Bonus!

Me and My Zone

Merry Christmas! Christmas is in a few days and I can hardly believe it! I don't know what we're doing for Christmas Eve and Christmas yet, but it's bound to be good. They like to keep us guessing until the last minute.

Today is my bonus p-day because I switched p-days so I have two in one week. We haven't done anything very exciting, but it is nice to have another break.

Yesterday was transfer day and it was CRAZY! As a Zone Leader I have learned that there are lots of things to figure out on the first day. The most complicated part is figuring out the schedule to make sure that at least all of the assignments are covered that first night. The assignments that we were in charge of were Christus crowd control, the two desks in the South Visitors' Center, opening and closing the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy Theater, and introducing the choirs in the North Visitors' Center. There are ten companionships in the South 2 zone (the zone that I am in) and four of them were out of commission that night for various reasons. It made things complicated but it worked out. Tonight Sister Mendivelso and I are going to do our best to finish working out schedules so that we don't have to do that anymore.

Also, Sister Moore and I were companions for about two hours yesterday morning because a Michelle King from the Mormon Times came with a camera man to do a piece about the Temple Square mission and we were chosen to be her go-to missionaries for those few hours that she was there. While she was here she interviewed President and Sister Holmes and Sister Moore and I. She also took some quick shots of six international sister missionaries here. We were in charge of finding sister missionaries from various places for those shots. There were just so many international sisters to choose from that it was difficult to choose which sister should do it. We ended up with sisters from Italy, Australia, Mexico, China, South Africa, and Canada. I heard that the article is suppose to be up on January 15. I think Sister Moore will be in it more that I will, though, she tends to talk a little more that I do. They also filmed parts of the trainer/trainee meeting where everyone finds out who their trainer or trainee is. It was quite exciting because I got to go too.

Today during companionship study Sister Mendivelso and I were trying to find something to be the zone's theme/motto for the transfer. As we were thinking about it Sister Mendivelso showed me a scripture that I really like: Mosiah 3:13 --

"For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"

I really like this one because as a missionary I get to wear his name on my tag and do my best to serve him. It made me think about if I talk with people the way that Christ would talk with people and if I love people as he would love people and if I invite people the way that he would. I don't know if this will be South 2's theme for the transfer, but I really liked this scripture.

I just found a Mormon Message that I really like: Wise Men Still Seek Him. No one is a stranger, we are all brothers and sisters. Christmas is a great time, as is every time, to celebrate with our heavenly family by serving our neighbors.