White Christmas

Birthdays, baptism and the Savior's birth. Where better to celebrate than New Caledonia.

The Monday before Christmas was birthday celebration for Elder Olsen. Traditional cake and 'singing' from the whole zone.



Then the Christmas holiday arrived. Like France, New Caledonia's major celebration is Christmas Eve. Families are together and invite friends in for a relaxed evening of eating. We joined the Fichter family this year, from the Riviere Salee Branche. Sister Fichter is quite a cook. We were invited to prepare a home evening of scriptures of the birth of the Savior accompanied with Christmas carols. Dinner included salmon and foie gras canapes, 'fruits de la mer' including fresh spiny lobster (langouste) moules and crevettes. Then crab farci and pork. All capped with buche de Noel. the evening after a very hot 90+ day cooled nicely with a gentle breeze making the evening unexpectedly delightful. Would such a moment occur again in our lives? Stayed out too late.



Christmas Day dawned early as we drove an hour north to Tontouta for the first of two baptisms that day. The new member, Andrew, is the 9-year-old son of members coming back into activity. He was baptised by his grandfather Parau who is the patriarch of a large family here. His uncle is the president of the Noumea 2 branch and his cousin Stuart, also 9 years old, shared a tender testimony of his own baptism during Andrew's baptismal service. This family's return will be a great blessing to the Tontouta branch. And never again will we complain about a Christmas day baptism.




On the way home we stopped at Georgi and Rachel Guidi's home for lunch. We had our first experience with frogs' legs. Not much really, but the garlic and olive oil you put on them makes it really good. A delightful visit before we slipped away to the second baptism of the day in Magenta.



Sister Taga met the missionaries in September and is now reading the Book of Mormon for the 3rd time. Her husband, from Vanuatu is becoming interested himself.  Sister Temaina, who is also the branch Primary President. has become a good friend.




Since much of the holiday festivities here occur on Christmas Eve, the missionaries got together Christmas evening for a dinner they cooked themselves by assignment and then had a game night. Great fun with spaghetti and brownies for dinner and then a game created for the occasion by the Ducos sisters. The game was laid out on the floor and each team advanced square by square by finding clues hidden outdoors and then performing the assigned task in the clue. Pictures nearby will give you the flavor. Lots of laughing. And not much time to pine for home! The Paita sisters, Hurst and Baxter, won the event. One of the zone leaders noted,'I hate to lose but my companion won't let me cheat.' Life is hard! Floors were mopped clean before we left and sidewalks outside swept. They are learning delegation.




In the midst of all of this, our own travel plans home have arrived. Our time is getting shorter than we can really imagine. Like those who have gone before, we are both excited to see our family and unable to imagine not being with our friends here. We don't entertain these thoughts often.

And so continues this wonderful experience with great young missionaries, strong members and leaders. Heavenly Father desires each of his children to have the opportunity to hear His word. How blessed we feel to play a small part in all of this great work.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Can it be Christmas time again. We have welcomed new missionaries, enjoyed zone conference and the annual missionary talent night and holiday party and are sending off another pair of missionaries for home. (Can you imagine the excitement for Christmas in those homes?)

But best of all are the expectations of a white Christmas. Not like the ones we used to know. Baptisms on Christmas eve and two on Christmas Day.

As President and Sister Ostler arrived for a week long visit, they brought with them two new missionaries, Sister Baxter and Elder Showell. We continue to be delighted and grateful for the French language skills these new missionaries bring with them. The MTC must be doing a better and better job and also getting new missionaries who are prepared already. We hear them speak in Sacrament Service just after their arrivals as if they have been here for a while. The members are delighted.



Part of this zone conference was the annual missionary talent night. last year we missed having the Ostlers with us as the potential of a strike at the airport loomed large and they couldn't come for fear of being stranded. Pictures and film clips below capture the flavor of the event this year. Almost traditional now are the performance of the 'Haka' a war- dance performed by the Elders and native to Tahiti and NZ as well as the graceful Tahitian hula by the Sisters in contrast.  To see the film clips you will need to go to the web address.  It will take a little bit to load so you'll have to really want to see them.  One is of the sisters doing their dance and the other is the Elders doing the Haka.  I may be adding some more so you could check back later for those.



https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15379819/MOV03434.MPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15379819/MOV03433.MPG
(You have to highlight the links above and then copy and paste in in the web address box.  It will take you to the link.  It will take a few minutes to completely load.)

Suddenly zone conference was over and our guests had departed. But the week, already half gone, brought a visit from Elder Ardern of the 70. He is also the area supervisor for Seminaries and Institutes. He arrived Saturday morning, did training for the teachers that afternoon and then attended our Seminary graduation Sunday evening. For him, it was almost like coming home as he and his wife preceded the Ostlers in presiding over the Fiji-Suva Mission. What fun to have his perspective on the changes in the mission in the last 3 years. We put him back on a plane for Auckland early Tuesday morning.



After a longer day Tuesday, we were up early Wednesday to send off Elders Styles and Turner. Elder Styles served recently as a zone leader and then sneaked off to Lifou to finish his mission. Utah is home so we hope to see him shortly at a mission reunion. He is the last of the missionaries who was here when we arrived.

Elder Turner arrived a few weeks after our arrival. We have served side-by-side over these last almost 2 years. Another midwesterner, so we had instant bonds. He finished his mission with a baptism on the eve of his departure. Marie-Claude Liufau met the Church through her brother, Sylveste, who was baptized
about a year ago. We are hopeful she will help him along also.





Sometimes we just have a little fun. Elder Stilson's mother sent him a birthday party kit including a cake mix, candles and decorations. Alas he had no oven. What an opportunity. So we spent an evening decorating the cake, and blowing out candles and enjoying chocolate cake with ice cream while we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional over the net.



And so we take a deep breath. The work of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues one day at a time, one person at a time, teaching and bearing testimony of Him whose birth we will celebrate in just a few days. We are grateful.