This Christmas
season is full of wonderful things! Although
I miss going out and looking at Christmas lights with friends and family, and
the wonderful things at home, - I am excited for the work opportunities. I want
to thank the Mapels for the Thanksgiving card they sent me. Big things are in the works for them - their
family will be sooo soooo blessed with Gavin going to the Philippines. Greg
touched my heart so much - because he is wanting to do great things with himself
that I know he is very capable of. Elder
Mapel going on his mission will bless so many lives! And he leaves so soon - which is so exciting -
he has no time to procrastinate. I know he will do fine - he got his Eagle project
done in no time.
My mission president
has asked us to do something very hard this next month. He wants us to sing Christmas carols, as
a companionship, to strangers daily. Talk about getting out of my comfort zone.
But the nice thing is – some of the doors we sang at only spoke Spanish, so I
couldn't understand most of what they were saying. We just handed them a card, said some of the ‘Espaniolish’
I know, and were on our merry way. I
know that the Lord provides for those that are obedient, serve others, and do
the hard things. The Lord gives us
obstacles - only to overcome - and so we can appreciate the blessings that come
from that. This Christmas season lose
yourself in others. Do your home and visiting teaching. There are so many people in need. Sometimes all they need is a happy hello and
someone to visit them.
We watched the Christmas Devotional last night with one
of our investigator families - and made scones like at home. The J------'s are Elder Ostberg and I's little
peace of family. The message was from D. Todd Christofferson. He told about a whole town giving a sick boy
Christmas in October, because he wouldn't make it. So the whole town rallied
around Ethan. Just like eagle point rallied around Ethan Jostad. Sometimes it
doesn't seem fair - it seems when innocent people pass away it isn't always
fair. In Alma, chapter 40, it tells us that death is a thing of joy - because
it is a step necessary for each and every one for eternal happiness. Jesus died
so that we can overcome the trials of death and be with our eternal families
once again. Jesus Christ's death seemed horrible at the time; but as we look
back, it was the most important event in history, and the reason that each and
every one of us can have hope for a brighter day. Just like the sad death of Joseph
Smith came to pass - lots of good came from the trials the church faced along
with the pioneers - and all the way down to the trials each of us face today.
This Christmas
season share the gift of Jesus Christ - make it sacred to you. Things become
sacred to us through some form of sacrifice - it’s in the word sacred. Give a
little more this year, and want a little less.
I guarantee, you will get so much
more out of it than you can comprehend. The joy I receive on my mission from
helping others is the greatest thing I have experienced in my life yet. I am so
thankful to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ. He is our head, and guides his prophets and
apostles. I love my Mommy, and my Dad,
and my Sister, and all of my friends and family. Feliz Navidad.
P.S. - This was transfer week. I am staying in El Paso for 6 more weeks
so P-day is on Monday. Next transfer day will be on the 19th of January. I love you all so
so much and am praying that you will all do well financially. Sell my Jeep! My bike is starting to break.
I can’t afford a new snazzy one
that works - and I need money for an iPad too... I did the math and we have rode
about 800 miles this month on our bikes....... I love you and hope work is
going really great talk to you next Tuesday :) Pet the weasel [nickname for our Dog, Friday] for me and say Rick
loves her :)
This is one of our recent converts. He was baptized less than a week before I
got here. He plays football for UTEP and
is from Juarez originally. So blessed to
know him.
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