Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS BEAUTIFUL FRIENDS AND FAMILY! I hope everyone is having a very merry Christmas day, remember among all the gifts and wrapping paper the real gift this season is the everlasting gift of the savior and his life that began that Christmas night!

Sister nicolosi and I have had a very merry week this week! The holidays are hard to be away from home! But I know this is where I need to be! And I'm so excited to talk to THE KINNE FAM!!!

To start off the week I woke up last Tuesday super sick feeling in the nose and throat and was so panicked bc I had to sing on Thursday. So that was super not awesome! But I was able to get a blessing after a lesson this week and that took alot of the pain in my throat away! Unfortunately when Thursday rolled around it wasn't gone and I completely BOTCHED the song! I was so embarrassed ahhhh but oh well I finished strong so I guess that's all that matters hahah! Sister nicolosi killed it on the cello tho!

As I mentioned last week we got Spanish sisters in our ward and that has been fun we do dual dinners all the time and it is so fun! Hermana palssen and hermana Alvey. They are so cute and we are so happy to have them here with us!

We had our Christmas zone conference on Thursday and we volunteered to go early to help set up.... we didnt know early meant waking up at 4:30 am hahahah, but we did. We were in Raleigh helping sister Goodman hot glue gingerbread houses together hahah. It was an awesome zone conference! We got so much good instruction from president Holland and new ideas on ways to find! Then we got to decorate the gingerbread houses we made earlier hahah :) after that we had a Christmas musical devotional (where we preformed) and everyone did so well! Sister Goodman (one of the senior sisters in our mission) shared a heart wrenching story of a Christmas she had when 3 of her 12 kids died in a car crash! EVERY SINGLE PERSON WAS BAWLING! She took this horrible event in her life and shared a beautiful message of forgiveness and love she feels at this time of year! There was not a dry eye in there! There are so many amazing people in this world and I love being able to come in contact with so many and feel the spirit they bring!

The rest of the week was super busy we spent a full day in siler visiting with people and we set a baptism date with someone that has been taught by the missionaries forever!! His name is Glenn and is on date for the 26th of January! (Also Joe is gonna be out of town this week so we pushed his date back to the 5th) so we should be having a wonderful January and starting the year off right!!!

Christmas Sunday was a beautiful sacrament meeting full of music and testimony of the savior! I have never had a Christmas so focused on Christ and his love for all mankind and it has changed the way I look at this season forever! He is the greatest most precious gift we could ever receive! One lesson that we have been teaching the last few weeks has been the story of the 3 little trees, and I'd love to share it with you here because it is so meaningful to this Christmas season! I wanted to share with you one of my most favorite Christmas parables you may have heard it!
Once upon a time a long long ways away in Jerusalem there were three little trees.
These little trees had big hopes, they prayed to become great things one day. The first wanted to become a big treasure chest to hold the greatest treasures in the world. The second to become a big sailing ship to carry the greatest kings across the water. The third hoped to be remembered by everyone even after he was gone.
One day it became time for these trees to be chopped down and made into things. The first tree was made into a pigs trough. The second a dinky little boat. The third plain old lumber. All of these trees were confused and kind of sad but they continued to hope and pray that some how some day they would still be able to be great.
Little did they Know that one day the first little tree who wanted to become a treasure chest was the manger that baby Jesus was laid it so he really did hold the greatest treasure in the world. The second who wanted to become the big ship was the boat that carried Christ and his apostles across the water when he calmed the sea, so he really did carry the greatest King across the waters. The third who wanted to be remembered was made into the cross that our Savior carried on His back. The cross being the most known symbol in christianity, he really was remembered after he was gone.
I know that Jesus Christ is the reason for the season! He is the light and the life of the World. He knows us perfectly and hears our prayers. Through Him we can become great.

Christmas eve was so so fun! We spent the afternoon with the blacks and sister nicolosi got to talk to her brother for 10 min who is serving in France and she was so happy to be able to do that! Then we went to a Christmas party at a members house (the Calhouns) and got to participate in their nativity as the angels visiting the Shepard's! Then we went to a fun dinner party (at the Zwhalins) and they gave us the best gift ever! WASSAIL!!! They home make this drink mixture which is a combination of tang, lemonade, cinnamon and some other secret ingredients and you drink it mixed with hot water!! IT IS SO GOOD!!! then we went over to another family (the mangums) and participated in their talent show! It was so fun I got to sing and play the guitar for them! And we also reenacted the nativity but this time I was the wise man with myrrh haha!

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year! Thank you all for all the cards and sweet notes and emails! I love you all and hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!!! 














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