Ring in 2016!!

What a year 2015 was! Most of it was spent in southern CA on a mission, and 2016 will top that! The ENTIRE year will be spent here. There is still so much more for me to learn and countless areas of growth for my life, I'm afraid. I'm sure Heavenly Father's plan for my life includes lots of discomfort and severe stretching. So let's stretch into 2016 and begin the building!

This year's pre-2016 began on New Year's Eve as I accompanied the missionary sisters to President Yen's home for hotpot. He has been recently released as counselor in the mission presidency, and what a kind pair he and his wife are! So hospitable and anxious to please.

Hotpot is a brewing soup base in the middle of the table on a burner that keeps it at a slow simmer as you add fish and various meat balls, dumplings, interesting vegetables, noodles, roots, and all kinds of stuff I didn't recognize and I'm sure I could not pronounce if I even knew what it was. Hotpots are a Chinese family traditional meal that invites harmony, as all eat out of the same pot, and it emits the feeling of warmth and homeyness with hot soup. That's why the Yen's thought it would be a great idea to start a new year with those symbolic unified beginnings. (Even though the Chinese actually celebrate their New Year in February!)

Chinese missionary family with President and Sister Yen

Which ones looks different than the others?

The next morning on New Year's Day 2016, bright and early, we caught the Metro in Highland Park to go watch the Parade of
Roses. Effy's sister, who lives close to the parade route, had also gone early to set up chairs for us to watch the parade. What an experience to be SOOOOO close to the action!

It began with planes overhead forming jetstream writing. Cool. Amazing to watch their synchronized formations.

I'm absolutely certain I don't know which wonderful parade entries to include, without all the photos becoming so monotonous, because every band, car, float, and horse formation were completely impeccable and beyond impressive, from start to finish.

Though the crowds were insane, we still had wonderful seats that we could see every single thing, and we were close enough to see clearly each beautiful flower on every entry.

The horses and carriages throughout the parade were unparalleled!

For all the Downton Abbey lovers, an incredible float complete with theme song streaming along with it, with Matriarch Cora Crawley sitting in the show's beautiful Rolls Royce, waving to an ecstatic crowd.

Here it comes...

Here it is...

There it goes.





From start to finish, even the back of each float was adorned impressively with flora of all types, colors, and patterns.

Here it comes...

Here is is...

There it goes...

EVERYBODY who is ANYBODY had a parade entry.

Every single entry had won a prize. This particular entry won for best animation, because the flamingos all spun around and around in their umbrellas to outrageous music. So cute!

Of course, what good is a parade entry if you can't zipline on a rope from one end to the other?! Of course!

The overall winning entry in the parade was, not surprisingly, submitted by the Disney Conglomerate. People went crazy because it was S - U - P - E - R  LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!!

And finally... the end of a very impressive and long Disney float, featuring many of our favorite things and ending with Star Wars.

There was a very cute and very miniature horse...along with great big draft horses.

Included were a variety of cultural entries from various ethnic groups.

And tons of high school and college marching bands.

And a host of parade helpers throughout the entire parade, all in white suits, red ties, red helmets, on white  scooters. It looked so cool and completely uniform.

Even Alhambra City had an impressively beautiful entry which characterizes our fair city.

But that wasn't all that was great about New Year's Day 2016. That evening I had the opportunity to go with Janessa and Sister Plumb to dinner to celebrate the holiday and a new year in this very unique setting.

HAPPY NEW YEAR             TO US!!

And the very next happening just 2 days later was the transfer of some of our "Christmas Chinese Family." Elders Fu and Kron left for other areas, and so did Sister Christensen, the Spanish hermana.

So Sunday Night Treats was like a Last Supper for our little band. How I've enjoyed those young people and we will all miss them.

 Funny Elder Fu, in all his dramatics, was sad to be leaving us all.

Elder Coca (on exchange), Sister Mann, Sister Xia, Tall Elder Kron, Short Elder Huang, Elder Fu, Elder Pao, Elder Ng,
Sister Christensen, Sister Austin

Family Photo

Let the fun (and work!) of 2016 begin!!!

Merry Christmas 2015

What a FULL season! This could be an overwhelming entry because of all the events of this holiday.
One of the first and sweetest tender mercies appeared each day during the month of December on my computer at the Center each morning. As I turned it on, the home page brought up an article with a little girl on it that looked so much like Austin's and Kylie's Gentry that, at first, I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't her!


So each morning as I turned on my computer, I wished Gentry a good morning, and each evening before I turned her off to go home, I told her good-bye and blew her a kiss.


I hope the REAL Gentry felt extra love coming from far-away California all during this special Christmas month.

And there were other sweet remembrances all during the month that lifted my life daily. One was a colorful link from The Rounds' Christmas chain that had a special wish for me each day. My closet door grew red and green with each new daily link. And each day for 12 days I read a scripture, which was accompanied by a representative gift from The Wallis and Bundy families. I felt so remembered!

So many of our seasonal plans in implementing Christmas were first-time ever events in the lives of some of these young missionaries. That's part of what made it so fun and rewarding. For example, each Monday night in December was gifted to our little missionary family.





We came home from the Center on those FHE nights, provided light dinner for the missionaries at our apartments, donned Santa hats and jingle bells, decorated a "few" sugar cookies,

and went caroling with our cookies and other treats on plates to a different level of our apartment complex each one of those nights.  It was all new to many in this little band. We had such fun each Monday night! 

Our complex was no shabby place either! Our cute landlords had the entire pool area festive with Christmas lights all around.

Parties, parties, parties! The food this Christmas was amazing, and the most I've ever encountered in any Christmas season. It was non-stop, plentiful, and YUMMY!! The Chinese Branch Christmas party included MANY investigators, especially from English classes. Even though I can't speak any Chinese, these little women were so willing to invite me to their table to share dinner with them. Quiet table from MY corner, but plenty of smiles, and sometimes that speaks louder than words.

It was a new cultural experience watching the nativity demonstrated with Asian characters. Especially the stable animals, provided exclusively by our own missionary force.


Even Chinese Santa Claus showed up, and an entire line of Chinese children immediately formed to talk to him, including many moms and babies.

How do they even know who he is!?!

One of my favorite people ever, Sister Xia. She was the "Dove from the stable rafters high." Thus, the beak on her head, heh-heh.

A very well-attended Ward Christmas party, with MANY investigators and never-ending food. Again.

Kristine and Sister Wu

Some of my favorite groupies in the Valley Branch, at Christmas time and any time.

Sister Lee, very lovely wife of Branch President

Then there was Elder Ng's 19th birthday party at Bun 'N Burger, thanks to the Bunker's and their traditional monthly treat;













ongoing food extravaganza each day at the Center. Effy provided us on her assigned days of Christmas with an entire spread of food for the whole day long. Each day one of us provided some fun special food for the office and visitors.

The office party at ERS, which included all who work and serve there and spouses, was also a potluck extravaganza. These are all retired, successful professionals, who add measurable credibility to the work at ERS. Such warm and wonderful people, each one!

During the month there were special, reflective times also. Sometimes they appeared when least expected and provided a positive and surprise uplift to the season. There was one evening when I was preoccupied with stuff and I happened to be coming back from an errand by myself. My Christmas music was on and I went past a neighborhood that had extremely beautiful light displays. It felt so wonderful to be right there at that particular moment, and I began wandering through some of the streets in my car, enjoying the Christmas feeling.  It was the first time since I've been here that I had a tinge of regret at the thought of leaving when it comes time. It was fleeting, but unmistakable.

 The crowning event of the season was Christmas Eve. I had done a lot of preparation all month long, and knew I would have one chance with this "family group" of Chinese missionaries to leave a special mark from Christmas Eve. I think they weren't sure what to expect, since many had never really done Christmas Eve before, or very little of anything special. We began with a light dinner of cheesy potato and ham soup and bread. Then when we were finished, we wadded it all up in the plastic tablecloths and threw it away, and the mess was cleaned up. They autographed and decorated "Return With Honor" pillowcases, quite unsure at first if they should really write on them. But then they really got into it! Some of the finished pillowcases revealed amazing masterpieces!

We also had a let-right gift pass, which included a little literary license on the story of "The Night Before Christmas." I'm certain many of them had never heard the story before, but it was still fun. We listened to Mayci's version of the Christmas song, "That Night in The Stable" which was beyond adorable.

And then, when all lights except Christmas lights were turned off, we lighted each other's candle in turns as we shared Christmas memories or traditions. We picked wrapped pieces of the nativity out of a bag randomly and each person told a quality of their piece as they placed it in the set. Something we could all emulate. We passed around the scriptures as we each took a turn reading the scriptural account of the birth from Luke 2. We seriously ran out of time long before the planned activities were executed, but we finished with an invitation to be ready when the Savior comes the next time. It will be an even grander event then, and the whole world will know. The scriptures remind us that in His temple He'll appear, so we need to always be temple ready, with current recommend (oil in our lamps) and ready to attend the wedding feast when it's finally time. Then they picked off of the tree Los Angeles temple ornaments to remind them.

It felt like it was a bit rushed at the end so they could get home in time for curfew (which still didn't happen I'm afraid). But overall, I hope it was a positive experience for them. It was for me. I was so grateful to have a family to spend that special evening with, if it couldn't be my own. During the course of the evening, Elder Ng expressed appreciation for my staying here with them rather than going home, like they knew I probably really wanted to do. They all chimed in agreement, and it was heartwarming to know they recognized the value of someone being there to make it a homey Christmas for them.

On Christmas Day, I stayed in my pajamas all day and just talked or skyped to each one of my children and family to my heart's content. I loved the day with no expectations, anywhere to go or have to do.

Again, my dresser top was past full of wishes, photos, cards, and letters from so many loved ones that thought of me this year. Some of the sweet remembrances were relegated to being taped onto my mirror, because I ran out of room! It's overwhelming to me how many people think of me and care about me, enough to take time during such a busy season to send a wish. It means so much!
And that includes the youth who heart-attacked The Senior Sister Apartment (our front door) for Christmas. Talk about feeling loved!

The day after Christmas was spent in Calabasas with Andy's family. That was another fun day, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself at their home. I saw the workplace for the first time, and it was a contest to see how many people you can fit into one little filling station office at once. We watched Thomas play soccer and I visited with Joey, home from England where he also goes to college and plays soccer. Their decorated home was beautiful and we enjoyed the chance to visit together under the warmth of Christmas lights, trees, with a life-size Santa looking on.

This was definitely a unique and memorable Christmas, never to be forgotten. One thing that struck my tender heart was the realization of this sweet and perfect baby being born to a waiting world. He was born innocent and without any idea as an infant what magnificent mission awaited Him. I love newborn babies. What a perfect way for God to give the world such an important gift -- through a baby! I know we've heard the story for thousands of years, but the astounding magnitude of the entire event and its complete purity was so real for me this year, and tugged at my deepest heartstrings as I contemplated what it might have felt like to look at that brand new baby, an experience so precious to all of us who have gazed on newborn babies and love their purity and goodness. I can't really explain it, but it was all together a sweet Christmas of 2015.