Team Christmas - Dec 27/07

We spent the day at the Sayers house, they had prepared brunch for everyone but we were a little late because we were waiting to hear back from Victor about my suitcase...it had looked like it was going to come today but unfortunately didn't!! We spent the day playing games, sharing "talents" (every year each family is asked to prepare a talent for a talent show...we brought games that I had brought from Canada as a talent - what a copout hey!?), a gift exchange, singing carols and dinner (not turkey though...taco salad). So, it was the Sayers, the Bellamy's and Marina Negrimovskaya (a national who teaches missions at DBI) who live in Dnepro .Then the Jacobsons (originally from Brooks but working in Bachisarai - Crimea) took an 8 hour night train to celebrate with us, they live among the Tatars who are predominately Muslim. As well as Dewey and Joan Thiele, who live in Kharkov. Olga (a national who teaches Christian Education at DBI) and Anton, who are also from Dnepro, joined us later in the evening as Anton had to work during the day - not a holiday in Ukraine. Victor came at the end of the evening while we were singing some carols and brought each family a jar of homemade honey...I guess his honey is very famous among the missionaries!! They all were pretty excited about it. It was a fun day getting to know all the people my parents work with.

Orban, Ryan and Eric Bellamy

Eric, Dewey & Joan Thiele, PJ Sayer

Trish Bellamy, Jolayne and Shari

Melody Sayer, Heather Bellamy and Charlotte Sayer

Leanne and Ken Jacobson, Dad

Morgan Jacobson

The Sayer and Bellamy kids put on a play for us about how christmas (Jesus birthday) we tend to forget about the "birthday boy" and only think about ourselves.

Morgan recited somethings she had learned at her Tartar preschool class - Ken was the christmas tree prop.

Trish read some paraphases of the christmas story

Playing some Telepaths (which I had brought with me...I also taught them Killer Bunnies)

Visiting...Dewey, Dad, Mom and Marina

Everyone picked out of a hat when we walked in the door...a "door prize" as PJ said...which actally was a paper deciding whether we were on prep or cleanup for brunch or supper...Shari doing supper cleanup!!