Christmas Program Video...

Here are a few of the video clips from the Programa Navidad in the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo Peru.  

Directing a 230 voice choir was a real treat.  

Dad Marler, thanks for the baton...

Becky Lund, thanks for playing the piano for "The Lord is My Shepherd"

Thanks to Elder Wengert and Elder Perez for accompanying several of the numbers

and a special thanks to Sister Allred, our pianist for all rehearsals and for most of the musical numbers

Sister Allred you are "Lo Maximo!"

Below we have some of our musical numbers, first the entire choir singing 

"The Little Drummer Boy"

This is Elder Dennis on the Drum

Sisters from Chimbote sing

Elder Caro Singing   "O Holy Night" 

Sister Downs and Sister Gonzalez Singing "O Come All Ye Faithful"

and Elder Winterton singing "The Lord's Prayer"

Elders from Casma Sing En la Judea, en Tierra de Dios

Sisters Worlton, Calle, Connors, Estrada, Wayman, Paiva, Gonzales, Boody, Portillo and Bedoya sing a lovely rendition of "Angels we have Heard on High"

A Drum Line, with trash cans, yes, we had more than one "little drummer"

As I convert files and upload them to the internet, you will be able to watch more of the program.  Some numbers were not filmed and we are waiting for folks to offer their video for our use.

If you have a musical number on video, please let me know.

Christmas Day Activities

Mission Trujillo had a little Christmas Party on Christmas Day.  

There was a talent show by the missionaries

  spiritual thoughts by President and Sister Marler and a beautiful testimony meeting.

It was a perfect Christmas Day.

there are two sets of pictures here, one from Trujillo and the other from Chimbote.

First the talents of Trujillo

Hermana Gonzalez and Hermana Grow (with a little help from friends) created this beautiful back drop for the Christmas Program...8feet X 8 feet, it is beautiful 

Sister Gonzales organized the talent show in Trujillo, she and Sister Downs were the emcees

Sister Grow sang "Joseph's Song" from the Forgotten Carols

Elder Haake on the violin accompanies Elder Diaz, Rotolo and Smith

A little break dance from Hermana Smith

Sister Wayman and Sister Paiva sang a lovely song in English

Sister Palacio played a piano solo

Sister Palacio, Elder Kaelin and Elder Wood dream of a White Chistmas

"snow" being blown around the room

Sister Evans played a lovely arrangement of Ave Maria

An original arrangement on the piano by Hermana Allred

Elder Boekweg, Elder Smith and Elder Tway...cute number

Finale by the Marler's

and now for Chimbote...Merry Christmas

Here is the Chimbote talent show...fun day.

President showing the Christmas Video...now if we could just figure out how to reformat for the blog!!!!

Sister Mathis, Sister Pocco and Sister Huayman perform

Emcee Elder Dow...terrific job

Elder Caro

missionary skits

Elder Astill, Elder Dow, Elder Cuevas and Elder Calvas ...hilarious 

Hermana Huayman and Hermana Pocco

Hermana Ore and Hermana Mathis

Don't ask about this skit...Elder Dennis and Elder Caro...freeze frame

Chimbote Peru...oh my!

Sister Lasike

Elder Perez and Elder Cunningham

And following the festivities we followed a Nelson family tradition...birthday cake to help celebrate Jesus' birthday
(by the way, Nelson, that is my family)

Hermana Bedoya and Hermana Semorile

Elder Alfaro enjoying the festivities

Elder DeLaCruz, Elder Rodriguez, Sister Bedoya and Sister Allred (oops this is Trujillo)

Christmas Day in the Trujillo Mission

I will say that Christmas in the Trujillo Mission is not the same as being home, in front of the fireplace on a warm winter day, with all the grandkids, and all the food.

That being said, our Christmas was wonderful.  We spent Christmas Eve with the office elders.

We visited some families in two nearby wards and brought home-made cookies and sang Christmas Carols.  It was such a wonderful blessing to enter these humble homes and share a little Christmas joy.

As the scripture says, "do ye this unto the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me"  

I feel like this Christmas was truly a gift to the Savior.

Calls to our Families on Christmas Day

Christmas Day and the days around Christmas were wonderful for our missionaries.  Everyone called home and talked with their family.   This is the best Christmas gift ever for a missionary.  I remember as a mother of a missionary, it is also the best day ever for a mom of a missionary.  

Some of our office missionaries made calls and skyped from the mission home.

Here is Elder Leon with his sister

Elder Castillo awaiting a call from his dad

Elder Hernandez talking to his family

and...Elder Smith posing with the entire Smith Family

Christmas Program in the Plaza de Armas

Our program in the Plaza de Armas was wonderful. 

 We used traditional Christmas music and used music and the spoke word

 to tell the story of Jesus Christ, the events surrounding his birth

 as well as his love and sacrifice for us.

This is right before we started, I'm not sure why everyone is looking backwards…was there a Papa Noel sighting?

Now we had a very interesting 2 days…let me share

I am not sure what this is about, it is the first time EVER these two have been shy!

 First things first.  The Christmas Show was to be divided into 2 days…Friday and Saturday…the same program, but one day  performed by the Chimbote areas and the other day by the Trujillo Zones.  

On Thursday we learned there was going to be a strike and that the center of Trujillo would be blocked off for cars…no taxi's, busses, nothing…so we cancelled Friday's show and 230 missionaries arrive by noon on Saturday.  

 so the missionaries came, 

…and came

…and came

…and came

…and all 227 practice the music for hours

Did I mention they kept coming, and coming.

It was wonderful having all of our missionaries together for the first time ever!!!!!

so before we took some photos...

One thing I have learned, missionaries love, love, love pictures

So Elder Endicott, where is your companion????

this young man was selling fire works in the Plaza…and kept popping in and out of the pictures…so we had him pose with us...

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Hermana Allred, our accompanist, joins Esperanza for a photo bomb!

Esperanza zone +1…yes that is right there are now 4 sisters in Esperanza!

and the show began with Elder Boekweg and Elder Smith singing some of E. Boekwegs original numbers

Then Elder Zacharias did some breakdancing

Hermano Reno ran our sound and preformed some pan flute numbers for us

and the missionaries clapped along with the music

Sister Downs and Sister Lasike sang Melikilikimaka

Elder Pacheco wrote and read a poem about the Savior, it was beautiful

and Papa Noel showed up for the last song

Then the missionaries met with their friends in the audience

Papa Noel, you are losing your beard!

Alexis thanks, we love you

Here is the crowd that came to hear the program…wow!

Yes everyone, Santa does know where Peru is!!!!!!

President and Sister Marler with Assistant Elder Smith

Elder Garcia and Elder Rittcher pose with the Marler's

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Posing with some of the Elders

…and then some of the Hermanas

So after the show the Chimbote missionaries were rushed to the Chapel near-by to get on the bus for the return trip…but the bus broke down and they waited...

and waited

and waited

and slept

and at 1:30 am, they gave up and 20 sisters came to the mission home and the Elder's went to a hotel.
They arrived at 2:00am, tire and worn out, so they found beds, blankets, and a carpeted floor.  

Had a great breakfast of homemade pancakes...

Thanks Elders for the eggs, without you there would be no breakfast

Some of the kitchen help

Then we all went to Church at the California building,  then the Sisters were off to Chimbote.
It was an exciting weekend, full of exciting last minute changes
Full of smiles, song, and seeing the entire mission enjoying each other's company
Best weekend ever!!!

Merry Christmas