Christmas Happenings

Dearest Family and Friends,
 

Another great week in the Philippines… These people celebrate Christmas in a very big way!  Our Public Affairs office is responsible to develop, print, and distribute an Annual LDS Calendar for “Opinion Leaders” throughout the Country. This year’s theme is the “Family Proclamation” with the text directly from its message and some nice family pictures supporting those messages for each month. We published about a thousand of them and are likewise tasked to ship and give them to all of the Multi-Stake Public Affairs Directors, Other Staff departments within the Area Office, Missionary Training Center, and Temple – as well as give them ourselves to National political and press leaders - here in Manila. This has occupied most of our time for this past week.

 

Plus, to cheer-up the people of Tacloban (the area where the Typhoon hit the hardest), our offices have planned and organized a public concert, with one of the members of the Church of some national notoriety – a young woman - soloist. These free concerts on two evenings each needed concert tickets (5,000) and free food kit tickets (10,000). So in addition to everything else, we have been in the ticket layout, printing, cutting, and counting business in all of our spare time. Lastly for the children of this same hardest-hit area, we have been collecting toys for their Christmas gifts. Many of the Saints here have given very generously - especially those from our Ex-Pat Ward. They are so far from their other family members and somewhat understand a bit what it is like to be away from other family members during this special season. 

Busy as always, we have another senior missionary couple coming this next week to join us in the Public Affairs office. They are from Lehi, Utah and have recently retired - much the same as Mother and I. We understand he was a Federal Government employee nearly all of his work career, so they should understand the many challenges of working with government officers. One of the Salt Lake (Church) audit committee - who were recently here in the Philippines on their annual church audits, was from the same Ward in Utah as this new couple. We are also to understand they were the “life of the church party” at every church event and social. This will well-suit them as they serve here, since we host a lot of events for various opinion leaders from media, government, interfaith, and business. And seem to go from one event to the next each week.

We understand we are about the travel outside Manila with Public Affairs training near the end of the month. We have not gotten to travel much farther then the greater Manila region since we have been here and traveling to see other parts of these beautiful islands is quite exciting. The other couple, Haidi (our Director), and we are going to train Multi-Stake Public Affairs Directors in Cebu, a beautiful city in mid-southern Philippines. Should be fun and challenging at the same time.
 

Other than the Temple Christmas Lighting dinner hosted for nearly a hundred people, calendars, and other Christmas tokens, ongoing Open House Displays, Singing for the Area Office Devotional/Christmas Party, life here is about normal. The pace is fast and there is never a dull moment, and we are beginning to adjust to our life as missionaries for the Church.  

Oh I almost forgot we sang and gave Christmas messages at the Christmas Zone Conference for the younger missionaries this past week as well. It is so nice to look into their bright eyes and see the excitement of their lives as they faithfully serve the Savior, at their own time and expense here in circumstances many of them would not otherwise have seen in all of their lives. No hot water, no air conditioned apartments, no washer/dryer to wash their clothes, no transportation other than jeepneys, tri-cycles, or over-crowded busses, and they do all of this with cheerful hearts and glad attitudes. It’s a miracles in a world so concerned about itself that these wonderful young people are all about everyone else…the message of the Savior, His Birth, His Life, His Message, and Gift to each of us if we but receive it!
 

As we celebrate Christmas the materialness of so many people leads one to wonder if His Birth is understood and the Great gift of His Life given for each of us is understood. May we each remember the “Reason for the Season” is the Savior – Jesus Christ and His love freely given if we but will receive it.
 

May the Lord bless, protect, comfort, cheer, and be with each of you as you enjoy the Christmas Holidays.
 

With Love, Elder and Sister Morello