Another Christmas Hello

Hello My Wonderful Family,

What a thrill it was to speak to you last night! It was a great joy for me, and it kind of took the edge off of my first Christmas away from the family. Thanks for that!!

Something I didn't tell you last night was that I have not yet mailed your package for Christmas, as I have been rather busy. I will try to get that all taken care of today, however.

So, this week has been really fantastic. We have had fewer lessons than usual, unfortunately, since people have been super busy preparing for the holidays, but we have had a lot of meals at members houses, and many good discussions with people about Jesus Christ and his role in our lives. It is really amazing that thoughout the world, people take a break and look to God and to his Son and embrace the message that we should all be better and nicer, especially to each other.

For Romanians, they don't have a whole lot of money, so, while they do give a very limited amount of presents for Christmas day, they typically celebrate more with a really big meal. They tell us that in the holiday season, they are willing to slave in the kitchen, cooking away all night for two or three days, sparing no expense, just to make sure that they have a full, four or five course meal for their family and friends. Then, when all is said and done, they look at their bills and utilities and decide what they have money to pay for that month. (Many Romanians, unfortunately, live in extreme debt, putting cable television, cell phones, and other imported frivolities above the cares of utilities and food.)

The typical Romanian Christmas meal starts with a Ciorba (a REALLY good type of broth) or salata de Beof (a frozen vegetable salad). The second course is almost always sarmale (ground pork and beef, mixed with rice and carefully wrapped and cooked in leaves of pickled cabbage, each one being about 3 inches long and the width of a bike handle; they are delicious!!!) maybe with a side of peppers, or other vegetables. The third course is then a steak with a side of potatoes. The last course, typically, consists of the desserts, of which there are usually about 4 types. By the end, you feel like you want to roll out of your seat and coil up on the floor to sleep until the winter is over.

We had a branch activity on Friday, in which we all got together and decorated the Christmas tree, sang carols, put on a nativity play (in which I was the donkey), and watched the DVD Joy to the World featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was quite a neat activity! We had many investigators, and some super-powerful spiritual experiences. The DVD was especially poignant!

Well, I had better get going before my time runs out on me. I will talk to you next week. Until then, take care, stay warm, and enjoy the Christmas season.

Love much,
Elder Walker