On the dark and rainy December evening of December 5th, ministers from another faith and their wives joined with leaders of the Hendersonville 2nd (Pohnpeian) Branch, Asheville North Carolina Stake for an evening of food, faith, and fellowship in the home of President and Sister Benjamin Beasley. To the surprise and delight of the guests, it was set around a fine candlelight and linen dining table and holiday place settings that filled an entire living room.
It was a resplendent evening. Alson and Rihner Mudong and Benster and Alicia Etse, leaders of a Micronesian protestant congregation in Asheville, were invited, along with Elder Skip and Janie Queen, a Senior Missionary Couple. Branch leaders Darney, Warney, and Marney Alati, and Linda and Petson Tiphen also attended to share what all there had in common--a love for the Savior and a desire to serve through genuine Christ-like ministry.
Such love begins in the home, Sister Beasley noted, so she and Darney Alati prepared a five-course dinner ‘fit for a king’ in celebration of the Savior’s birth. Three kinds of ocean fishes and rice were central to a meal begun with a robust freshly made salad and shrimp cocktail, and which ended with a fresh fruit compote and decadent caramel cream pie.
A focus of conversation during the dinner centered on a shared desire to deepen burgeoning friendships and to discuss the love and support trusting friendships can offer. After dinner, each was given the opportunity to share his or her love for the Savior and their hopes for the future. A result of such expressions led to the planning for the two groups to meet together over the holidays for Christmas socials and church events at the LDS Stake Assembly Building in Arden. Further events are also expected for the new year.
There may be cold, and surely there is snow, but neither could chill the hearts joined together in warmth and fellowship, in a shared appreciation for the birth of the Savior and the desire to do his work. It was in fact a rebirth, a rekindling of the fire of the Spirit that glows in the hearts of his children everywhere.
It was a resplendent evening. Alson and Rihner Mudong and Benster and Alicia Etse, leaders of a Micronesian protestant congregation in Asheville, were invited, along with Elder Skip and Janie Queen, a Senior Missionary Couple. Branch leaders Darney, Warney, and Marney Alati, and Linda and Petson Tiphen also attended to share what all there had in common--a love for the Savior and a desire to serve through genuine Christ-like ministry.
Such love begins in the home, Sister Beasley noted, so she and Darney Alati prepared a five-course dinner ‘fit for a king’ in celebration of the Savior’s birth. Three kinds of ocean fishes and rice were central to a meal begun with a robust freshly made salad and shrimp cocktail, and which ended with a fresh fruit compote and decadent caramel cream pie.
A focus of conversation during the dinner centered on a shared desire to deepen burgeoning friendships and to discuss the love and support trusting friendships can offer. After dinner, each was given the opportunity to share his or her love for the Savior and their hopes for the future. A result of such expressions led to the planning for the two groups to meet together over the holidays for Christmas socials and church events at the LDS Stake Assembly Building in Arden. Further events are also expected for the new year.
There may be cold, and surely there is snow, but neither could chill the hearts joined together in warmth and fellowship, in a shared appreciation for the birth of the Savior and the desire to do his work. It was in fact a rebirth, a rekindling of the fire of the Spirit that glows in the hearts of his children everywhere.
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