Christmas Eve was spent with our family and 6 new missionaries. They arrived on Tuesday night and we spent all day Wednesday (Christmas Eve) in training and orientation. We had a nice sukiyaki dinner that evening and a chance to share testimonies and talk about the mission that lies before them and the true meaning of Christmas.
It was especially nice to have Julie with us. Above going around the table from left to right, elders Budge, Murphy, Aquirre, Chamochumbi, Solomon, Ngawaka, Rika and I, James and Julie.
We later had our traditional Christmas cake.
We spent Christmas morning together as a family.
Ricky and Julie on Christmas morning.
Mom and daughter. Erika is doing well in Sapporo. We talked with her on Friday morning (the day after Christmas).
Christmas afternoon was spent playing at the church and watching movies. The missionaries had a nice relaxing preparation day and set up for our special Christmas program, dinner and baptismal service Christmas evening.
On Christmas night in Kobe, we had a nice spiritual program with all the missionaries and some of our friends taking lessons from the missionaries. Then we had a Christmas feast at the church. We had a big turkey, ham, desserts, salads, etc. I think everyone was very full by the end. After dinner, we started our baptismal service. Above is a picture of the elders (Rassmusen, Bohman and Fa'aleilei) with Zhou-san who was baptized.
Above is Sister Rasario Nishiura who was also baptized and the elders from Kakogawa, Remund and Payne. Rosario asked that I perform the baptism for her. We had taught her at our home several times and Sister McIntyre and I fellowshipped her and her family.
Above is Rosario with her family at the baptism. She has three children. Marian, her daughter, is also taking the lessons, but was a little nervous about being baptized so let mom set the example and go first.
Rosario is from Peru and has lived in Japan many years. Her father was Catholic and her mother was a member of the church. But she had been raised Catholic. Zhou is from China and is a fine young man who was so prepared to hear the gospel. We expect to see great things from him and in his life related to the gospel. We were blessed with 4 baptisms in the mission on Christmas Day. It really was a white Christmas in Kobe.
December has been an interesting month for the mission as we have seen many people come unto Christ through baptism. The interesting thing is that the baptisms this month include people from China, Peru, Brazil, the Philippines and of course a majority from Japan. The mission now has missionaries serving from or with original ties to the US, Japan, Hong Kong (China), Canada, Columbia, Peru, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa and the Philippines. (not to mention Hawaii and Alaska which to many are their own countries). We truly are called to preach the gospel to the world even in the Kansai region of Japan. It is beginning to remind me of the ward I served in for several years as bishop. We had members in the ward representing over 15 countries and many languages. Perhaps that experience helped prepare me to serve here in Kobe. We truly are all children of our Father in Heaven. There is one God for all and one baptism.
We have never before experienced a Christmas week like this last one. I am glad transfer week will not fall on Christmas the rest of our mission. To be honest, it was very busy and exhausting, but will certainly be a Christmas to remember and cherish.
Elder and Sister Shimada trying to open a gift during our lunch games.
Lunch games during one of the trainings.
Elders playing the oven mitten game.
More fun!
Some parting treats from President and Sister McIntyre and pictures with the missionaries.
President and Sister Iwaki joined us at the Osaka training.
This is the group at the training held in Okayama.
Sister Shields had a birthday here in Kobe right after Christmas.
The Kobe district and our family celebrate with Sister Shields. Ricky and Erika were back with us from school.
Christmas dinner in the Kobe Mission home.
Some singing after dinner.
Sister Kadekaru also had a birthday in Kobe.
She got a face cookie too!
President preparing Christmas treats for the training sessions.
Elder Hinton and his family visited us before departing Japan.
We stopped by to see Elder Escalante in Osaka before Christmas. He was bit by a dog and had stitches in his nose. Sister Escalante, his "real" sister, is also serving here and they are in the same zone. We took this shot of them and sent it to their mother.
Kobe City's Luminaria which is held every December in commemoration of the Kobe Earthquake.
Sister McIntyre and Erika hanging on a tree in Nara park.
For Christmas lunch we drove to Osaka to the New Hankyu Hotel for a special holiday buffet feast. We took the Kobe missionaries with us as well. The meal featured all the fresh crab you could eat. And we ate a lot! This worked out well since we were pretty tired from everything and could not think of cooking our own Christmas meal.
Hard to believe we ate these guys.
Back home, Sammy had to get into the Christmas spirit as well.
Sister McIntyre was in a baking mood and made Elder Bowman a cookie for his birthday that looks just like him! He wanted to save it, but I think he ate it after the pictures.
Christmas week is transfer week. This is a big challenge. We flew these four home so they could make it in time to be with their families. Normally they would have left on the 26th and missed Christmas at home. The evening of the 23rd, we picked up our six new missionaries and they will be assigned and transfer out on the day after Christmas. Christmas is preparation day. We have two baptisms schedule in Kobe on Christmas as well. We are expecting a white Christmas. We will update everyone in a couple of days! 
