Christmas far from home

We took advantage of the one clear day to explore the mountains across the river. We ended up at the top of this hill with a nice view into the valley below. You can tell a couple of things from the picture: Even on a clear day the humidity and pollution give you a hazy view; and, there are lots of people living in a small space. I think you can see the high rises and population density. You are also able to see the river I keep referring to as it meanders to the north before it empties into the sea to the west. All the hiking here is pretty straight up and then straight down. We did figure out the hours of our fitness center for the apartments so we have been doing some of our exercise there this week due to rain and snow and cold.

We have had a house guest(s) most of the week. One of the young soldiers’ wives, Amanda, was able to get a buddy pass to Seoul so she has stayed in our extra bedroom. The soldier, Kenny Peterson, was given a five-day pass so he has been here, too, since Friday. The have been able to go to Seoul a couple of times, do some tourist things, go to the temple, and make some memories together. They have only been married a few months and most of those Kenny has been here.  They did their best to begin to create some family traditions.

I made enchiladas for Christmas Eve and invited our elders. Our Fillipino elder is used to eating mostly rice so he was okay with the Spanish rice. You don’t see Mexican food here in Korea so I figured our American elder would be happy for a little Mexican.

The elders were here early Christmas morning to talk with their families. The broad smiles on their faces witness that this was their best Christmas present. 

We met with our little branch for a Christmas program with the story and music of Christmas. This picture gives you a pretty good feel for the mix of soldiers, Koreans, and Africans who attend with us each week.  What a blessing to be able to partake of the sacrament and remember the incredible gift of God’s Son to the world.

Most of the afternoon we spent with our family via Skype. Mary and Connie’s families were together having a Christmas Eve party so we sang carols together, were entertained by the grandchildren, watch the enactment of the Christmas Story, and then watched as they sang Karaoke with Christmas songs. It was not quite as good as being there but pretty close considering the miles. Then we were able to connect with Debbie’s family an hour later in the time zones. They had finished their activities for the evening and took time to visit and share with us. We hope to be able to connect with our other children tomorrow which will be Christmas Day for them. We are thankful for technology to allow us to both see and hear our family while we are so far away.

We pulled together some gifts and stockings for the elders to open because the packages from America arrived mostly empty and the one from the Philippines didn’t arrive until Christmas. When the missionaries came over to open their gifts they stayed to play Bang with the Petersons. While they were playing, Wayne and I attended a Christmas dinner hosted by the director of the BOSS program here at Camp Casey. Mr. Fred. He is the man in the white shirt and red apron on the left. You can tell by the spread in front of Wayne that there was a wide variety of food to choose from. Two of the soldiers from our group were there because they volunteer with Mr. Fred. They said that they are regulars at his parties and this one was a small party. We visited with the other people who volunteer around the base and work with the soldiers.

It seems like Christmas started here early in the month with a series of activities for our soldiers; now it has come and gone. We are thankful for the military community and our church group to help bring the spirit of Christmas to Korea. We were not able to observe any changes in our neighborhood in anticipation of this important celebration. Everyone doesn’t celebrate Christ’s birth.

How thankful I am to know the importance of the birth of this child born in a stable in Bethlehem so long ago. How thankful I am to know that he is God’s Son who broke the bonds of death and offered himself as a sacrifice that we can repent of our sins and have hope. We hope to be forgiven; we hope to live again. We hope to return to our Father in Heaven; we hope to be together forever with our families. How thankful I am for faith and hope as I pray for the gift of charity; to be like Him, to know Him, to be with Him.