Diana, Esther Ryser, E. Nilsson & Daniel ryser; Rafael Ryser who said his greatest wish was to be a missionary; Bastian Ryser & his cousin, E. Larson, E. Nilsson.

DECEMBER 22, 2009 TUESDAY

And so begins another day as we were up and getting ready for our district meeting. We were assigned to give a spiritual thought about Christmas and we chose to read two stories, The Bird Cage, author unknown and A Story of the Christ-Child-A German Legend for Christmas Eve as told by Elizabeth Harrison. The first one was actually in two sections: a pastor had a conversation with a mean boy and then a conversation between Christ and Satan. Diana acted the part of the pastor and Christ and I acted the part of the mean boy and Satan. The second story I just read aloud. For us these stories brought the meaning of Christmas a little closer to home as we better understood the role of Jesus in our lives and our responsibility to look after the poor and down trodden. The rest of the meeting was inspirational and uplifting as well and it’s always a treat to be instructed by these young Elders and feel their testimonies and commitment to the Lord. We planned a district breakfast on Christmas morning where they will open their presents together. We also plan to invite some members and investigators to come as well.

After district meeting we came home and had a quick lunch of tomato pasta soup and then went to Bassersdorf to visit Verena Bosshard in the care center there. She has been really ill for the last week or so and she was still sick today, but feels she’s on the mend. She’s always so appreciative of visits because she doesn’t get out much. She said her home teachers, Bruno Diethelm and Heinz Locher, were also going to visit her a little later this afternoon. She said her son plans on coming on Friday to pick her up and take her home to visit for a week or so if she can stay well long enough.

We made it home with a few minutes to spare before we had to leave to go to Esther & Daniel Rysers in Opfikon for dinner. Just as we were thinking about leaving, Elders Irick & Nilsson called to see if we could hook up and go out there together. We met them at our underground tram stop five minutes later and traveled to Opfikon where we got off the tram and walked the remaining fifteen minutes to the Ryser’s home. We waited outside for about ten minutes so Elders Dockstader and Dias could catch up, but we went in before they got there because we didn’t want to be late. The Rysers are always gracious and friendly and make us feel welcome. Just as we were invited to sit at the table, Elders Dockstader & Dias came so we were all present when dinner was served. Dinner was chicken chunks in a chicken gravy over cooked pasta. Along with that came a vegetable casserole and a green salad. Later came various flavors of ice cream with different toppings. It was all very delicious and filling.

After dinner Elders Irick & Nilsson lead out in our spiritual thought with showing the video, Finding Happiness, which lead into a discussion of what is the most important thing in life. We all got a turn to respond to that question and then we discussed what we had to do to be able to achieve our goal. The discussion included Alma 22:15 where the King was willing to give away his kingdom to know God’s will for him. As the discussion came to a close Ddiana bore her testimony in German about the Plan of Salvation after which I and others also bore testimony of how important this knowledge is in helping us to live the gospel. The discussion lasted for about an hour and then came dessert which was ice cream with various toppings. We finally left about 9:30 and as we stepped out of the building, we discovered it was raining. For once we didn’t have our umbrella with us so I found a plastic bag in my backpack for Diana to use as a hat and then we made the fifteen minute walk back to our tram stop. The rain didn’t bother the missionaries and only one had a rain jacket (I did, too), but the rain didn’t seem to bother the other three. We arrived home about 10:15 and when we climbed the stairs to our apartment, we discovered someone had left a Christmas gift leaning against the door. This one we’ll save until Christmas to open at our district breakfast. Then we’ll know who to thank.

The tender mercies we feel today is the love and appreciation members have for us and the other missionaries who serve here. We love and appreciate them as well.

Diana with the bag over her head as a rain hat, Elders Irick, Nilsson, Dockstader & Dias.