Traveling Christmas Choir of young missionaries...

The Scotland/Ireland Mission has formed a missionary choir.  They have gathered together about 30 missionaries from all over Scotland and have arranged for this travelling choir to go throughout the mission presenting a Christmas Concert.  They will be performing in malls and some churches throughout Scotland.  There is an amazing pool of talent among these young people.

They all came to Edinburgh on Monday to practice at the Stake Centre.  Monday is Preparation Day for the missionaries and is the time they can email to friends and family.  They came to practice but all wanted to be able to write their emails.  We were asked if we could set up the computers in our Employment Centre for them to use.  We had the 5 computers from the Family History/Employment Centre, one laptop from the Employment Centre we have in our flat, plus my personal laptop and our iPad.  They rotated turns to allow everyone a chance to get in their emailing between practice sessions.

This is our Employment Centre with the eight computers set up for the missionaries to do the weekly emailing.  For many, this was the most important part of the day. 

Monday evening they all went to the Mission Home which is next door to the Stake Centre for a dinner.  The senior missionaries who are in the Edinburgh area were also invited.  Carolyn made a big floral arrangement for the table and we had a feast – Chinese take-out food – for about 35 people. 

 

Carolyn has been having withdrawal symptoms because of not being able to make her normal Christmas floral arrangements.  She was very happy to put this one together for the dinner table.  She gave many of the trees around the mission home a "wee trim" to find enough greenery for the decoration. 

 

The table is set awaiting the feast to begin.  One of the Senior missionaries who works in the Mission Office, Sister Price, was leaving to go home on Wednesday so the dinner was also a goodbye dinner for her.  The place mats all had different pictures of her and her activities with others during her stay in Scotland.

 

President & Sister Brown and other missionaries

 

We ordered Chinese food from a nearby restaurant - what a feast we had.

 

 

After dinner we gathered around the piano and sang Christmas carols and Church hymns.

 

After the singing the missionaries went back to the Stake Centre for one last rehersal before their “tour” began.  Tuesday they were singing in Dundee and then up to Aberdeen.  They will be back to Glasgow and the areas south and then a final concert Saturday night in Edinburgh.  We watched the final practice and it will be a wonderful concert.  The concert was named "Putting Christ back in Christmas".  The concert was singing with two short videos about the life of Christ.  In addition to the Choir there are solos, duets, trios, and quartets singing.  They use the piano, organ, a violin, and a harp in the presentation.  Very talented young people!!

 

 

Merry Christmas to all!!!