Christ Is Love . . . Week 34

Hello hello!!! :) 

I hope that everyone has had such a wonderful week! I am glad that it finally snowed back home in Utah because guess what? TEN DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! :D

Also, Happy anniversary to Jonathan and Courtney again! and Happy 6th (I think 6th) Birthday to Liki! :D 

This time of year is such an amazing time of year! I just love it! Here are some highlights from this week, and since the next p-day for us won't be til Christmas I am going to foretell some highlights that will be happening this coming week. :) 

We had exchanges on Monday and Tuesday with the amazing Sister Training Leaders!! It was so fun! I was with sister Boettinger this time. We had an amazing time together. and It snowed!!!!!! :D The snow wasn't sticking to the ground, but there was still fluffy stuff falling from the sky! Tuesday morning we woke up and went to the window (like I always do to see if it has snowed) and it was starting to snow. So I hurried and called the elders and said "it's snowing! Merry Christmas!" haha, Sister Boettinger and I were SO EXCITED!!! The best part is that we had contacting all morning long and so we got to sing and talk to people in the freezing snow and everything. It was freezing, but it was snowing. So it was okay. :) 

So the Elders cut us down a Christmas tree the other week. We decorated our tree on Tuesday. It looks amazingly Christmasy. and we got Stockings as well. 

We rode the bus for the first time since coming to Prishtine. I used the bus multiple times every single day in Tirana, but it was our first time this transfer this week. It was exciting stuff. 

So, I was in the bathroom at the church and I had to blow my nose. like a lot. I felt something in my nose but I just couldn't get it out. So I kept on blowing. and they were not quiet ones. I was blowing it when I randomly hear one of the elders yell "you can do it sister zollinger!" how dare they ;) can I not go to the blow my nose in peace? haha. all that blowing though really hurt my nose. It felt weird after that. I got out of the bathroom and the Elders are all just sitting down on the seats and looking at me and laughing and said "was that you blowing your nose?" Elder Clawson later told me that he thought it was an elephant... i guess i have a talent with the noise and the sound pitch that my nose makes when I blow my nose...ha who woulda thunk. 

 On Sunday morning my companion asked how my nights rest was and then she started laughing. Because apparently I sang in my sleep last night. and to have had woken up my companion sleeping meant that it was not quiet singing because she is a heavy sleeper. Apparently I sang really loud "jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way" and then I stopped singing and that was all I had said in the middle of the night. haha, well... :) 

Sometimes when you are street contacting for a long time you are able to get entertained really easily. It is even more fun when you get to see how people interact with everybody. I think this week I saw the best confused and surprised look ever by this guy walking by. I don't know why he gave us the look, but it was funny. 

On the 18th it will be my 1st year anniversary from getting my Mission Call to Serve in the Adriatic South Mission. My life has never been the same since that day. I still remember how excited I was that day that I got my mission call and that excitement has just eskalated (I don't know if I spelled that right...) since that day. 

This past week has been such a great week! I had a really cool conversation with a person who is building a resteraunt. My companion had a feeling that we should knock on this door and talk to whoever was inside. As we were talking we asked him if he believed in Christ. His response was "I already believe in Love, so of course I believe in Christ." It amazes me how people who do not know about our gospel can give such pure answers. It is so true. Christ is love. The first Gift that God gave us was Love, it was Christ. In John 3:16 it says that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son; that whosever would believe on him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Because God so loved you He gave you love. He gave you Christ. It is because of Christ's Love that He successfully fulfilled His mission here on earth so that we can obtain Eternal Life. The greatest evidence of Christ's love is His Atonement. He died and suffered for me. For you. For your spouse. For your kids. For your family. For your enemies. For your heroes. For every single person. Love. That is the meaning of Christmas, that is the Gift of Christmas. This week and next week, let's share the Spirit of Christmas with our neighbors, our family, our friends, our enemies. Let us Share Love, and more importantly let us #SharetheGift http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?im=true&v=2874125972001 

Have a wonderful week! Smile lots and Serve lots and I will talk to you next week on Skype!!! :D 

I love you! 

Love,

Motra Zollinger