This week we had a YSA Conference - there were young people from every corner of the mission, one traveling over 1500 miles to attend! There were 32 in all, and it was an incredible experience. Lots of fun, and deeply spiritual too...the Area Authority Seventy was supposed to attend, but could not make it. Thankfully, technology provided a way for him to speak to them through teleconferencing...it was wonderful. We went to a Children's Hospital to present a Christmas program (we did this on the Russian Christmas - Jan 7), give service to the hospital and deliver gifts to the children. Miraculously, 3 large packages of toys, games, etc. arrived from the US (HUGE THANKS TO JOSH AND EMILY, JOSH'S CO-WORKERS AND EMPLOYER, AND CO SPRINGS 7TH WARD) just a week or so before....they had no idea that we desperately needed these items to make the service to this hospital complete! Our budget for the conference would not provide for it. We visited the oncology department, and children and parents alike were so grateful they could not hold back emotion! As President Eyring counseled us at the Christmas Devotional, we should not be content with 'having a Merry Christmas', but 'giving a Merry Christmas' - thank you to all who GAVE!!! It meant so much to them...
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1 comment:
Wow! You all have such snazzy coats and hats! We loved reading about the toys and who they went to. It was touching for us as well. We had no idea you didn't have the budget for the toys, we just thought it would be a fun surprise. And it was so wonderful that Josh's company funded all of the shipping costs. Your conference sounded like a success! Glad everyone enjoyed it! I'm sure the dancing and singing would have been so much more funny to us if we knew what the ladies were singing!
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