It's Christmas - Not X-mas

Well, the weather outside is frightful! It is hotter than hot and more humid than is even remotely delightful! It doesn’t feel much like Christmas weather, but we are beginning to see signs of Christmas all around us. ❤️🎄 We’ve been blaring Christmas music, and if I sit in my bedroom with the air conditioning on, close my eyes, and listen, I can be transported—just for a moment—back to Texas and all the Christmas feels. It will be a different kind of Christmas for us this year, but one we will always remember.



We had the employee Christmas devotional this week, and it was wonderful! Elder Morrison spoke, and it was so fun to hear about some of the holiday traditions here in Africa. He shared that as a little boy, he and his siblings and friends would build a hut out of palm leaves on Christmas Eve. They would sleep in the hut and try to stay up all night drumming. In the morning, they would join a parade-like gathering where people dressed up in masks (the pictures he showed made them look a bit scary!). After the gathering, they would go from door to door—similar to trick-or-treating in the U.S.—and receive gifts of “toffee” (the Ghanaian word for candy) and small trinkets. He said that as a child, they called it “X-mas.”

He shared these memories with so much excitement, but explained that as he grew, he came to understand Christmas more deeply. He realized that calling it “X-mas” left out the most important part of the season—Jesus Christ. He encouraged us to make Christ the center of our celebration this Christmas. He truly is the reason we celebrate. He also invited us to study The Living Christ. I’d like to extend that same invitation to each of you. Read it, ponder it, and draw closer to Him as you learn of Him. I know you will feel greater joy this wonderful holiday season as you do.

Doug kept himself busy this week. There was a missionary in Sierra Leone who was bitten by a mongoose—yes, you read that right, a mongoose! Our sweet young North Americans sometimes struggle with the idea that the animals here are not pets. He will be receiving the rabies vaccines. This is the same mission where another North American missionary was bitten by a dog because he thought it was cute and tried to pet it. 😵‍💫 Mission leaders continue to stress that animals should not be approached, petted, or bothered in any way. But as parents of a son who loves animals, we understand how hard it is for them to resist. Hopefully they learn without needing more rabies shots!

The missionary who has been waiting a month and a half to have a large kidney stone removed finally had his surgery this week. We are so grateful it went well and that he is no longer in pain. He has been so patient! There continues to be malaria and various dermatology issues this week—medical advising in West Africa is always an adventure!

I (Lori) added a new responsibility to my schedule this week—I started working in the temple on Tuesday afternoons, and I absolutely love it. This is the time when many of the new missionaries in the MTC come to receive their endowment. Not many missionaries here are able to go through the temple before their missions because travel costs are so high. It’s not uncommon to have an entire session filled with young missionaries going through for the first time. They usually come without an escort, and often we have three or more languages among them.

While a lot is happening all at once, it’s miraculous how the work gets done! I loved being there to help the sisters learn what a locker is and how to use it, how to wear their temple clothing, and where they needed to be and when. That everything comes together so smoothly truly is a miracle. Helping them participate in making sacred covenants with Heavenly Father has been one of the highlights of my mission so far. There is such a powerful spirit among these wonderful young missionaries.

On Saturday we were able to go to the temple again to help with baptisms for the dead with our ward’s newly baptized members. What a blessing it was. We have been able to participate in most of our ward’s convert baptisms, so it was especially sweet to see them pull up in the tro-tro and make their way into the temple. They were in awe of the beauty of the building and of the feelings they experienced there. I spoke with a few of them outside when the work was finished, and they were already excited to return! We had a hard time rounding up some of the youth who were off exploring the temple grounds. We are so grateful to have been part of this beautiful experience. Doug and I have missed working in the baptistry at the Dallas Temple, and this helped us feel a little closer to home.

We are excited to get together with twenty of our senior friends to cheer on our BYU Cougars! The games usually air in the middle of the night here, so we normally just catch the highlights the next day. Our good friends, the Doans, have the largest apartment, so we’re all bringing snacks for a little pre-game party before the big game begins. We’ll be cheering loud and proud for our Cougs! GO COUGARS!!!

We hope everyone at home is doing well. We pray that during this holiday season, you won’t forget to pause and enjoy the things that really matter. Make memories with those you love. Take time to serve. Enjoy fun traditions. Remember Jesus Christ. Learn of Him and draw closer to Him. These are the things that bring lasting joy.

WE LOVE YOU ALL!


 —Elder and Sister Baker

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