Christmas 2017 - Dog Drama

The picture below was from a much calmer and stress-free Christmas.

Christie, our younger dog experienced severe gastric distress on the eve before Christmas Eve and was vomiting and in pain. We had to take her in to the emergency animal hospital. They initially told us that the dog needed surgery to remove a blockage and the cost would be $4000. We told them that if that was the case, we would have her euthanized. This was the 3rd time in 2 months that she had a similar problem. Pancreatitis the first two times...but this time they didn't detect any of that in the blood test. When they heard we didn't want to have surgery, they said they could keep her on an IV and monitor her with X-rays to see if she improved on her own. We brought her in about 7:30PM on Saturday and weren't able to get out of the animal hospital until 11PM but left the dog. They said they would have answers in 12 hrs. We called Sunday (Christmas Eve) after church but they said they still had nothing definitive from the X-rays. They wanted to keep her another 8 hrs and take X-rays again. Each set of X-rays is $500.  We said OK to one more set but no more and we were going to come take her home. Now the bill was up to $2000. We went down to get her at 10PM Christmas Eve and it was after midnight when they finally discharged her but she was acting fine like she had no more distress. They gave us a bunch of meds and showed us how to administer subcutaneous fluids. We went home and she has been acting perfectly normal ever since.

 Earlier on Sunday we had a mostly music program but all the talks were tear jerkers and Felicia didn't feel like singing because she thought we would need to put the dog down. I sung in the Choir and then in a quartet doing Silent Night and had to sing a solo verse in German. It went fine.

After Church Photo Session

After Church Photo Session

John the Elf

Hugging Bear

We had a great Christmas and with the dog back home, we could finally go to Winterhaven to see the lights.

Babysitting

Faith and Action

I've been reading a biography of Brigham Young. The early members of the church were asked to do a lot of hard things for their religion. They could not have done it without a lot of faith. They had to endure persecution, leave homes and land behind, leave families to serve missions, leave newly established homes in the wilderness to go into another part of the wilderness and establish another home and community.  The government officials of the United States were not supportive of the church. We often think the people and our government are getting more wicked. In some ways they are but in many ways things were worse in the 1850s. All this was possible because they had a testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Mission Memories

Haley asked if I had been busted by police on my mission. The incident building the chapel did not involve the police but involved immigration officials. I did get pulled over by a policeman twice while bike riding in Olten, Switzerland (my 2nd assignment), though. The first time was not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign...just got a warning. The second time was more serious. We had done a trade-off that day with the other Elders in the district. I went to the town of Aarau with Elder Noorda (from Las Vegas) and Elder Seawright took my place in Olten. We met up with our companions at a fireside in Zofingen that evening and took the train back to our respective towns. When I arrived at the Trimbach (town near Olten) train station, I discovered that Elder Seawright had locked my bike up and took the key with him back to Aarau. Elder Pyper unlocked his bike and we started walking home to Olten (about 3 miles). We were on a lightly-used back road and Elder Pyper had me climb on the handlebars to ride double. I don't think we had gone more than a block when we rode past a dark parked car that suddenly lighted up like a flashing Christmas tree. The policeman in the car was going to fine us 10 Franks for riding double, 10 Franks for having a burned out tail light, and 10 Franks for running a stop sign. We taught him about the first vision and gave him a Book of Mormon and he lowered the fine from 30 Franks to 20 Franks (that was all we had anyway). In Switzerland you pay the policeman directly when he pulls you over. I told Elder Pyper that we were going to never break another traffic law. We had lost 20 Franks of our weekly grocery money and had to eat oatmeal for a few days.

One of our tickets

Old at Christmas

In her Thanksgiving letter home, Haley reported she had been ill with a 24 hr upset stomach. Her companion had to trade off with some other sisters in order to go to an appointment they had. She says she is better now and I think she is doing well on her mission.

I noticed yesterday that Kirby's (our oldest dog) senses are failing him. It used to be that we could throw him a treat and he would snatch it out of the air every time. Now we throw him something and it hits him in the head. When we call him now, he seems to look the other way and doesn't know where sounds are coming from.

Kirby getting old

I travelled back to Dallas again for work. We generally stay in Addison because the per diem allowance matches our expenses better. There is a park near our hotel that I exercise at. They were decorated for Christmas there.

Addison Circle Park, Addison, TX

We had our Ward Christmas Party with the night in Bethlehem theme. Felicia suggested I wear the Caesar costume that Eric wore one Halloween. I did but I was one of the very few dressed as anything.

Caesar Bryanus 

All you need is a head scarf

 The children acted out the nativity. I am still surprised about how few of the primary children I know now days.

Ward Christmas Party 2017

Mission Memories:
The St. Gallen Ward was building its own chapel. Digging trenches for plumbing and wiring was a task the ward members were asked to do. We, as missionaries, were able to help with that part of the construction until the authorities caught us. We had no idea that we were being watched by officials but the next day after we helped with trenches, we were told by the Bishop that he was contacted by someone in the government and told that the missionaries were not allowed to help. Switzerland has strict labor infringement laws. They do not like foreigners taking jobs away from Swiss citizens and we were allowed into the country on the basis that we would not displace Swiss labor, even volunteer Swiss labor.

The first meeting we had in the new building was the St Gallen Ward Christmas Party. I have attached below the cover of the program. There was a young couple, Edwin and Roswitha Koch, baptized and married not long before I arrived. They played Joseph and Mary as the passages from Lukus (Luke) 2 were read in German. I remember feeling so good as I watched Roswitha cradle the imaginary baby in her arms. All homesickness vanished as the realization sunk in that the Savior was born for everyone no matter where you live.