Christmas in Alice

We had a very memorable, great, Christmas in Alice Springs. It started with an inspirational Zone Conference put on by President and Sister Quinn. Afterward, we had a delicious Christmas dinner and then a bowling/game/video party. The Branch had a Christmas Party on the Friday before Christmas with tables of good food, Christmas carols, and skits. We were invited by the Kaesler family to Christmas Eve dinner and by the Jackson’s for Christmas dinner. They were both quite the feasts and we really enjoyed getting to know the families. We all got Christmas presents from the branch president. Then on Friday, we celebrated again with the Clarks’ with a fun, make-your-own-pizza party. It is amazing to us that with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, these families took the time and expense to think of and bless the lives of the missionaries. This is a very good branch. Just before Christmas, we visited the yard of the Christmas Decorations Winner with some recent converts. We truly felt the spirit of Christmas everywhere we celebrated.

We also enjoyed a Christmas day water fight, which Elder Shumway lost badly, partly due to the fact that he trusted his own teammate (not Sister Shumway) who dumped several gallons of water on him when his back was turned, and partly due to the fact that he seems to attract persecution. The weather was comfortably warm and we were blessed with a heavy rain a few days before Christmas.

The highlight of the month was the blessing of reaching the district goal of 16 baptisms. I will tell you more about this in detail in another blog. Our Christmas blessings were great, and came complete with a tree donated by the Bartons.