Being on a mission has many advantages, one of them is escaping the hassle of Christmas shopping. Missionaries rarely have extra cash for buying lots of gifts, and the cost of shipping makes sending things home impossible. Jill will shop for me so that our grandchildren are taken care of and my kids will get a check in their Christmas cards. So, when John and I headed into the Central Business District of Christchurch this week it wasn’t with Christmas list in hand. We went to see the new “container mall” everyone has been talking about. Amidst all the destruction (which is slowly being cleared away),
are these stores created from inter-modal freight transport containers. Some are bright and colorful.
Some house restaurants.
And they all sell high priced merchandise—way out of our realm.
John did find a bratwurst and onion sandwich that he could afford. I think it was about $7.00. Delicious!
This week we had the first of the ward Christmas parties. Avonside ward hosted Cashmere ward on Saturday night, and Brother Bell insisted that we attend. It was anything but the traditional, Utah ward Christmas party. There was enough food to feed all of Christchurch and the entertainment featured something from all the island cultures and more. If you have a few minutes, you can watch bits of the show. There was something from Samoa.
A Maori quartet.
Something from Tonga.
Even something from Nepal (not exactly the South Pacific). Bhumika and Rhadika Dhakal are seminary students.
And the enormously talented David Bell doing a Cook Island dance.
His daughters say he dances like a giant penguin. Here’s what it’s supposed to look like.
And the grand finale.
A good time was had by all!
Well, this post just goes to show that the Church is the same (and true) all over the world. Our ward Christmas party was a Laua of sorts and we had entertainment just like yours with dancers from the Pacific. It was great fun. Interestingly enough, our bishop danced much like Brother Bell. They are both talented men I guess.
ReplyDeleteCool Container stores downtown!
I want to know when they learn these dances and why the Stauffers weren't among the performers. It certainly didn't look like the Paradise Ward Christmas party. Do they entertain in Utah? We would love them. The shopping downtown looked warm and nice to me. It is cold here!
ReplyDelete