Please take a minute to look at this website to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas
This past week I went on another division with Hermana Ortiz in Guacimo, her area with Hermana Moon. Well safe to say that it CAN get hotter than Guapiles. Haha, No joke I thought I was dying. It's really dry in Guacimo, so it feels like you are straight baking! Her area was really fun though and I enjoyed talking to Hermana Ortiz about her mission. She leaves next week and her perspective is great. One of the Hermanas in her area, her daughter left for her mission the day I was there and we had the opportunity to visit her. I was a little emotional to see her so upset. I imagined mom and just thought about what great love it takes to leave your family for a year and a half but also the love of the family to let that person go. Ah, this is so hard but its worth it! I know that her daughter made the best decision that she could at this point in her life. She is where she needs to be.
This past Monday we had our mission cena...or dinner haha. It was so amazing!!! I felt so much love for all of the missionaries there, it didn't matter if I knew them or not. I got to see Hermana Perez and Munguia again and that made me so happy. They really are my sisters!! Well, as I've said before, my good friends (the zone leaders/assistants to the president) love to volunteer me to do things haha, and guess who got to say the opening prayer...Hermana Zerilli! Elder Mosias (assistant) told me that he has had my name on the program for 3 months...since the last conference. Hahaha it wasn't a big deal but my heart skipped a little when I saw the entire mission staring back at me. The entire program was perfect. The food was just like a normal American Christmas dinner!! I'm so thankful for my gringo mission president! Missionaries performed talents and we sang songs and in the end President Hayes spoke to us. He is so good at motivating us and bringing us all together. His message helped us to feel the spirit of Christmas. I learned so much and we all really felt like a family.
This morning, I finished the Book of Mormon for the 2nd time, right before Christmas. What I love about the last chapter of Moroni is how it talks about Gifts. Gifts of the spirit, specifically, but it was perfect for me to read 2 days before Christmas. In verse 18 it says that "every good gift cometh of Christ." I don't think that there is any truer statement. Every gift, every blessing is from Christ. His birth, His life, His death. He came to this Earth to bless us. He loves us more than we can imagine. Verse 24 says, "if the day cometh that the power and the gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief."
I invite all of you to believe. Believe in Christ. Believe that He was, that He is, and that He is to come. He is the reason that we celebrate Christmas!
Those gifts under the tree, yeah they are fun, I mean everyone likes presents. But Christ is the gift that makes all others possible. I testify of him. I love my Savior. I love all of you and I wish you the happiest of Christmases with those you hold dear.
Tis the season!
Love, Hermana Zerilli
Mom, I have to tell you that you have no idea...every single one of those 25 gifts (from the 25 days of Christmas) that I opened one each day, have been perfect! You have no clue!! I know that you said the ideas just came to your mind in your sleep and in your dreams...but I don't know how you did it!!! I opened the package with the Kind Bars last night . OH YUM!! You sent me cold medicine and the next day I got a cold!! It was soooo awful but the medicine was what I needed!!! I can't thank you enough, it was like a miracle!!
Oh, and I hope you know that I was the only one with the Conference Enzyne in English in the entire mission for about two weeks! You sent it the day that the mission got a shipment in Spanish but none in English, LOL! I have wanted it for so long and you sent it without knowing... I was dying! I told everyone that you said you just dreamt what to send and I was worried they would think you were loco, but everyone knows youre the best.! When they saw my Christmas package at the party there were like, "another package!"
Celebración de Navidad!
 |
| Taylor & Chase Able |
Look who it is...Roseville California was represented
well at the Mission Christmas Party
 |
| Reunited with my favorites, Hermana Perez and Hermana Munguia...we practically cried! I was wayyy too happy!! |
 |
| Lizzie is President Hayes' daughter. She has become a great friend and I'm so sad because she is leaving to return to the U.S. |
 |
| Santa gave us our packages. Safe to say mine was one of the 3 largest...Not that I was noticing or anything;) |
 |
| Our relief society activity... we all got aprons with the Relief Society theme on them. |
 |
| Sad to say that these are the only pictures that I have of my zone and my district:( |
No comments:
Post a Comment