December 25, 1983 "Merry Christmas" Billings, Montana

Dearest Roy, Bob, Claire, Michael & Laura, Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean & Mary Ann and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie & Russell,

It's 7:30 Christmas night and I can honestly say this is the first time I have sat down all week except to go to bed about 11 p.m. each night. Daddy and I just look at each other as we pass somewhere in the house and shake our heads at all that is going on!!!!

We have had such a happy Christmas day and we appreciate everything you have done to make it so happy. The Mission Family all met for breakfast this morning at 8 (Brenda and I met in the kitchen at 6 to get everything ready and then Daddy came in at last to scramble the eggs.) then we went to the Stake Center for a special Christmas program and met again at the Christmas tree at 12:30 so we could all open our package together. It was really fun and the Elders were all so interested in everything we got and we were all so interested in the things they got - one of the Elders in the home is being supported by his home ward and the MIA in that ward sent him a big pillowcase with his name on it and then it was signed by all the kids in the MIA - you wouldn't believe some of the things he received (several package of brownie mix, fudge, etc.) It took us over three hours to get everything unwrapped and looked at. They are all so cute to Johnny - they gave him a blue hooded sweatshirt and he loves it - he gave them all basketball socks. We gave them each a shoeshine kit - they gave me some personalized mission stationary and Daddy a sweater vest. After we finished with that the other missionaries from Billings came into have dinner with us - we had turkey and all the trimmings. We have just now finished the dishes and put things away.

We hope so much that you have all had really happy Christmases. We thought about the Woolleys and Weinerts getting together last night and we hope you were able to do that - the weather sounded terrible. We hope you didn't have to work today, Bob - we know you and Claire have had so much fun with Michael - he's at his first "fun" age at Christmas time. Roy, we know you had to work last night and we hope you enjoyed today in Connecticut with Patricia's family (woops! - I mean Patrice).

Last Wednesday we received three new Elders and one Sister - they are going to be fine missionaries and we're thrilled to have them with us. One is Elder Phillips from Farmington, Jeannie and his father is a radiologist - we seem to get a lot of missionaries from there. The sister is "lovesick" and she spent most of her time lying on the bed with an afghan her boyfriend and made for her - every time I went to try to get her to come eat or do something she complained of a headache and her eyes were all swollen from crying. She's 27 years old and I can't figure out why she isn't married to this boy but she says he wanted her to come on a mission before marriage.

Thursday was a day we will never forget - it was transfer day and Daddy had originally planned to have a very small transfer because of the bad weather but some of the missionaries in Casper decided to have a party until one o' clock in the morning (Elders and Sisters) so he had to use some disciplinary action and transferred them clear across the mission. The weather was so cold there that they couldn't get their car started so they were about six hours late in leaving Casper and that threw the whole transfer off. We had missionaries in the home from early in the morning until late at night - the Casper missionaries finally got there about 11:00 Thursday night and Daddy was just "white" with worry because the temperature where they were traveling with the wind chill was about 750 below zero. He could just see them off the road somewhere freezing to death - as it turned out they spent quite a bit of time in Sheridan getting something to eat. We had every single bed in the Mission Home filled that night - we had thirty of them here and of course they were all excited about Christmas and everything and it was pure bedlam. I was so glad I had made plenty of cookies - we just kept filling the trays and we had also made that Christmas mix of rice, wheat and corn chex with pretzels and nuts. The missionaries who had come in preparation to go home after completing their missions were kinda' slighted because we had so many others here but it finally worked out.

Friday the ones going home were supposed to leave at 7 a.m. and they were at the airport at 6:30 and the airplane finally left at 11:30. The weather here has been unbelievable - we haven't seen it above 0 all week and most of the time it has been between 15 and 30 below zero at night. The furnace just ran all the time - the Elders dorm is cold and the thermostat is in our apartment so we have to keep it up quite high in order to keep them comfortable. After all the missionaries left I started to do the laundry (I had done it for ten beds the night before) and Elder and Sister Wright came in. they had brought their car in from Dunmore to have a heating block (or something) put in it so it could be kept warm and would start easily and when they took it to the garage they told them it would be all day so they spent the day with us in the home - Sister Wright helped me with the laundry and making all the beds. While they were here a little Lamanite girl who had been on placement in Oregon came and said she needed a ride to Lamedeer so she stayed here until they left about 5 p.m. and they took her home with them and then they said they would take her home the next morning. Elder and Sister Wright had two baptisms last week and they were so excited - they're super people!!!

I shopped and got some things done Friday night in preparation for our open house to be held on Saturday night. Saturday we got up early baked more cookies and made divinity and fudge. We had all the missionaries in this area come in for chili and crackers about 3 on Saturday afternoon and then we all went caroling - we went to the two Stake Presidencies' homes and took them a plate of cookies and candy. We had to go in two cars so Daddy, Brenda and two Elders went in our car and the other Elders went in the van - right after we left the very first house we lost each other - we finally found each other but it made us late and we really had to hurry because we had to be back to the home by 7:30 for the open house. You just can't imagine what it's like to go caroling in -200 weather.

When we got back to the house there was already someone here waiting for us and it was only 7:15 - people love to come to the Mission Home. We invited a lot of people but we thought some of them would prefer to stay home on such a cold night but most of them came - we had about fifty here. We showed "Mr. Kruger's Christmas" and then the missionaries sang and showed a slide presentation of mission experience - it was really special. We had delicious food - all kinds of fruit breads, dips and chips, rolls and ham, crackers and sausage, candy, etc. Do any of you remember Parl and Shirley Larson in Phoenix? Parl used to coach you in Little League baseball Bob - they had six children and he is a dentist and they live quite close to where Julie and Walter Rogers live - anyway, one of their daughters lives in Billings and she came with her husband last night - he is a Ward Mission Leader here.

Yesterday morning Elder Hansen who is the vehicle coordinator was going crazy trying to get all the cars started and they called him from the airport to go help a member who had just come in from Utah and couldn't get his truck started. When he got to the airport he found this man and his wife and three little children freezing in the truck so he brought them all to the home. We gave them some dinner and cookies and finally someone came to take them where they wanted to go. Elder Hansen and Johnny must have spent about six hours working on the truck but they just couldn't get it to start - they didn't even get to go caroling with us.

I can really see Daddy and I getting old. The other day when we were having so much confusion in the home with so many missionaries, we had planned for fourteen for dinner and they came home and told me there would be thirty-two. We were having tostados and we could stretch it so that wasn't a problem but I set the table and I set one table for 14 and the other for 8 and I thought I had places set for 32 instead of 22. I was so embarrassed - we had to hurry and set some up in the kitchen and then a few of us stood up to eat. Daddy does some strange things too! In fact, after busy times like this week we try to figure out how to do it easier. To complicate things this week, one of Johnny's friends brought over a little puppy for us to keep until Christmas Eve - it was to be a gift for the little children - we put her in the dungeon and she did fine but it was just one more thing!!!! We only have ONE more Christmas to go!

We love each one of you so very much - WE CAN HARDLY WAIT TO HEAR FROM RON - we'll be thinking about you and hoping everything goes just great! PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO and let us know how we can help you.
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