Keeping Christmas well - Day 11

I've been so busy keeping Christmas well, that I haven't had a chance to write lately. Things are heating up around here and I'm almost ready for Christmas. But before I talk about the Christmas present, I wanted to write a little more about a few Christmases past...

The year was 1976. I was in Resistencia, Argentina. I'd been in the country for almost four months serving an LDS church mission. My Spanish was coming along, but I still had a long way to go. I was getting to the point where I could understand most of what people were saying, but I was still struggling putting my own words together. Luckily, I had the best companion of all time. Hermana Karen Smith from Heyburn, Idaho. We got a long so well and thoroughly enjoyed our time together as companions. We ended up serving about five months together and we had some marvelous adventures and many life changing experiences teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christmas was unusual in 1976 for many reasons. First of all, it was summertime and it was over 100 degrees with high humidity. Since the seasons in the northern hemisphere are just opposite what they are at home, it was definitely a change to celebrate Christmas in the heat. We went as a district to sing Christmas carols to various hospitals and care centers. It was fun to sing in Spanish because even though the words were different, I knew all the songs by heart.
We were living with the Castro family. They were so good to us. We rented a bedroom on the second floor of their home and we shared the family bathroom. Their maid prepared our meals and we ate with the family. On Christmas eve we enjoyed a lovely meal with the Castro family and then they all went off to Catholic mass. We stayed up later than normal and enjoyed visiting with them and waiting for the arrival of Papa Noel (Santa Claus.) The emphasis was on family togetherness, good food, conversation and music. It was a wonderful way to celebrate. I will admit to a few pangs of home sickness, knowing that my own dear family would be gathered in Idaho that same evening. My little brother was serving in England and I was in Argentina. Though we were scattered across the world, we shared a common desire to celebrate the birthd of our Savior. In Argentina, we shared the Christmas story and gave some gifts to some people we knew about that needed some help and encouragement. It was a Christmas to remember because the Argentines knew now to keep Christmas well.

The next Christmas in 1977, I left the mission field. I actually flew out of Argentina headed for a few days of sight seeing in Peru on Christmas day. Of course they don't allow missionaries to do that sort of thing now, but back then when the rules weren't so strict, my companion and I (two women no less) got to travel on our way home. The night before, my companion Hermana Colleen Stoddard and I had enjoyed attending the baptism of a young man named Gustavo. His mother was a member of our church and he had decided to join the LDS ranks on the Christmas eve baptism program. It was wonderful to end my mission that way, with a baptism and a reminder about that really matters in life. We attended a "goodbye party" for Hermana Vonnie and went back to the pension where we lived with the Barissi family. Senora Barissi had prepared some of our favorite foods and we enjoyed a lovely evening with their family. The next day, I left a sobbing Hermana Stoddard and took the bus to Rosario to meet up with my MTC companion Hermana Cheri Hirshi who was my traveling companion. We arrived at the mission home and had lunch with Presidente Fernandez and his lovely wife. They took us to the airport and we waited for our flight to Peru. It was an amazing experience to say goodbye to the country I had grown to love and to have a heart full of love for the people who lived there. There were lots of tears and goodbyes. Emotions were high as we celebrated the birth of the Savior and contemplated our return home to our families.


After touring Peru for a few days and seeing the sights of Lima, Cusco and Machupicchu, we landed at the Salt Lake City airport. We got off on the tarmac and walked from the terminal into the loving arms of our family members. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I was so happy to see my family again!
We drove home to Rupert, Idaho on December 30 to find that the family had kept my gifts under the Christmas tree. I got some new clothes to replace the worn ones I had been wearing for the past 18 months. I had a heart full of love for Argentina, my mission, the Savior and his mission and for my family. It was truly a Christmas to remember.