Christmas 2010
Dearest Family,
This is the hardest time to be away from all of you. We miss the family meals, the caroling, the wassail, the clam chowder, the hustle and bustle of shopping for just the right things at the right prices, (Daddy doesn’t miss that!), making gifts, wrapping gifts, decorating the house, pondering over each ornament as I hang it on the tree, the newly fallen snow, the smell of gingerbears coming out of the oven, costuming people for the Nativity enactment. . .The list goes on and on.
You cannot imagine our delight to have you share your Christmases with us on Skype. It was almost as good as being there. I was touched that you invited Smitty for Christmas Eve supper and caroling and the Nativity. That is truly the Christmas spirit—to seek out the lonely and lift them in the arms of love. How thoughtful to ask Smitty to be the reader of the Christmas story. I wonder if he ever did that with his family. WE loved Kjerstin’s rendition of the Herald Angel speaking to the Shepherds. Even sans their traditional draped cloth costumes, the children seemed to enjoy playing their parts. And whether you knew it or not, we were singing the carols along with you. Of course, you made the evening complete by singing the “The Holy City” for Daddy. We know it was a great sacrifice on the part of you all to gather together on Christmas Eve when you should have been home doing for your own families. I am so grateful that you pull together and help each other (Thanks, Camille and Lincoln for staying up so late to help Santa, thank you, Emily for assisting everyone this week, thanks to all who gave so much to help Hayley’s shower and wedding be lovely, and thanks for all you do, everyone). The best gift I could be given is to know that you love and support each other.
We were truly overwhelmed with the gift of self that Elizabeth and Emily gave in the two hymns they wrote for us. If you have not heard them, I’m sure you will; they are beautiful. The one on the temple is especially meaningful to us this year.
WE have not received the family calendar yet. It is probably sitting on the wharf. I understand that shipments sometimes sit there for weeks before going to the post office. Mail seems to leave the Philippines faster than it comes in.
Our Christmas vacation has been quiet and peaceful. The past two weeks in the temple have been super busy since everyone comes from outlying areas when there is a school break. The baptistry has been exceptionally busy and reminded us of how tired we got those first few weeks that the temple was open. I honestly don’t know how the laundry people keep up with us. This next week is so full; we start baptisms at 7 am on Tuesday and they are scheduled all day until 8 pm!
One of the sad things that happened here concerned Brother Michael Asher. He had not been feeling well all week and thought it was just his heavy schedule and the stress and maybe a cold. On Tuesday of last week there were 28 own endowment people who came to the temple, not to mention the marriages and sealings and baptisms. Our highest number before that was 21 in a day. I’m sure Provo Temple does not get that many own endowments in a day! The rest of the week has been almost as involved. Anyway, I got up early Christmas Eve morning and started cinnamon rolls to take to our missionary couples here in the Patron House. I had the first batch out of the oven and frosted by 9 am, the second by 9:30 so Larry delivered warm plates of rolls to our friends. Brother Asher hadn’t wanted anything to eat, but couldn’t take pain pills on an empty stomach so ate a warm cinnamon roll. Within 30 minutes he was on his way to the emergency room at the hospital. No, it wasn’t my cinnamon rolls. In fact, he expressed appreciation for them three times when Larry went to see him at the hospital that night. He had terrible back pain, badly swollen legs and black tar stools which indicated severe internal bleeding. Our mission doctor, Dr. Aguilar, and Pres. Mortimer, and Brother Jorgensen who is an EMT and Sister Cummings who is a nurse all felt he might have bleeding ulcers for starters and insisted he be taken to the hospital. That is not the way anyone hopes to spend Christmas. His wife Vonnie went with him. Later that day four of the men, including Larry, went back to visit and Brother Jorgensen stayed all night with Mike so Vonnie could come home to sleep; she was exhausted with stress and going back and forth and up and down several floors to have papers filled in, something that could be done from one computer in the states. Daddy invited her to have clam chowder with us. So we did have company for Christmas Eve.
One of the stakes had brought choirs to sing on the temple steps in front of the Nativity at 6 pm Christmas eve. It was a special gift for the Temple missionaries, and we all appreciated their efforts so much.
WE had planned to go Christmas shopping for each other on the 24th but after I finished the cinnamon rolls and we were stressed over Brother Asher’s experience, we heard about another thing that made us feel we should stay home. President and Sister Mortimer had served as mission president in a Philippines mission about three years ago and were having a reunion next Tuesday. One of their elders on a neighboring island, had worked and saved for months to earn enough money to come and stay. He had 9,000 pisos (about $180) in his pocket when he got off the ferry on the morning of the 24th. He caught a jeepney and was headed to see the Mortimers; the jeepney driver took a back road route and picked up 7 men who proceeded to rob all the passengers at gunpoint, taking watches, cell phones, jewelry and money, including 55,000 pisos (about $1,000) one woman was carrying to deliver to a charity here in Cebu. One boy balked and wasn’t going to give them his money, but they beat him up and took all he had. Some of us think the driver was in on the robbery, since he took a slightly different route. Daddy thinks they knew about the woman and the money she was carrying too. Daddy contributed some money to the elder along with other temple missionaries so his Christmas wouldn’t be bleak. Others have told us that jeepneys and taxis are not safe Christmas eve, Christmas day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day because the drivers are all drunk. We seem to stand out in a crowd, and thus would be easy targets, so we decided that Christmas presents could be bought another day after Christmas. (I had secretly purchased a snorkeling set and two shirts and some pliers for Daddy before, so I had something for him and it turns out he had bought two big serving spoons and some new garments for me; I had wanted to get a few other things too, but we decided we would write notes to each other saying what we planned to buy each other and wrap the notes in a box so there would be something under the tree. I waited until Daddy was asleep to get the wrapped packages of the secret gifts to put out as a surprise.) We wrapped our note boxes and watched the tail end of “Enchanted” which I love and the tail end of “All I Want for Christmas” (switching channels). There have been very few Christmas shows on TV which makes me sad. Daddy went to the video store to see if he could buy a Christmas movie for me but the only one they had was something about Sexy Christmas and he didn’t think that sounded very appropriate or Christmasy.
Our neighbors, the Cummings, hosted a lovely Christmas breakfast of omelets, sausages, pancakes, fresh fruit, and juices. It was delicious and when 12:30 came and it was time to leave for our buffet luncheon at the Marriott Hotel, we weren’t really hungry for the turkey, mashed potatoes, ham, salad bar, Filipino food, dessert bar that was waiting, but of course, we went! It was the best buffet we have been to here. I felt we were celebrating Christmas in the true Filipino style since the youth have told me that they mostly have big family gatherings and eat and eat to celebrate Christmas. Only one has said that his family exchanges gifts, and Santa flies right over the Philippines; it must be too warm for the reindeer. Our ears told us that another favorite tradition on Christmas eve is setting off fireworks.
Yes, we would have loved being home with you for the holidays, but we have felt at peace here, and we have felt the Christmas spirit many times. WE felt the Christmas spirit as we visited the 3rd grade class in Guadalupe for their Christmas party; when they looked out their windows and saw us coming, they streamed out the door, shouting, “It’s Sister Ward. It’s Sister Ward! Merry Christmas, Sister Ward”. Daddy hadn’t been before, but he was a real hit, everyone wanting to know how tall he was. I had given 1,000 pisos to Sister Cultura, their teacher, to buy ice cream for their party, and she announced that to all the students and parents who were there, even though I had wanted it to be an anonymous thing. They all expressed great appreciation. The children took my right hand and put it to their foreheads which I discovered was not a way of saying thank you but a way of asking for my blessing.
WE felt the Christmas spirit as we took Gina Christmas shopping for her children. We tried to get her to pick out the clothes, but she insisted we do it, and yet, if I picked up something she thought was too expensive, she put it down saying, “Too big money.” WE picked out a toy for each child: a doll for Gi an who is 5, a little smaller doll for Stephanie who is 4, a truck for Steven who is 3 and a squeaky Mickey Mouse toy for Sian who is 1. I tried to buy clothes for Gina and Pablo but she wouldn’t let me, saying she had plenty enough at home for them. We wanted to take her grocery shopping, but again, she said, “Too much money, just rice” so we ended up buying a big pizza for her to take home to her family and then Daddy gave her money to use for whatever they needed. I’m sure she will get more for that money buying at the open markets than we could at the grocery store. I know she had never shopped at the mall for her children’s clothes. Most of the poorer Filipinos buy their clothes at used clothes places in the open market. In fact, a lot of women at the temple will tell me they bought their lovely blouse or skirt there for “just 10 pisos” or “40 pisos” for something really elegant! Maybe shopping for the four children was just for me, not for them at all. WE had everything gift wrapped, something they do for free at the big Metro department store. I bet the children didn’t wait until Christmas to open their gifts. I don’t know where Gina would have hidden them in her one room woven walled house.
I felt the Christmas spirit as groups have come to sing Christmas songs to us here in the Patron House. One group particularly brought tears of joy to my eyes.
I felt the Christmas spirit as I’ve baked loaves of banana bread and French bread to give to Filipino friends.
I felt the Christmas spirit as we enjoyed a special dinner with all the couple missionaries, temple and office and proselyting, at the home of President and Sister Hansen, the Cebu Mission President. We had a feast with ham, funeral potatoes, Filipino food, vegetables, salads, desserts, and rolls I made and wassail we took (which was a great hit). But the best part was sitting in their front room singing carols as Sister Hansen accompanied us.
I felt the Christmas when we saw “our” Elder Baldovino at a stake Christmas choral event and he said as much with his eyes as he did with his words, about how much the letters and little gifts we have sent meant to him. And when we got a special note and package from Sister Bundac, I was touched. We had sent her an apron I had made and a tin full of cookies, plus a pen and some stationery. She sent us a beautiful note of appreciation with a picture of her with our packages, a pearl necklace for me, a tiny model sailing ship for Daddy and some Filipino delicacies. What a big heart. WE felt guilty that she had spent anything when she has so little.
I felt the Christmas spirit each time I sent a Christmas card to you, each time I read the scripture for that day, each time I read a little further than just the assigned verse.
I felt the Christmas spirit as Daddy and I reread all the Luke and Matthew verses on Christmas Day. How blessed we are to have a great understanding of our Savior’s role in our lives. Truly, we love Him, and He loves us.
We love you.
Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Larry and Mary
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