Playing Santa to the Young Missionaries

Christmas Eve the senior missionaries arrived at the mission office in Oakland shortly after noon. We were to deliver the mail and packages to the young missionaries that afternoon and evening.  There are three senior couples on the Peninsula to deliver to about 18 apartments.  Tom and I and the Sorensons each filled our cars with packages and headed to our apartment to start the sorting process. Thank goodness Sister Lyman at the mission office had separated the mail and packages that needed to go to the missionaries on the Peninsula. Our job was to do the fine sorting....a separate pile for each apartment. When that was accomplished we bagged and labled each pile.  Then the Leavitts came to our apartment and we divided the bags according to our area on the Peninsula...Leavitts-downtown, Johnsons-the center and the Sorensons to the south.  It proved to be quite difficult to coordinate with the missionaries when they would be home to receive their packages and this is not an area where you could leave them on a doorstep. We took a break from 5:00 PM until 6:30 PM to Skype our grandchildren and join with them as they presented the Christmas Story.  It was so fulfilling to see and hear each of them!! It made my Christmas!!! We ended the evening delivering more packages. There was little time to be homesick and that was a good thing.

English Class Christmas Party

We have such a good time with our Chinese students.  They are so appreciative of the opportunity to have free English classes and they work together so well.  To our surprise they pooled their money and presented us with $100.00 at the party. We'd like to buy something "very Chinese" to place on our mantle at home to remember the warm and wonderful time we have shared with them. Looks like we'll need to go shopping in Chinatown.

This is the message they printed in our card. "Thank you for helping us learn English. Thanks God let us get together.  Best wishes to you and your family. Merry Christmas & Happy new Year."
As you can tell, their English still needs a little work, but doesn't that just melt your heart.

Theresa (in the black and white coat), Hoa (wearing the burgundy sweatshirt) and Elder Luo (tall Chinese elder on the right) all flew to China yesterday, the 28th.  Fortunately,they were all on the same flight to Beijing. Theresa and Hoa will return to school in the US after Chinese New Year. Elder Luo has completed an excellent mission. He'll be attending BYU in Provo spring semester.

Then there was the food! Atleast twenty different dishes, all very tasty. Of course, there was a whole roasted pig. On Saturday we attended the birthday party of a lady who turned 73 and was retiring the end of this year. This time, not quite twenty different dishes, but the center feature was another roasted pig. Both were very elaborate, expensive parties. Too my surprise, the bride and groom were at church on Sunday.  I guess no honeymoon, to them the party was more important.

Filipino Festivities

Last weekend we celebrated with the Filipinos we work with. Friday the 3rd was the wedding and reception for Pierre and Venus. We arrived at the temple in Oakland to find the mothers of both the bride and groom dressed as fancy as the bride herself. Each mother wore a long off-white heavily embroidered dress. They each had their hair done in an updo and their nails complete with a French manicure. Both were laden with beautiful pearls. As for me, I was wearing regular missionary clothes...skirt, blazer and plain black shoes. I quickly realized I needed to be more dressed up for the reception. Even the men had on traditional Filipino off-white shirts that were also heavily embroidered.

The only "special occasion" wear I have with me is a red and gold silk Chinese jacket.  I'm told, according to the Chinese, that it is only be worn for special days; so that's what I worn in the evening. And the Filipinos seemed to be pleased with my efforts to show respect for the special day.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thursday, regular Thanksgiving day, I tried to not think too much about what day it really was. That helped to handle being away from children and grandchildren. We attended our usual Thursday district meeting and then went to Marissa Reyes's house for a big dinner. Several families from the Filipino ward were there and the food was delicious and the company was good also.

Friday evening the Chinese Branch held a Thanksgiving dinner. We wondered if there would be turkey there or if the members would feast on Chinese food only. Well, there was delicious turkey and tons of excellent Chinese food. Several of our English class students attended and enjoyed themselves. For such slender people, they can eat A LOT!!!

Saturday evening we took Sisters Douglas and Chan and an investigator, Kelvin, to Oakland to the temple grounds. We enjoyed the musical program, "The Magic of Christmas" and the turning on of the Christmas lights. All the staff at the Visitor Center were on duty that night. We were able to see our sisters: Kwon, Lee, Salazar, and Yu all in one shot.

Wish We All Could Be California Girls!!!

I'm thinking that living in California is the place to get the best haircut possible. If there is any place on earth to get a styling hairdo it would be in the San Francisco area. However, that has not been my experience. When we first arrived in Pacifica, I went into a hair salon that was close-by. I showed them how I liked to have my hair cut (Kathy Dunham had given me an extra good cut so that my hair was at it's best) and they assured me that they could handle my request. Well, the stylist cut the top short so it would spike and pulled a long piece down over my left eye and cut it to a sharp point. Thank goodness my hair grows quickly!!! Next I called Sister Blair who I replaced and asked who she had cut her hair. She referred me to Hair Techniques. Christine, the stylist there had just returned from a show in New York and was bubbling over with confidence. Only problem was, she scalped me over my ears so that all you saw was pink flesh!!!!

There had to be a solution to the simple problem of a good haircut here in fashionable San Francisco. You know your hair looks awful when the sweet Filipino sisters even comment on it. One suggested, "You need to go to a Chinese stylist. Americans just cut, cut, cut!" And she was right. Even Tom was concerned about my hair and mentioned it to his barber. She, Amy, said she knew how to cut women's hair that was trimmed over the ears: so I gave her a try. I was nervous, but courageous and it turned out the best so far. I can't believe I go to a barber. It's a no frills experience, but am I ever saving money...$16.00 a cut. It will be good to get back to Kathy and well worth the extra dough.

Preparation Day With the Leavitts

October and so far in November, the weather has been great. Yesterday we invited Elder and Sister Leavitt who cover Golden Gate and Bay Wards to come for a walk on the beach by our apartment and then to go out for dinner. Their apartment is right in the thick of San Francisco and they have commented on how it never quiets down, even in the middle of the night. We thought they'd enjoy Pacifica and I think they did.