It's All Greek to Me!: January 2011

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

This is our all purpose palm tree, now serving as a Christmas, New Years and Birthday tree.

Gandma Chris saying Merry Christmas to Cressida the palm tree.

We received Christmas packages from all our family, but they came late. We got them on New Years eve. We opened them and set them out on the couch and pretended that Santa had brought them. We were spoiled.

Christmas Day 1st of January 2011. Fun times.

We received some stove top stuffing and corn bread mix and other fixings and so we cooked a small turkey, mashed some potatoes, had a Greek Salad and had a great Christmas, New Years, Birthday dinner.

Looks great doesn.t it? IT WAS!! What a great TASTE of home!!

Elder Ollerton working on some plans for the new "Welcome Center". They needed to be done for a meeting.

We had to go to Kifissia for a Mission Presidency Meeting. It was Sister Ollerton"s birthday and Sister Andros made her a cake. She blew so hard trying to get all the candles out that she blew all the decorations off the cake.

Everyone admires the work of art and the great conflagration.

Sister Bell giving Sister Ollerton the traditional Greek Pomegranaete for her Birthday.

Greek Christmas celebration

Every park has a christmas tree and carnival. At night there clowns with balloons and all kids of vendors. It reminds us of the 4th of July.

Even their manger scenes with have a carnival in it as in this shop window

CHRISTMAS IN GREECE 2010

At district meeting Elder Stulen from Sweden presented all missionaries with a gingerbread cookie with our names on them. They were made by his mom and sent to us.

Sister Ollerton prepares table decorations for missionary Christmas Eve dinner. She organized it all.

The cooks, Sister Dracocardos, Sister Andros, Sister Charles and Sister Davis, are putting final touches on the meal. It was great!!

President Charles, Elder Andros, Elder Davis and President Dracocardos are waiting to be first in line!!

It was a great meal and everyone had a good time eating every last morsel.

We all went up to the CES room for gifts and the program .

Elder Kopischke from Germany got a fish as a white elephant gift. Everyone wanted it. It traded three times and then it died 2 days later.

Elder Andros wants to trade for the fish.

Sister Braaksma from Germany and Sister Simmons from Orem are having a great time!

Sister Bell gets the gift she wanted as husband, Elder Bell, watches.

President Charles is going after the fish.

President and Sister Charles give out the mission gifts to each missionary.

We stayed over night at the mission office and here Elder Ollerton is cutting up the vegetables and chicken for the pasta salad for the Christmas Day Dinner at the Mission Home.