Our First Christmas in Chicago

Our first Christmas in Chicago!  Lights, tree, candles!  So homey but not. We are missing our family.  Just know that we are serving as we believe the Lord wants us.  We love you all.  The collage below will have its own descriptions.

Description from top left to right:  our tree is topped with a tiny angel Moroni!  We requested this of Errol (our eldest son who dabbles extensively with 3d printers).  Consider how difficult it was to print that little trumpet (thickness of a human hair)!  Thank you Errol and Alyssa!

The next picture is our Elders display!  A live display-pretty neat, ya?  These are the French speaking Elders who happened by to get a key and when we wanted to take a picture, they started hamming it up.  So now they are immortalized on our Glory Wall and in our Blog!  Elders Dixon and Trent!

The next is a little display of little decorations including a small nativity, Christmas tree, Christmas gnome, Poinsettias fake candles, our source of Christmas music, our Google Mini, and a special handmade Christmas card by my sister, Elise (Lisa) Niven.  Every year she makes the neatest cards.  Our eldest daughter, Lizi Black, not only saves all these but makes them into a wall hanging every year!  Thanks Lisa!  

The next picture requires a little more information.  This is a tradition we carried over from our last mission in Sacramento.  We provided every companionship in our Zone a little tiny Christmas tree.  We asked all the missionaries to place on it things they love, raise their spirits, help them celebrate Christmas and increase their love of the Savior (many of the missionaries have never been away from home for Christmas before).  

This activity was inspired from when we were moving from Springville, Utah, to Watkinsville, Georgia for Eric to further his schooling at the University of Georgia.  We had driven across the USA hoping to arrive two days before Christmas but as fate would have it, we arrived on Christmas Eve.  We couldn't get into our new home, and had to celebrate Christmas morning in a hotel.  Worse yet, we were unable to get to our Christmas decorations as they were deep in the U-haul.  So, when the kiddos were in bed, I climbed up into one of the many huge pine tree around the hotel and with my pocketknife cut off a small branch which we could use as a Christmas tree.  With our limited resources we bought a small box of Christmas lights and a small present for each child.  We then went to bed thinking the kids would have a mini Christmas.  Unfortunately we woke up to our hotel room flooding!  The manager moved us to the only other room they had which, was across the hotel.  So we had to move everything over and reassemble everything.  Now, being so far from the kids we had to monitor them for waking up so far from us.  We worried that this would not be a happy experience for our four young children, the eldest being 8 years old.  Well. after a sleepless night for Cathi and I, we all gathered for Christmas morning and as always, we began our Christmas day with a word of prayer.  Our second daughter (Katie, 5 years old) led us in prayer.  Her prayer emphasized her amazement and gratitude that Santa knew we didn't have a tree, presents and so he provided them.  Needless to say, her little warming prayer brought the love and appreciation for Christmas and the love of our Father in heaven and our Savior, we so needed.  To this day, all our children remember this special Christmas.  So with that narrative, we give a small sponge with each of these Christmas trees to each of the missionary companionships to start their tree decoration.   You will see our yellow sponge on our tree.  

Next, you will also find a small tiny disposable food container.  This is from one of our "Friends" here.  He is Vietnamese (60+years).  Doesn't speak very good English and cannot read, even Vietnamese (we found that out when we obtain a Vietnamese Book of Mormon for him).  Anyway, even in his extreme poverty he somehow managed to make us dinner and he even purchased Styrofoam containers for us to take the food home.  Inside each container were these little containers of dipping sauce.  Even in his poverty he blessed us and we will always think of his love and generous spirit on our tree!  

There is also a balloon.  This is to remind us of when we have done balloon animals for the children and some adults here.  Also, one of "Friends" wanted a balloon flower bouquet.  We made her one (see a previous post).  Since then the balloons in the bouquet have wilted in the vase she placed them.  We then made her another bouquet to replace the exhausted balloons but she wouldn't hear of it.  She kept all the balloons, wilted or not, in her vase because they brought her so much joy.  I think we will have to add to her vase every couple of weeks!

Next you will see a small silver ball.  This is made up of aluminum foil.  Knowing I cannot have sugar and apparently, knowing of my health situation while I longingly looked at the treats at the ward Halloween Party and the deserts at the ward Thanksgiving party.  So what did she do?  The next Sunday, she brought me my own sugar free pumpkin pie!  The ball was a piece of the aluminum foil she used to cover my pie.  What a kind and loving gift!  That deserves a place on our tree!  

The top of our tree is adorned with a facemask.  One of our "Friends," who is blind and had to go through open heart surgery was re-admitted to the hospital with complications.  He asked us to visit him.  We found him in the ICU all hooked up.  After a few minutes talking to him, he informed us that he needed to call some missionaries in our District as they were expecting him to bear his testimony of Christ and his Gospel by telephone to one of their "Friends."  So, recovering from complications of open-heart surgery and in the ICU, he was still being a supportive member missionary!  The mask is the one I wore during our visit and it definitely belongs on our tree.

Lastly but not least our tree has on it what we call a Pocket Jesus.  The little rubber figure is what we often give to children after the approval of parents, to break the ice and initiate meaningful conversation.  Who can refuse their children a little tiny Jesus!  As Cathi shared with our missionaries when they received their trees, we are celebrating through deeds, the love of the One whose birth we are celebrating!  And we still have two more weeks of adorning our tree!  

Well, that must have been exhausting for you all but you all need to know we love our Father in Heaven, his Son, Jesus Christ.  We worship them.  We testify that they live and love us individually.  May you all have a joyful Christmas season!

We love you all!

Elder and Sister Niven