Dec 28 Merry and Bright

my baby brother...growing up so fast

Merry Christmas from us! Another Christmas together!

We just got transferred--sister parsons went to blava with sister russell and I am staying in Trenčin for my last transfer with Sister Ratcliffe! we are excited!

What a beautiful Christmas week! We saw so many miracles and were surrounded by people who were really a big family for us on this beautiful holiday.

We spent the week running around with this video https://www.mormon.org/ces/vanoce on a little tiny dvd player and sharing our testimony of Christ! We received so many gifts and so much love and felt the spirit everywhere that we went.

Our beloved members fed us an amazing traditional Christmas Eve dinner! We started off the meal with a tradition of eating a thin wafer with honey on it and an entire clove of garlic. That was really something. Sister Parsons just about died and I just swallowed mine in a few pieces like pills. Then we had kapustnica, a traditional cabbage soup with mushrooms and sausage in it, and I absolutely LOVE that stuff. Followed by a main course of potato salad and carp. The carp was not so bad besides the gazillion little tiny bones we had to pick out, and then when she started telling about picking it out on the main square and the man cutting its head off, I lost my appetite a little.

All week everyone has been giving us pastry after candy after cake and we are so overwhelmed with
food that we are swimming in it! I have never felt so loved! People here are so kind and so thoughtful.

We also got to go to Brno for training, and that was really great because we got to visit the Christmas markets and sing there. That was so much fun! I was grateful to see everyone and have a wonderful time and learn about Jesus. It was great. (Also, here is where I saw a carp gruesomely killed with speed and precision right on the main square)

We had an amazing experience with our neighbor mom this week--we visited her with some christmas cookies and gave her the english website to look at, and when we visited her again this week, she was raving about the website and about the videos of mormon families she had seen. She had literally torn the internet apart afterwards and had, within four days, decided that catholicism was wrong, and that she should only be praying to god and nobody else, and that she wanted a family like a mormon family. She had even prayed about the Book of Mormon and said she had not gotten an answer yet. I have never met someone so prepared in my life or been more grateful for modern technology!

Lastly, I just had the greatest experience with Christ this week. I really know that the Atonement works for every pain and weakness and sin and mistake and anything that we have! I am constantly confused and amazed at the love that He has for me and the limitlessness of His mercy. I cannot believe that so quickly hearts can change and burdens can be lifted. How incredible it is! I could not be more grateful for it. He truly lives and is still our Savior and Redeemer! I love him with all my heart!

Happy New Year!
s laskou,
Sestra Abbott