Monday, December 15, 2008
The Ward Christmas Party was on Friday night and as most of you know, Mark and I are the Activities Comittee so we were in charge. Last year we did a Night in Bethlehem and while I was researching about that activity I came across a Ward Family that had done a Night in Zarahemla the Christmas following their Night in Bethlehem. I really liked the idea and when I suggested it to Mark he agreed it sounded really neat. So this year we did our Night in Zarahemla.
It started with Samuel the Lamanite being thrown out of Zarahemla. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Samuel is a prophet in the Book of Mormon*. He's been called by God to go and preach to the people in Zarahemla (the Nephites). The Nephites used to be the good people in the Book of Mormon and the Lamanites used to be the more wicked part of the people. But obviously, in this story the tables are turned and a Lamanite is calling the Nephites to repentance. And they of course, don't like it. So they throw him out of the city. Samuel is headed out of town when God calls him back to the city. So after our Samuel is thrown out, he reappears in Zarahemla on a wall (made out of cardboard and paint placed in front of the stage) where he begins to preach to us again. It took awhile for the Ward Members to get into it but by the end all 120 people were shouting at Samuel to go away. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites shot arrows at Samuel to try and shut him up but they never hit him. In our Zarahemla we used Nerf guns and tried to shoot him down. Just before Samuel gets chased off the wall by a guard he prophesies that in five years time there will be a day and a night and a day with no darkness and a new star will appear, a sign that Jesus Christ is born. And that was the last of Samuel.
But it wasn't the last of Noah and his sidekick, Stefano. All of the kids couldn't wait to get their hands on the nerf guns and get up on that stage. I can only imagine what Noah would have to say if he were on that wall for real. "Behold, there will no longer be homwork or chores or early bedtimes. Behold this is the time to prepare to play Nintendo for the rest of your life, non-stop, with only a break or two for white chocolate and popcorn and candy canes. Repent, oh ye parents, who have forbidden us to play and have forced us to practice piano and read books. The time is near when ye shall no longer have reign over us and we will play freely and endlessly!" Let's all just be glad for a moment that it was Samuel and not Noah.
So in celebration of our "victory" we opened the food line and ate. One of the things I love about Connecticut is the cultural diversity. The Tri-State area is definitely one giant melting pot. So our Ward is blessed to have several members from the South American/Latin American region. Mark and I asked them to do all of the cooking and they really pulled through. We had authentic food from all over South America (where the Book of Mormon takes place) and Latin America and it was so delicious. I even asked Melanie and her family (who are from Colombia) to cook us some food and come down to the party. I wasn't sure what to do for dessert and then it came to me like only it could from a choc-aholic. The cacao bean is from South America, we'll have chocolate! So Melanie brought down her chocolate fountain and we served a ton of fruit to go with it. For drinks we served Pina Colada Juice and Mango/Papaya Juice and a drink from Colombia that I don't even know how to spell. All of the food was fabulous but clearly some parts were more popular than others (see below.)
After everyone was mostly done eating we showed the story of Samuel the Lamanite as it is portrayed on the Joy to the World DVD*. Basically the story ends with the people who believe Samuel and are watching for the sign of the Savior's birth being persecuted by the non-believers. The night the sign is supposed to appear, the non-believers are planning to kill the believers. And then, the sign appears. The sun goes down but it stays light and a new star appears in the sky. We were going to act out the story but decided it would be more calm and peaceful if we just showed the movie. And that was it.
Overall I think it was a huge success. We had a huge turnout, everyone had enough to eat, the food was superb, and I think our message was clear. We are definitely in uncertain times. The members of the Church are being called to stand a little taller and that certainly doesn't make us popular in the world's eyes. We will be hated. It will be difficult. We've been persecuted and we will be persecuted more. But just like the believers were promised in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, I believe that we "shall not be ashamed that wait for [Him]." He will come and my faith will not be in vain and He will save us all. Of that I'm sure.
*You can get a free copy of the Book of Mormon and the Joy to the World DVD as well as other church media by clicking here.
posted by Shana # 6:48 AM 
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