Merry Christmas

 


"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

It was the first of three Christmases we will experience here on our mission and was definitely a lot quieter than those celebrated at home. It was nice to have Christmas fall on a Sunday this year. It is so much easier to remember the true meaning when it falls on a Sunday. Our church service was exceptional. They had a full string orchestra from members of the ward - many or most of whom were youth between the ages of 11 and 17. Rachel and her husband Jake came over to open Christmas presents and we then enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner with them and our two Assistants (two young missionaries that work closely with Anne and I in the mission leadership). After dinner we watched the movie, The Spirit of the Game, which is about my dad's missionary experience on his mission to Australia in 1956 and then played games with Rachel and Jake.

Zone conferences last week were focused on Christmas. Anne's older brother Jeff Wetzel and his wife Molly were so kind to come speak to our missionaries at the zone conferences and did an amazing job!




We also hosted the mission office staff for a lovely dinner and all were able to attend.


With the snow and the lights, it has been a very merry Christmas season.



The only disappointment was that we didn't see the lights on temple square this year due to the Salt Lake temple being "under construction" (i.e., made earthquake-proof). Please enjoy a stock picture from years past.


And most importantly, I must have watched the 17-minute video at the following link a dozen or so times. It has to be one of the best videos depicting the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ that I have seen.

We hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas with family and friends and wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year!

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