A MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS

 

Most of our missionaries would agree that the two hardest days of their missions are the two Christmas days that they miss being with their families. They dream of the Christmas days of the past whether they were white like the ones at our home, or hot and balmy like the one we will have this year.  At Christmas time there is nowhere like home!  We do our best to ease the loneliness of their situation and spread a little cheer.

Several times we have stuffed our car to the brim delivering Christmas packages that have come from families.  Back and forth to the post office, and up and down our office stairs we have gone in order to bring a smile to the faces of those who receive them.  Very few packages arrive for those missionaries who serve here from Latin America, but they often get to enjoy the treats that their companions receive.

This week we had a Christmas party for all of our missionaries.  We met in the chapel for a brief devotional thought by President and Sister Dester, then sang Christmas carols for about thirty minutes.  After that we had a very nice luncheon and topped it all off with a showing of "It's A Wonderful Life."  LaRae and Sister Dester made brownies and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream topped it all off.

Brother and Sister Kemish and Ana Martinez did the catering of our luncheon.  They always do a great job.  This time we had chicken cordon bleu, rice, potatoes, carrots, beans and rolls.

We joined with the Desters for an evening to tie ribbons around a special message for each missionary - green was in Spanish and red in English.  A candy cane went with each.

Zone pictures are a favorites souvenir of missionaries.  So we took photos of each zone.

Zona San Pedro Sula

Top left: Elders Hernandez, Baird, Ramirez, West, Woods, Hernandez, Roberts, Lui, Shuga, Zitting, Coronel, Alonso, Cani, Camacho, Cochran, Chajon, Lane, Alonso, Martinez, Jordan Garcia, Castillo.

Seated from left: Sisters Curtis, Marroquin, Escalante, McCuistion, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Morales, Joaquin, Vance and Bayles.

Zona Valle de Sula

From left back: Elders Fitzgerald, Palma, Contreras, Jaurez, Rios, Chuquisala

Seated left: Elders Novoa, Gomez, Garcia, President and Sister Dester, Elders Esperanza, Cortez, Galarza.

Zona Cofradia

From top left: Elders Erickson, Parada, Soto, Amescua, Maradiaga, Gonzalez, Valdez, Ollis, Reyes, Madsen, Scott, Cantarero, Duff, Shumway.

Seated from left: Elder Navas, Pineda, Lindsay, Rodriguez, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Moron, Pons, Elders Mower, Loyo.

Zona Merendon

Top left: Elders Dorrough, Estrada, Chub, Vermont, Stutzman, Cabrera

Seated left: Elders Cruz, Jimenez, Estevez, President and Sister Dester, Elders Zura, Lorenzo, Chanchavac

Zona Choloma

From top left: Elders Rodriquez, Guevara, Roldan, Lopez, Arnold, Morales, Jimenez,Williams, Pace, Hernandez, Quispe, Ramirez, Bailey, Best

Seated left: Sisters Johnson, Reyes, Harmon, Pickett, Gardner, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Vasquez, Castaneda, Jimenez, Tercero

Zona Yojoa

Top left: Elders Remington, Chapeton, Ramirez, Bryce, King, Marrero, Gutierrez, Monge, Rodriguez, Martinez, Passow, Itaehau

Seated left: Sisters Lopez, Marley, Luna, Alvarez, President and Sister Dester, Sisters Ramirez, Lopez

 

Zona Villanueva

Top left: Elders Van Neck, Ayala, Fetzer, Figueroa, Taafua, McRae, Ro

Seated left: Elders Chrisostomo, Merlos, Paredes, President and Sister Dester, Elders Santiago, Pacheco

Zona Fesitranh

Top left; Elders Sibrian, Castro, Moreno, Palma, Chavarria, Dawson, Holmes, Daniels, Espinosa, Meono, Miranda, Eulogio

Seated left: Sisters Porter, Grondel, Andrade, Dominguez, President and Sister Dester, Sister John, Elder John, Sisters Bahr, Whittle.

 

Zona Copan

 Back Left: Elders Vasquez, Loyo, Avalos, Coc, Dean, Aiono, Moes, Bingham, Larsen, Permann, DeGriselle, Young, Lyon, Mower, Nichols, Wing, Pablo, Giron, Melendez, Vargas.

Second row from left: Sisters Neibaur, Cumatz, Cardona, Miller, Robertson, Zelada, Arcia and Gisseman.

Seated: President and Sister Dester

 

From the 177 missionaries presently serving in the Honduras San Pedro Sula West Mission we send our love and greetings to all the families of missionaries who follow this blog.  We wish you a Merry Christmas.  We, of course, would love to be home with you, but for this short time we are grateful to be in the service of Him whose birth we celebrate at this season.