Mission: Christmas Gathering

Christmas Gathering day arrived clear and beautiful.  Well, not really, but it was not raining.  We arrived at the office just after 7:30.  Elder and Sister B had just come to pick up the mission truck to go get the trailer and bring it back to load all the packages.  I still wanted to make lists of which missionaries were in each zone so we could make one final check at the meetinghouse where the Gathering was being held.  One set of young elders came to the office to help load the trailer.  The large rolling carts were rolled down to the elevator, then out to the sidewalk.  By the time the trailer arrived the carts were ready to unload.  Two missionaries were in the trailer and four were on the sidewalk  in a sort of bucket brigade.  In less than an hour the whole job was done, the tailgate was locked and the trailer headed south to the stake center where the Gathering was to be held.

Dear One opening the trailer of packages

Because the missionaries on the sidewalk were so smart, they loaded one of the rolling carts into the trailer as well as three hand-carts, all with the idea of making the unloading go as well as the loading-up had been.

Each zone had its own room.  Sister J had made zone signs for the rooms.  I had made the check-off list for senior missionaries to use to be sure each missionary received his or her package and taped them to the outside of the doors.  It worked like a charm!   With every package labeled as to zone, as well as by name, nearly every package got to the right place.  On a final walk-through the zone rooms, three packages were found in the wrong zone and removed to the correct zone (those lists I had made were useful...the seniors counted the packages, found three extra in one room, and moved them to the right room), and one box that Dear One had seen in the trailer and which seemed to be lost for about half an hour, was found, and put in the right room

Every missionary received one package, plus the gifts in the bags the senior missionaries had put together, plus a shiny stone for each of us to think of one non-Christ-like behavior we have that we will work on getting rid of from our lives, with the idea that when we are done with our "pretty" we will also dispose of the shiny stone.  Which of my many flaws will I work on?!  Hard to choose....

the hot chocolate bar table

Fun Cat and Christmas Lights

Nifty Christmas suit

Cookie decorating

We had a great day at the Gathering.  Lots of good food,  enjoyable missionary entertainment, including carols and bells, plus gifts for everyone.  It was incredible to see the love these missionaries have for each other.  Brought tears to my eyes as I watched them greet each other, hug, slap each other's back, talk a mile a minute.  So lovely.  I think if they just had a room with tables and chairs to sit at they would have had just a good a time without even any food or cocoa or gifts.  Truly.  A wonderful Christmas time together.

Then they left and went back to work.