January 1, 2015

Hey Mom,

 

On Christmas Eve we had FHE at the Nelson's and I brought guacamole. Everyone kept commenting on and asking about the "salad with avocado". 

I don't remember if it was that night or another that we, the sisters, prepared the message. We watched The Coat which is on lds.org and then passed around a Macedonian Bible and took turns each reading a verse from the story of Christ's birth in Luke. I could really feel the Spirit there that night and we had a ton of people so it was awesome. 

Last night for New Year's Sister Schofield kept telling me how loud the fireworks were going to be because she remembered from last year and told me I should go take a nap before they started. (We weren't allowed out after 4pm as a safety precaution.) She was like, "I know you're a deep sleeper but you're not going to be able to sleep through all of that." In the morning when I told her I'd slept like a rock she just shook her head and told me I was ridiculous. 

We have been caroling and still giving out He is the Gift cards for contacting because it still isn't Christmas here for another week. Sister Hassell, being the banjo-playing vegetarian from Oregon that she is, has been able to switch to guitar and help provide music to our less-than-talented singing. Elder Gierisch was her secret santa for Christmas and wanted to buy her a goat's head from a butcher, but in the morning he found out that they weren't sold until noon. Apparently they only cost 60 denar, but I'm glad he didn't get her one because it would've made me feel a bit sad.

I can't remember what else has happened that I can quickly type to you. New investigators, 2 for sure coming to church. So nice to have dedicated people to teach!!! One named Lucy who owns her own chinese cafe, we had a lesson there one night. she's Buddhist but has described feeling the Spirit when she came to church. She just doesn't know what it is yet.  Thru her we met Zdravka, an old woman who we're teaching for the second time tonight.

It is SO COLD in Skopje right now. I'm wearing sweats under my skirt and a hoodie under my coat, plus handwarmers and wool socks, thermal garments, etc, and it still isn't doing the trick! The only trick would be to stay inside, which of course we cant do. We've been keeping the heater on at night the past few days. Snow everywhere which we got for the first time I want to say 3? 4? days ago, then it snowed again lightly. So we're walking on ice everywhere.

Feel like we're making some headway with Deon, one of our investigators, though that may be just a feeling.

Hope you all had a merry Christmas and were able to remember and feel it's true meaning.

"To love another person is to see the face of God." 

-Victor Hugo

Love,

Sister Riddle

                       Photo taken from hotel window where church is held. (Skopje, Macedonia)