La Veille de Noel et Noel

The blessings of being a full time missionary were particularly abundant during the days surrounding Christmas. Gifts, good food, wonderful company with missionaries and members and a baptism Christmas Day.

At the open market on Wednesday as we did our shopping for the long-awaited watermelon (our Christmas gift to each other) the Likau family, who are fishermen across multiple generations, presented us with three large very fresh lobsters and 2 pounds of fresh crevettes. What to do?

Our Tahitian senior zone leader knew exactly how to proceed including securing several gallons of fresh seawater in which to cook them. Sister Mautz thought you just put them into boiling water and cook them until they stop crying (her words) but the process was even simpler. Done when they turn from brown to red. Cleaned the crevettes and froze it all for dinner on Friday. Pictures nearby will give you the flavor of the events.

Sister Mautz baked lots of cookies, 4 varieties, to make individually gift-tagged plates of cookies for each of the missionaries. Those gifts were assembled Thursday morning and gratefully received on Christmas morning with such exclamations as: 'This will probably be the only present I get this Christmas' or 'All for me?' There will definitely be more cookies.

Prior to our dinner appointment Christmas Eve, the combined District and missionary choir presented its second Christmas concert en pleine aire at a local community center in Mont Dore.

In French tradition, Christmas Eve, La Veille de Noel, is the big family gathering and dinner. Every missionary companionship was invited, so we accepted an invitation to dine with the Gayas who returned in July from presiding over the Madagascar Mission. Dinner was delicious and lasted 3 1/2 hours in true French tradition including salmon hor d'ouvres, foie gras with red cabbage, roast duck and a wondrous raspberry dessert enjoyed while watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a presentation of the Nativity. We dined al fresca and poolside with a gentle sea breeze. So much for traditions of snow and fireside coziness. But for the absence of our own children and grandchildren, the setting was perfect. Lengthy dinners provide great conversation times as we learned of their conversion over 35 years ago and the significant contribution (our words, not theirs) over those many years in building and leading the Church in New Caledonia. Missionaries found them, or actually her mother, in going door-to-door. Within 6 months their family, his brother's family and the grandmother had all joined the Church thereby providing the base for the growth of the branch in Magenta.

Noel dawned warm and breezy. Technology provided the chance to talk 'face-to-face' with all of our children and grandchildren in the morning. They were each happy and safe and making great progress in their lives. We are grateful.

By the time we distributed the aforementioned cookies at the office and finished the conversations with the family, we almost missed our breakfast out on the beach with fresh squeezed orange juice, bacon and eggs, toast, hot chocolate and a very large croissant.

The baptism took place at 5p. Pako Kilama is a retired senior police officer. He has been studying with the missionaries for some time. We were delighted to spend part of the day observing the peace promised at the Savior's birth coming into Pako's life through faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, repentance and baptism. What more could a missionary desire of his Heavenly Father than such a blessing?

Of our 24 missionaries, only three teams had no place to go for Christmas dinner. So we sat down to potato salad, pork chops, lobster and lightly sauteed-in-butter-and garlic crevettes. And the non-traditional dessert of watermelon. Shared experiences of the day and testimony. Went to bed grateful for our Savior, and happy to be serving Him in New Caledonia.

We send our love this holiday season to all and testify that Christ lives as a resurrected Being, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.