Dear children,
I hope that each one of you has had a good Christmas remembering the birth of our Savior. When we receive many gifts it is sometimes hard to focus on what we should really center our thought on that special day.
On Christmas day, as I had told you, we went to the Mission President’s home. We sang Christmas hymns, some bore their testimony and Pt. talked about the birth of Christ. After, we had a light lunch and the missionaries went to do some caroling. It was cold and we did not go out.
We had a wonderful and very spiritual Zone Conference whose subject was on the Redeeming sacrifice of our Savior. You can only imagine the Spirit we felt.
Last night, we were invited to a farewell dinner at the chapel. The young women and young men had prepared a delicious 4-course meal for the Ward leaders. We had the kind of food that the Algerian would prepare. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed the company.
The weather is now very cold and dry. The chapel was also very cold this morning. Dad wore his long thermal underwear and I wore several layers of clothing and we were still cold because the heating system was not working properly. Dad was officially released from his calling in the Bishopric as the whole Bishopric was release and a new one sustained. Next week, we will have our new Bishop and some of the International ward members added to our ward. I know that this came through revelation and will work well as it has for many years in Luxembourg. It will take a little time to get accustomed to hear two languages spoken in a meeting but with love and a positive attitude all can be overcome.
Dad has been caching up on his sleep and I am glad that he did. He works really hard and some weeks are tough on him. He does not complain, he just says that he feels like he is almost 76 years old. Elders say that they want to be like him when they get to his age. The other day, he was taking a fridge to a couple’s apartment. The Elder was not able to help him so he did it all by himself. You know how heavy a washing machine is. Dad has a way to take one up the stairs: he folds a 20 feet long rope in two making a big loop, tie one overhand knot about 6 feet from the fold of the rope, then about 2 feet further up of the rope ties an other overhand knot. Then, he puts his head between the 2 knots. He hooks the bottom end of the loop under the feet of the washing machine that way he can lift with his legs and back straight the weight of the machine. He then climbs the stairs backwards. He only needs an Elder at the bottom of the machine to balance the weight and guide. You cannot believe how many washing machine he has had to replace!
This week will be a normal week in the Mission. No day off on January 1st but we will take that afternoon to go to a family gathering at my sister Josiane. Our Mission President told us that we could take off when we wanted and it is what we will do.
I wish you a very happy New Year 2009. May the Lord pour his richest blessings upon each of you.
With much love,
Mom
3 comments:
Dad has always had a knack for solving real life puzzles and problems. He was always happy to try to tell how things work. I remember watching Dad work on car engines and he would point out certain mechanisms in the engine an tell me their purpose and how they work. His most famous saying was "I don't know a lot about any one thing, but I know a little about a lot of things."
Dad is very ingenious about a lot of things. And the good thing is that he is not afraid to work. I was complaining that the releif society room at church did not have a podium for the teachers. (I am a teacher) so the next week there was one there. He had made it for me in his little workshop at the mission office. Since then, everyone uses it and appreciates it. Although, since the ward has been split and we are going to the other building, I am taking it with me incase I need it there. After all, he made it for me, and I will donate it to the church when I leave.
Clinch both fists. Raise your left arm above your head with the elbow at a 45 degree angle. Keep the right arm straight by your side and say "UP, UP and AWAY!" I think dad taught Clark Kent that.
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