generously, and parents (without us asking) have sent all kinds of money! (Today, we opened a letter from a parent with $150 in it.)  Plenty of $, but tomorrow (Thursday) will be BUSY scrambling to fill the gaps, shop and finish getting ready, and we know it will all work out! (Even though today it's a little scary...)

Meanwhile, my work goes on pretty much as usual. We delivered a new car to the Sisters in Terryville last Friday, and as usual, it was fun to get away from the office and see some new country. Not to mention enjoying that new car smell that will last just until the missionaries hang smelly things in the car (probably within the hour). We think it's funny that every single missionary car has trees or other smelly things hanging from the mirror, and sometimes fresheners in the vents, too. The younger generation seems to like "air fresheners"!!

Terryville Church

Last Saturday was our branch Christmas party, which was fun! We are getting accustomed to the later starts (7:30 posted start time, 8:15 actual meal start), and just enjoy watching everyone enjoy each other's company.  They had a brother in the ward who is a DJ do the tunes and after dinner almost everyone in the branch danced, mostly in one large group, for 90 minutes or so! We decided that we definitely need to brush up on our Latin dance steps (me a lot more than Diane!), so we can participate more. Sunday I asked my class of 12 teenagers what percentage of their friends are nonmembers, and I was amazed how LOW it was--mostly in the 5% range!  It helps me to understand why they (even the teens) love to come to any church activity and spend time together!!  Even seminary, which is Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 PM in our stake. Life is different here. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to open our eyes and see thing differently. Diane and I often discuss how it helps us to see what is truly important, so we don't equate 'different' with 'wrong' or 'not as good'.  What we are used to is not necessarily better, even in church administration!

We still like it on a mission, and know we are doing the right thing for us!  We wish we could share every day with our friends and loved ones, but this will have to do for now!!!  We love you all!!