And So This Is Christmas.

Wonderful thing for Thursday and Friday:  One of those how-can-I-count them days.  A great thing about a mission, even as a senior couple, is "companion inventory."  It's where you tell each other what you appreciate and love about your companion, and about what you see they could be doing better.  It's a little uncomfortable at first, but then you get into it, and you see that you're both going to learn something from this, and you're going to come out of it better qualified and lifted up.  Ours ended with my receiving a blessing from Blaine and both of us weeping for feeling the Spirit so sweetly.  This is sooo good.
I would have to also mention what an awe-inspiring privilege it is to be with these fine, dedicated, pure-hearted, earnest young elders and sisters.  We had zone training in Florence today.  President and Sister Dibb were in attendance, as were Elder and Sister Lee, senior missionaries in Siena, where he is the branch president.   We discussed the inspired principles and programs - read Elder Bednar's BYU Education Week discourse, "To Sweep the Earth as with a Flood" (https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood?lang=eng) for the central ideas - that are driving missionary/family history work right now.  We watched the video "He Is the Gift" (http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529) and discussed ways to share this timely and inspiring holiday reminder with many, many friends and strangers.  Not only were presentations made by Pres and Sis Dibb, but also by the zone leaders Elder Taylor and Elder Kekoolani, who shared challenges and invitations to go home TODAY and put these things in practice NOW.  We split into groups to role play sharing Church videos with members, asking who of their friends would enjoy a video, or who among their friends had a special need that a video might address ("Mormon Messages", YouTube's Mormon Channel).  These are disciples of Christ from whom I can learn and who can inspire me.  We feel privileged to walk among them.

Fun thing:  Since this is the Christmas season, we shared a dessert (Sister Lee's super brownies and banana cupcakes, together with ice cream), the Dibbs gifted the young missionaries a lovely framed picture of the presidents of the church in pen-and-ink, and we all sang Christmas hymns, in Italian and in English.  In addition, Sister Lee and I put together little bags with American Christmas treats to take home - rice crispy treats, fudge-dipped pretzels, congo bars, and my special PB cups, along with tangerines.  We admonished them not to dip into their gift bags till after they'd eaten lunch, especially since they'd already had dessert!  It was jolly.