NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER AND DANCE

Dec.31, 2013
We went to the FM building up stairs for our MTC Group Missionary Dinner. The tables were all fixed so cute and the room was decorated also by Sister McCann and Sister Murray. Their were other Missionaries that had gone home after six months so we didn't have as many as  we did when we came.  We came with 43 Missionaries in April toward the end of the Month.

                                                        HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Here is our New Year's Dance at the Family Living Center which was after the MTC Group Dinner.  Elder and Sister Harris had a lot of fun swinging.  Other Missionaries were trying to learn our dance steps.  The dance ended at 10:30 PM because Missionaries have to be in bed by that time but then we had to drive back to Carthage.

Elder & Sister Harris to the right having so much fun dancing.

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Day & Festival of lights Dec. 28, 2013

                          CHRISTMAS DAY-- We had invited our friend Melanie. Dec. 25, 2013
                           She is so special to us and we really enjoy being with her.

                                   The Ballard's and the Harris's live in Carthage with Melanie.

Sister Brockbank and Sister Salcido were the two Sisters that met Melanie first because they gave a tour though Carthage Jail with her.

                       FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS- Wow! This was Amazing.... Dec. 28, 2013

It was a wonderful trip to Peoria with just Elder and Sister Harris and Melanie....

Jed & Jenny's Christmas with us.

Jed and Jenny and family arrived Sunday night, Dec. 22, 2013 at Carthage.  They were with us until after the Christmas Dinner Dec. 25, 2013 when they had to go home. I felt bad we didn't get family pictures with all of them while they were here.  We had so much fun playing Uno with the children and Jed and Jenny.  We had to serve at the Carthage Jail & Visitor Center while they were here but they did do a Sleigh ride with the horses pulling the sleigh out in the country and went tubing in Nauvoo. They had a lot of fun.  They do a sleigh ride instead of a wagon ride when it snows.

 Jed & Jenny's family with Elder and Sister Harris(Grandparents) Christmas at Carthage, Illinois.

                                            Opening Christmas gifts on Christmas morning.

                                    Jed gave his wife a beautiful ring and she was so thrilled.

                    Sister Harris made these dolls for every women in our family for Christmas.

I got this picture of Christ Birth for 2013 Christmas

       A thumb war game that Jed loves to play with his children and now he has the broad game.

 

                                                          This family loves Star Wars

                                                           Jed's rob he got for Christmas

It was great to have Jed's family come from Wisconsin for our Christmas 2013 at Carthage, Illinios.

More activities in December 2013

Monday- Dec. 2, 2013
We did the tours at the Carthage Visitor Center and Jail all day then we ran to Nauvoo to do our Rendezvous, Jed and Annie.

Tuesday- Dec 3, 2013
We served at Visitor Center & Jail then off to practice the Live Nativity which we will do this Friday Dec. 6th. Sister Harris sings with the angels and Elder Harris is a shepherd.  Every Thursday Sister Harris practices in the Messiah but this week I had Rendezvous that night and couldn't practice but I did go practice on Saturday afternoon.

Friday- Dec. 6, 2013
This is the night of the Christmas Walk in Old Nauvoo. We have really worked hard on a song that we see to light up the Christmas Tree in the Nauvoo Visitor Center.  It was amazing how many hundreds of people came to this program.  It was so fun to sing the song in the baloney and we used small flash lights that were covered with red, green, and blue paper so when we shined the light on the ceiling it was really cool.  Then at the end of the song we put our flash lights on the Big Tree and the tree lights up.  Everyone loved it. Then all of us that was in the nativity had to run to the Cultural Hall to change into our clothing for the nativity.  They had the wagons with the horses outside the Nauvoo Visitor Center to take the people to the Cultural Hall or to 4 other sites where Christmas stories were told.   People were everywhere.   Some missionaries were singing around some barrels caroling.  The fences had lights that lit up the pathway from the Cultural Hall to the other sites.
     The Nativity was done twice so we missed all the stories being told.
                                          Here is Elder Harris as a shepherd.

Isn't this beautiful- the backdrop was from last years, awesome!!

                                         

Here are the Wise men singing the song to Baby Jesus.

                            Here are the Angles singing about six songs during the live Nativity.
                            Back Lt. to Rt- Sister Mc Cann, Sister Jones, Sister Harris,
                            Front Lt. to Rt- Sister Salcido, Sister Bogaski, Sister Bennion, Sister Hoen

      We are missing Sister Pixlar. She is in the picture to the left below in the middle with red hair.

         The piano player alternates and so one of them can sing with the us so we have eight Angles.

A week later on a Sunday night we did the Live Nativity again on the stage without the back drop so the missionaries could see it.

Here is a picture of the whole Nativity on the stage.

This is Elder Harris & Elder Broadbent & Elder Williams

After the Nativity I had to run to a barrel because at 8:15 pm I was in charge of the carolers that would be singing around the barrel in front of the Tin Shop.  When I arrived to relieve the group that was there they told me of the bad accident that happened to Sister Mendenhall. The wind pull her dress close to the bottom of the barrel and she had her back to the barrel to get warm.  Her dress caught on fire and the fire went up her back so fast when the others saw she was on fire. They tried to tell her to drop and roll but she was so frightened then all of a sudden she fell to the ground and they started rolling her to get the fire out. She really did have a guardian angel helping her.   They called the ambulance and she went to a burned unit in Iowa.  Her and her husband would be going home from their mission in a few days.  It was so sad but here it is Dec. 27 and she is healing so fast and doing well that she is going home today.  She was burned up her legs and bottom.  She had some third degree burns so they did skin graphs and with the whole missionaries praying for her she healed faster than the doctors thought she would. She said she felt gods arms around her as she was laying in the burn unit.  She has had many trials on her mission.  When she first came on her mission she slipped on the ice and broke her foot.  She was in a cast for 3 months and then she had pneumonia three times and now she gets burned.  She says the Lord has something for her to learn but I tell you she is a wonderful missionary and person and I have been blessed to know her.  She lived in Blanding for about 3 years and remembers Elder Harris as a scout master. I know she will be okay because of the great service she has given to others.

Busy December 2013

Dec. 1- 2013- Sunday,
Went to church at 8:00 am until 11:00 am. Watched that evening the Presidency's Christmas Program at home on our lap top.  It was so beautiful, the Tabernacle Choir and the program.  The love we have for the Savior we need to have all year long.  This is the month that we celebrate the birth of Christ. About November 17, we decorated the Carthage Visitor Center for Christmas.  Here are some pictures.  I decorated the Christmas tree because Sister Ballard said she doesn't do that very well but she did put on some Christmas balls.  She is talented more than she thinks because she did fix other decorations around the place and it is a beautiful place to see.

This is the Beautiful Nativity Set

We had two sisters come here and serve and they fixed the Nativity like this and we really liked it and so we left it there way.

They fixed it to look like a poor side to the left and the richer side to the right.

 These two wreaths are on the back door if someone comes into the Visitor Center this way.

We have about 13 Poinsettias around the place.

                               Here are a few pictures up close to see the tree better.

 

Beautiful Ornaments

 These are the gifts under the tree. The Spirit of Christmas, Friendship, Love, Hope, Faith, Joy packages.

Elder Harris by the front door.

                                   

This is the wreath that is on the movie room door.