2 Weeks Til Christmas!

Kia Ora!

Not too bad of a week this week. No crazy stories though. Definitely the highlight of the week was our Christmas Fireside we had last night. I was so excited about how many people came and I hope everyone enjoyed it, I was playing the piano for all the songs except two, so I don't really know how it felt to be watching from the audience. It took quite a bit of preparation on both of our parts. Sister Perry was much more involved in the organization process than I was, but it took lots of piano practice on my part, but just like all my piano festivals growing up, crazy how much I can prepare for one thing and how quickly it's all over. I played this Christmas Medley in a book mom sent me, and the rest were mostly just hymns sang as the congregation, then played O, Holy Night, which Sister Perry sang and then had a couple other numbers from members from the Otumoetai Ward and Katikati Branch. In the middle of the firesides, I realized that I just don't feel Christmas-y, I'm in such warm clothes and it's just weird not seeing everyone bundled up. I'm kind of missing having a cold Christmas, but I know I'll get home and be missing the warm New Zealand Christmases.

Things are going great with our investigator, Chrissie, who we met last week and set to be baptized on the 24th. She's decreased her smoking and cups of coffee a lot, but still has a way to go, but she was saying how she's been feeling happier and better knowing that she has self control. We had our ward Christmas Party friday night that she came to. She got a ride because she doesn't have a car, but her ride was the MC. We left at 8:45 so we could be home by 9:00, but we found out the next day that it went til 10:30 and it started at 6:30! Ahhh, it was a variety show and they brought some performing groups from the community too, but apparently had a ton of performances by the members as well. I definitely would not have stayed til the end if I was a member in that ward. But thankfully Chrissie said she enjoyed herself.

So we had a lesson with this guy that we met on the street, Kendall, he's quite religious and goes to church, so he knows lots about the Bible, but was interested in getting a Book of Mormon. The first lesson he was quite open and willing to listen, and his kind of creepy flatmate was the not-humble one. But the second lesson (when we went over the Book of Mormon and invited him to read it), it completely switched. He kept asking if we understood the danger of the statement we were making that this is the same church the Jesus Christ set up, and kept trying to say we thought Joseph Smith was our Savior and was just getting worked up about things, but it was obvious that he was scared to read it. Scared to find out that he's wrong in his church right now or scared to reject something that's true. We'll see if he read at all or not this week!

One things I am slightly tired of is people, like our friend Kendall, to question what I'm preaching and to just look at things deeper, or telling me I need to be born again and accept Jesus Christ in my life. You would think I would have done that before I volunteered and paid to do this. Unfortunately I know it's going to be happening the rest of my mission. I attached a picture of us, after our fireside, out in front of our flat. This week, I've realized how many and how big the trees are in the homes that I can see from our flat. I love New Zealand!

Love you all! Hope things are going well!

Love,
     Ally