Week 33 - December 10-16

Sunday Elder Koberstein and I took a walk on Temple Square before Sacrament Meeting to take pictures of the beautiful nativities they have here.  This looks Native American to me.

I think this one is Japanese because of the torii (Japanese gate), the kimonos (Japanese traditional clothing) the figures are wearing and Kokeshi doll style (Wooden dolls) the pieces are made to look like.

This nativity reminds me of Mexico with the donkey cart, sombrero Joseph is holding and the dress style.

This Joseph and Mary are floating on the pond looking toward the Salt Lake Temple where brides and grooms take picture with the temple as a background.

Not sure where this is from.  What do you think?

I see animals from Africa.  

Elder Koberstein and I thought this one could be from the islands of the sea (Tonga, Samoa etc.).

The manger scene between the tabernacle and visitors center is very life like, see the wise men.

There are shepherds with their sheep.

This is the manger with Joseph, Mary; baby Jesus.

Sister Lee will be going home this coming week.  She is the one who creates this beautiful bulletin board for our break room.

The mission provided us with a budget for a Christmas party.  We chose to have a catered luncheon following our recognition meeting on Wednesday.  Elder and Sister Ch'en helped us order the menu from King Buffet.  Having it during our day at the library include more of our Church Service Missionaries.

Thursday for lunch we went to the JSMB
and listened to Dan Wilson.

 He was commissioned to paint a painting of Christ in Gethsemane that will be hung in the Oakland Temple chapel.  It was advertised that he would bring it but it turned out the 7 foot high painting was going to be picked up so it was not shown.  He did bring this  painting of Christ.  The boy model is his oldest son.

On Thursday night our MTC group visited "This Is The Place Park" together.  Heritage Village has many fun activities for the holidays.  We visited the Hickman Cabin.  This is an original two room log cabin moved here. The entrance to the attic where the children sleep was outside.  This cabin was much like the home my father lived in the first few years of his life.  This was a poor family house.

The next house was Gardiner Cabin.  It had four rooms which included an  inside entrance  to the attic where the children would sleep.

 We were shown how to make cloth garland here.

This is a replica of the ZCMI store in the early 1900's.

We enjoyed the replica of the Dessert News Printing Shop.  Elder Koberstein bought a copy of the old German script words and music for "Silent Night".  It was originally printed in Germany on a press much like this one.

This tree had many white lights on it and reminded us of the Tree of Life.

Susan and Nathan were in charge of their Wards Christmas Party Friday evening.  They had a fun program.  This is the Primary acting out the manger scene while the Christmas story is being read form the Bible.

They had a choir from one of the high school sing.  One of their grand daughters was part of the group.  The choir provided beautiful Christmas music to go along with a wonderful ham dinner.  It was a fun evening.

Elder Koberstein and I went Christmas tree shopping Saturday.  We have a two foot high tree that makes our place feel like Christmas.

A THOUGHT FOR YOU

"We may...find that a specific verse of scripture that was spoken for quite a different purpose in an entirely different age will, under the interpretive influence of the Holy Ghost, give us a very personal message adapted to our personal needs today....If we seek to liken the scriptures to our own circumstances, 'that it might be for our profit and learning' (1 Nephi 19:23), a loving Father in heaven can use them to bless us in highly individual ways" -President Dallin H. Oaks