rejoice!

Christmas greetings from the New York Rochester Mission



(left to right) Us, Elder and Sister Servoss, Elder and Sister Jensen, and (seated) our wonderful Mission President
and his wife, the Christianson's.

What a blessing it's been to meet every Monday morning  with these tremendous folks. 
Along with planning and coordinating all the details of running a mission,
 we are strengthened spiritually as our mission president shares with us
 his testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, his tremendous knowledge
 of the scriptures (he can pull any scripture out of his head) , and his many insightful thoughts.

This week we had our Christmas Zone meetings. Each day ended with
 musical presentations by the missionaries, a movie and testimonies.

One of our missionaries, Elder Goedel, a former national hoop dancing champion,
 was able to perform a dance taught to him by his father.

 

 

 

 

 

 He starts off with just one hoop, and  gradually adds more hoops, until he is dancing with all 8.
The dance is very intricate and graceful,
 representing the growth of a fledgling into a mighty eagle.

These young missionaries emerge from their missions as mighty men and women of God.
 Jesus Christ gives us wings to soar like an eagle.

So, wishing all of our family and friends a joyous Christmas.

 Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers sent our way this year.

 And, y'all -- looks like we're in for a white Christmas!

 

 view from our bedroom window this morning

 

 

 

beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We had a bit of snow the first weekend of December, just enough to get us in the mood to set up a few decorations in our missionary apartment.

(Can you spot our Texas car shivering in the cold?)

We took a break, on Dec. 5, from our busy schedule to celebrate my 65th birthday (officially an "old lady" now).  Got my Medicare card. Now just need to get a cane and I'm ready for anything life throws at me.

We celebrated at The Village Inn, which was a resting place for weary travelers and was built in 1824, in the town of Albion, on Ridge Road, formerly an Indian trail. The main dining room where we sat, once served as a carriage shed with a dance floor above.

If that wasn't enough excitement, the following weekend, the Jensens (another couple on the mission office staff) invited us to accompany them to Kirtland, Ohio, where we drove a  mission van and  traded it out for a brand new one (the new car smell was intoxicating).
Were we in for a treat!  Historic Kirtland was alive with the Christmas spirit! The church's Historic Kirtland Visitors Center took our breath away with the most magnificent display of 700 nativities from all over the world.

huge olive tree wood nativity made in Israel

Another weekend, we were treated to a most glorious performance of Handel's Messiah, performed by the Rochester Chamber Orchestra and featuring world renowned opera singers.

Hochstein Performance Hall, Rochester, N. Y., an award winning concert hall, built in 1890 as a Presbyterian Church sanctuary

There's nothing like music to bring in the Christmas spirit. Don't forget to get your free download of the best ever Christmas music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It is sooo beautiful, it sends your spirit soaring. Click HERE.