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| Elder Enrique R. Falabella |
On Tuesday morning we walked to work in a snowstorm. I never realized that when it's snowing and blowing an umbrella doesn't do a whole lot of good; the snow just comes in underneath. It was about 15° and we went dressed in the warmest clothing we could find. The worst part wasn't the cold but the slippery snow! We were grateful to get to the library without falling down. Needless to say, we stayed pretty close to home so as to avoid the slippery roads. It did clear up for several days and then Saturday afternoon/evening the snow came again. We woke up this morning to an additional 3 inches of new snow which is probably not a lot for Utahns but for we Arizona folks it is LOTS!!
Tuesday was also the mission Christmas devotional and luncheon so we walked from the library to the conference center in snow and slush. Elder Enrique R. Falabella was the devotional speaker. You may remember the funny story he told at conference several years ago when he told about he and his wife traveling from Guatemala to attend the Arizona Temple.
He said that afterwards as they were shaking hands with people they were putting $20 bills in his hand and he hurried over to his wife to tell her to shake hands with everyone.There were about 900 people in attendance at the devotional and Elder Falabella did his best to make it around to shake hands with as many as he could, although I don't think anyone was depositing $20 bills. We had the privilege of shaking hands and meeting him.
There is a beautiful, old, red brick, 3-story house next door that has a Christmas tree on each of the floors so that it looks like the tree goes all the way from top to bottom. We couldn't resist getting a picture of it. We've been told that they hold an open house at the home during the month of December and we're hoping to get to tour it. We walk by it every day as we go to work and have enjoyed watching it as they painted the trim and cleaned up the bushes and landscaping around it.
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| House next door night and day |
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| Pictures taken on Tuesday |
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| New snow taken Sunday morning |
On Saturday we attended a performance at the Conference Center Theatre entitled "Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection" which was a beautiful musical drama written and composed under the direction of the First Presidency.
We have tickets to attend the First Presidency Devotional which will be tonight in the Conference Center; we are looking forward to attending in person. It will be broadcast and available to everyone via BYU TV and KSL.
The Tabernacle on Temple Square has a rounded roof and we have learned that when it snows you need to be careful walking along the building as the snow will all of a sudden landslide off the roof and if you're close you will be wearing a blanket of snow.
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| King's Singers |
The message was about peace. "Jesus taught that real peace comes through paying less attention to ourselves and our own needs and seeking instead to serve those around us. 'Love one another; as I hae loved you,' He taught. Perhaps it is this spirit of giving that makes Christmas such a meaningful time of year. Generosity fills the hearts of so many, and it seems that the more we give, the more we receive - though not so much of material things but of true peace."
"This is the peace that those herald angels promised on that first Christmas night - the peace that comes from helping another and bringing happiness into someone's life. This is the peace that Jesus promised when He said, 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.' This is the divine give of Him whose birth so long ago heralded the peace that surpasses all understanding."
We wish each of you this Christmas Season the peace that only comes from the Prince of Peace.
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ReplyDeleteBrother Fuller,
ReplyDeleteI saw a recent FaceBook post about missionaries serving in the The Family and Church History Headquarters Mission. The posting stated "It is the only special needs mission in the church. The 90 Elders who serve there are either on the Autism Spectrum, have Down's Syndrome, or may be Bipolar. Theirs is a two-year service mission.
Missionaries in the FCHM wear their name tags on the opposite side because they are working for those on the other side of the veil. An interesting fact makes this mission is the top baptizing mission in the world: every baptism done in the Temple is counted here." I have a friend with Downs Syndrome and I need more information . Do you have somewhere you could point me. I am a member in Elk Grove CA.
My contact information is patriciadubray@hotmail.com