Gezuar Festat --- Dec. 24th

GEZUAR KRISHLINDJEN!!

 

This week has been so fun for me. It really is a different experience being a missionary over Christmas, but I have loved it. We have taught so many wonderful lessons about the Savior, and I have felt the spirit the most in lessons I think. Last Tuesday Motra Atkin and I found some pretzels and chocolate and went to the new couples (the Botts) house and made chocolate dipped pretzels with green sprinkles even! It was really fun and has been such a great thing to give to everyone that we meet. They have never seen that kinda thing before. For our Christmas lessons we have been usually reading in Helaman Ch. 14 1-8. Samuel's prophecy of Christ's birth. and then we would share a little Nativity video that we have. I have really enjoyed it. I'm so grateful for my Savior and for this special time of year. He really is the light of the world and His love changes lives and brings so much hope to so many people. I love Him! and also SO grateful that because of His sacrifice I can live with my Family Forever! so great! 

Today it has been quite sunny... really sunny and warm! Kinda crazy, and definitely does not feel like Christmas Eve, but I love it anyway. On Saturday this week to celebrate surviving the "end of the world" we did a big time Service project as a district. The Prenga Family that lives up on the Hill needed help killing their pig so... we did. Motra Atkin only has 1 more week too in Albania and has wanted to buy a live chicken off the road so... we did that too. Here in Albania people are everywhere just carrying chickens and now for the Holiday's huge turkey's by their feet. They buy them off the street and then take them home for lunch or dinner. It's really fun I think and i was excited to do it too. We woke up and went with the elders to buy a chicken. Bought one from a guy that had tons of chickens and roosters hanging from his handlebars and a crate connected to the back of his bike full of turkey's. Perfect! We went to the Prenga's and well... it was a morning full of killing I guess. Motra Atkin killed the Rooster she bought, and then E. Anderson even killed the pig officially with a pretty dull knife. It was quite the experience. Especially in Albania. Pretty sure that doesn't happen the same way anymore in America. Not really an experience I need to ever repeat, especially with a pig (so loud). But it was fun actually, and they were glad for our help.  

We also got to go to the 2nd Annual Christmas Coral Concert in Tirana that Motra Ford (Mission Presidents Wife) put together. It was really nice and helped it feel a little more like Christmas here. 

The Grand Finale of the week was this Sunday. For Christmas we wanted a Huge turn out in all of the branches so we handed out flyer for a week before to all the members to hand out to friends and family and were really hoping for a lot of people. Durres is by far the biggest branch in Albania having around the high 80's low 90's in Sacrament every week. All I wanted was to Break 100... and so Sunday when Sacrament began the room was already pretty full, but people just kept coming. It's amazing how many people you can fit in one room. Good thing Albanian's don't have any problems with squishing on the benches. It was just like home for me when we all try to sit on one little bench on the side and their just isn't quite enough room, but we all sit their totally squished anyway. Every row was just like that and they even set some chairs up in the back and on the sides of the rows. We had 115 people in Sacrament meeting!! Wahoo. Tons of the members came and lots of new investigators as well. I loved it! Sacrament meeting was really good, and then right after we had a Nativity program from the Primary kids. They had been practicing a lot and they all did so good! They all had their parts totally memorized and their costumes were so great! I loved it. My favorite was when they sang a couple songs in English, and they all sound so great. 

We also have a big Branch Christmas Party tonight. Every group is doing a little part in the program and we as missionaries are too. We made the Botts a Mr. and Mrs. Claus costume with old robes we found in the Treg and cotton and we are all going to dress up like elves and raindeer and sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town to bring in Santa. Prob. something that they've never done. should be fun. 

I still can't believe that it is Christmas... like today. It really is a different Christmas than I've ever had before, but I also have really enjoyed it. I've been able to really think and ponder the meaning of Christmas more. Feel the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas and teach other people who Jesus Christ even is. Amazing! 

I love you all. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. and just remembered that next week we are having Transfers so... we will be having P.day on Tuesday not Monday. So I will email you on Tuesday. I can't believe I have already been in Albania for 3 months. WOW. 

Me Dashuri,

Motra Hoover