Inn and Stable

josephbrickey  lds.org web photo
At Christmas we find it’s an adventure in inspiration to imagine yourself in the story of the nativity.  As you travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem ….
















 web photos lds.org
...two of the places you might find yourself are the Inn and Stable. In the setting of the story, one had room for the family, one did not, so nativities are pretty much set
"inn" the "stable".

We share a few photos of a bit of NZ Christmas,
along with a few of  the nativities we've seen.
 At a get-together of senior sister missionaries at the home of Pacific Area Attorney Doug and Michi Matsumori (not a bad view) we found some of these: 

 Australian Stable and Nativity 
NZ fan-shell-for-the-stable Nativity

 MAORI Nativity from Kauri wood with a marae stable
Fijian Nativity
The great women missionaries (mostly from the area office of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) here in New Zealand and the Pacific area.  These sisters are not only pretty "stable" but they are all "inn" when it comes to serving the Lord.
Whats "inn" this year for Christmas decor in NZ...we don't see heaps, but we do see some homes with decorations.  More trees in the windows this years than last, but nothing like the "over-the-top" stuff back in the states. 

 Even a very few with outside lights.
It's all good, but makes us think twice about what things we get "Inn"-to and why.  What is the real "price" of things and our focus.

Some things are pricey, some are priceless.  Some are priceless things we give away...
and we call them gifts.

The Gift of Sharing

 It takes time and lots of big words to share a book with your new little sister.  But doesn't everybody have a "sister" somewhere who would love to share a book.. 

The gift of your best effort

 It takes effort to travel early on a Saturday morning to drive your family to see old missionaries and sing Christmas carols and dance Tongan dances for them for their Christmas gift.  
What a great gift ...thank you Skeen family.

The gift of your talent


 This priceless nativity was hand carved in Bethlehem nearly a century ago by Jiries Giacaman's father out of mother of pearl, and placed in an abalone shell.  It's priceless not because of the materials, but because of the hands that made it and who they made it for.

The gift of Charity

 Jirires works in wood...he is a carpenter of sorts.  The story of the nativity includes a wise and unselfish carpenter who followed God.
Jirires and his wife are devout Christians from Bethlehem (don't know for sure which denomination) who follow God and are "Inn and Stable" in their incredible charity. We took Sister Sessions to visit them and when they found out from Sister Sessions about her husband's accident,and TBI (last blog)  Jiries gave them...

 an angel Moroni (he had just finished only 3 of them as special carvings) to watch over Elder Sessions.  We'll never know how he found out about "angel" Moroni but that doesn't matter, it was his charity that matters.  What a gift and what a guy!   
And his wife Marcelle is not a wit behind him...offering us her own squeezed mango juice and fresh baked Bethlehem-family-recipe date cakes.  Always giving.

Mexican Feliz Navidad Senior Missionary FHE

Kauri wood nativity and "chili pepper lights"...minus the stable.

 Tongan Nativity with the Christmas "chili pepper lights".. no stable but love the pig 
 
When our Senior Missionaries in the mission found out there were scores of missionaries here from 3rd world countries who will get no Christmas from home, we were all “Inn” to do a bit of service and gift giving for them. 

  So when we had our FHE at President Walker's home we spent it by throwing together some “gifts” bags for them.  
Don’t know for sure how it will make those little missionaries feel…but sure made us feel more “Stable” and good inside.  We should do it more!   
Downtown Queen street tree

Our great secretary Leeanne Krull knits nativities.  

Her cat is no support … but all "Inn" to pose for pictures.
We had a Christmas FHE with the Amende family and they had a knitted nativity as well.  
They have weathered some really hard things with mom’s terminal diagnosis and many other challenges…but their faith hasn’t waivered.  They are all “Inn” and their faith is stronger and more “Stable” than ever before.  
The Amende family's knitted nativity
The Amende's grandmother made them this little Stable and Maori nativity.


We had another great dinner with an incredible Maori family Elly and Manu Edwards and family.  Manu serves as the Bishop, Elly is an area institute coordinator, their son Manu is on the high council, and their daughters Erana and Hinerea (married with a baby Korra, hubby Ephraim wasn't there) are all great disciples of the Savior.  
We chose to take a photo of them instead of their nativity.  These guys are dedicated to the Lord in all they do…they themselves are all “inn and stable” in their testimony of and service to the little Lord Jesus.

We thought this was a priceless gift - hand painted by Erana Edwards' stable hands
 Our little attempt at a fan shell nativity, next to a freshly carved Kiwi by Jiries*, the picture is a gift from artist and friend Jean Keaton.
 (*Jirires took an hour and taught Elder Downs how to carve this one.  Luckily we don't have a band saw or Elder Downs might become a Kiwi carver.)
web photo
Where are you at on the road to the Savior? 
Are you all “Inn?
Is your faith "Stable”? 
Are you one of the “Wise” who have have left off seeking the honors of the world
to honor Him and bring the best gifts you have to offer? 
 lds.org web photo
Is He part of your world, your life, your faith?
web photo
There is plenty of room...are you "Inn"?

Merry Christmas.
He lives, He WAS born in Bethlehem, He showed us the Way
and then through the priceless gift of His Atonement and Resurrection 
He provided the Way.
We KNOW it!

We love Him and you and wish you all the Joy that Christmas holds.
Love, Elder and Sister Downs
Vance and Louenda


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