Most of the week before Christmas we spent shopping, baking, cooking and cleaning in preparation for Christmas, besides all our office responsibilities.
Christmas day we went to the local Wards in the front of our home. It started at 9 and lasted only a hour and ten minutes. Both wards met together (they just recently split the wards) and it was packed. Evidently they have a tradition of passing out treats after Sacrament Meeting when Christmas falls on a Sunday as everyone was passing out candy, cookies, popcorn, etc. One of the Elders commented that he had never received so much candy at one time! After Sacrament meeting they had a Baptism for a young woman - baptized by our Elders. What a special day to be Baptized! No one was in any hurry to leave and get home.
That evening we went to President and Sister Clark's home for dinner along with all the Elders and Sisters who serve in Singapore (10 Elders and 3 Sisters). We had a traditional turkey dinner. It is amazing how much food Elders can eat! After dinner we had a devotional. We sang every Christmas hymn in the hymn book. President Clark, along with some of the Elders, shared some insights into the Christmas story. It was such a wonderful way to spend a Christmas evening. Afterwards we played the white elephant game. It was a lot of fun but not nearly as wild as when we play it in our family - the missionaries are just too nice or maybe they just like to open packages rather than "steal" others. We then brought the 3 Sisters home with us to spend the night and the Elders spent the night at the Clarks so they could all "skype" with their families on Monday morning (Christmas day in the US - the first year they could skype). We skyped with some of our kids on Sunday night (Christmas eve for them) and the rest early on Monday morning when they were all at Janice and Jon's home for Christmas dinner.
Christmas in Singapore was really a special day, but we did miss our familiy. It helped us realize that the missionaries, while we're sure they missed their families too, had a wonderful day being together.
Monday morning it was back to the office as usual! Missionary work has to go on. We picked up a young man at the airport from Kuala Lumpur that came in to Singapore for just a few hours to be set apart as a missionary by President Clark and then he flew out to the Philippines to attend the Missionary Training Center there for two weeks. After two trips to the airport and getting caught up on our office duties, we attended another Baptism at the Stake Center that evening of another man who came down from Kuala Lumpur to be baptized in Singapore by one of the missionaries who had taught him while he was serving in KL.
This next couple of weeks is going to be wild. We have 8 missionaries going home on the 3rd of Jan. and then 2 more along with a Sr. Couple on the 11th of January. We have 16 new missionaries coming in on the 11th plus 16 Trainers (missionaries) from other areas of the mission. We also have major transfers happening this next week and then even more on the 11th! Getting their money straight (every area is different) and getting all their air flights booked is a nightmare. Plus we will have to house and feed all the new ones and their trainers. On top of that, we have our Senior Conference on the 5th and 6th of January. Some will be coming in on the 4th and others not leaving until the 8th! We will have 5 couples staying with us (all 18 couples here the first night for dinner) 2 with the President and the rest (9 couples) staying with volunteer families. It is wonderful getting together with the other Seniors, but it is a lot of work! On Friday night after a day of training and sharing, we will be going out to dinner and then to see the musical play, "Wicked". After the 13th (when all the missionaries are back to their areas), we will probably both collapse!
Serving a senior mission, however, is a wonderful experience. We get to live in a different culture, experience new foods, associate with wonderful people, serve with fantastic young missionaries, and most of all, serve our Heavenly Father!
We love all of you and remember you in our prayers.
With our love and best wishes for a great New Year!
Elder & Sister Garrett, mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, relatives and friends.
Photos attached:
1. The young man who came down from KL to be baptized and Elder Spendlove (one of our Office Elders)
2. Walk way along the ocean where we went walking tonight.
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