Home Alone and Other Adventures
We had a great group here for our Christmas party/Family Home Evening. We have already had several depart for their homelands for up to an 8-week break. Tomorrow morning, four more will take off. As far as we know, we will have possibly 3 here over the Christmas holiday.
Our party wasn't spectacular, but it was fun. The YSAs opted for pizza. Papa John's pizza no less. There is one on the other side of town. We decided to get 4 extra large pizzas, which should have cost over 80 pounds, or about $100. Actually it is $106 because the dollar has just recently lost value. But SK found a deal!...Half price if you spend 40 pounds. So it wasn't too bad for feeding a group.
We went to the outskirts of town this morning to get fresh fruit and vegetables to accompany the pizza. It was a mistake because we were both hungry and everything looked so good. So there was a little bit of impulse spending, but I am happy to report that we will use everything we got for one occasion or another. It wasn't all frivolous.
When evening came and everyone started arriving, it was really nice. We have come to love these young people and just think they are all remarkable. I can't say with any amount of certainty, but there may be a couple of romances blossoming. We hope so, because we think both couples would be awesome.
Our one friend who is not a member, but who has been coming to church and all other YSA activities, will leave at 5 a.m. tomorrow for her home, and may not be coming back for a year. I hated to say goodbye. She is about 20 or so and is so very quiet, with a sweet smile. Ever since she first began attending, I wondered if she was uncomfortable, but every time she has talked about her time with the YSAs, she has been so pleased to be a part of the group. Tonight was no different. She helped me in the kitchen, she had some pizza and veggies, she sat on the floor with five other YSAs and played a complex board game, and then she sat with us and watched "Home Alone."
At 10:30, she got up and apologized for leaving before the movie was over, but the last bus leaves at 11, and she needed to go in time to catch it. Everyone stood and hugged her, then I walked her to the door. She said, "This is a dream come true. I have always wanted to have dinner with family and friends, play board games and then watch a good movie, and 'Home Alone' is one of my favorites."
It touched my heart. We take for granted that everyone comes from a typical family background.
We said goodbye to the last YSA around 11, and then I got a phone call from our young sister missionaries. They were frantic. They had heated something in the microwave and then forgot about it. Normally microwaves turn off, but it didn't. They were both in bed and noticed a faint smell of smoke. They opened their bedroom door, and practically choked on the thick smoke. Then their fire alarm went off.
I told them to open the windows and come over to our place....a five minute walk. We blew up a couple of air mattresses, found some ill-fitting sheets, some extra towels and got them settled in - in the living room. They do smell of strong smoke. They were a little shaken by the whole thing. After we got them settled, SK walked over to check the apartment. He turned on a couple of fans and made sure that there wasn't a fire brewing anywhere.
I'm just so glad we were so close, and they were so glad too!
Our party wasn't spectacular, but it was fun. The YSAs opted for pizza. Papa John's pizza no less. There is one on the other side of town. We decided to get 4 extra large pizzas, which should have cost over 80 pounds, or about $100. Actually it is $106 because the dollar has just recently lost value. But SK found a deal!...Half price if you spend 40 pounds. So it wasn't too bad for feeding a group.
We went to the outskirts of town this morning to get fresh fruit and vegetables to accompany the pizza. It was a mistake because we were both hungry and everything looked so good. So there was a little bit of impulse spending, but I am happy to report that we will use everything we got for one occasion or another. It wasn't all frivolous.
When evening came and everyone started arriving, it was really nice. We have come to love these young people and just think they are all remarkable. I can't say with any amount of certainty, but there may be a couple of romances blossoming. We hope so, because we think both couples would be awesome.
Our one friend who is not a member, but who has been coming to church and all other YSA activities, will leave at 5 a.m. tomorrow for her home, and may not be coming back for a year. I hated to say goodbye. She is about 20 or so and is so very quiet, with a sweet smile. Ever since she first began attending, I wondered if she was uncomfortable, but every time she has talked about her time with the YSAs, she has been so pleased to be a part of the group. Tonight was no different. She helped me in the kitchen, she had some pizza and veggies, she sat on the floor with five other YSAs and played a complex board game, and then she sat with us and watched "Home Alone."
At 10:30, she got up and apologized for leaving before the movie was over, but the last bus leaves at 11, and she needed to go in time to catch it. Everyone stood and hugged her, then I walked her to the door. She said, "This is a dream come true. I have always wanted to have dinner with family and friends, play board games and then watch a good movie, and 'Home Alone' is one of my favorites."
It touched my heart. We take for granted that everyone comes from a typical family background.
We said goodbye to the last YSA around 11, and then I got a phone call from our young sister missionaries. They were frantic. They had heated something in the microwave and then forgot about it. Normally microwaves turn off, but it didn't. They were both in bed and noticed a faint smell of smoke. They opened their bedroom door, and practically choked on the thick smoke. Then their fire alarm went off.
I told them to open the windows and come over to our place....a five minute walk. We blew up a couple of air mattresses, found some ill-fitting sheets, some extra towels and got them settled in - in the living room. They do smell of strong smoke. They were a little shaken by the whole thing. After we got them settled, SK walked over to check the apartment. He turned on a couple of fans and made sure that there wasn't a fire brewing anywhere.
I'm just so glad we were so close, and they were so glad too!
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