12-16-13

Hola Familia!

Sounds like all is going well in Arizona. Mom I am glad you finally conquered the Christmas tree, because it isn't Christmas without one. Our house currently has three up. And I get to stay in Royal for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am super excited, but sad because Hermana Heninger is getting transfered. She is Heading up to Cashmere Valley, WA. It is up North, i don't think she will have to worry of having a white Christmas. But oh well, it will still be fun. I will just have to spend it with my new companion and I have a week to make Royal feel like home before Christmas. Challenge accepted.

Overall we have had a really good week, no complaints. Had many of the people we are teaching are continuing to grow and learn and accept. As we continue forward i have no doubt that they will accept the gospel, now i am just working on the Lord's time table.

As a missionary, Christmas time is an interesting thing. We spend so much time focused on Christ that it feels very similar to normal time, yet everyone else too is more focused on Christ. That part isn't quite as normal. It is amazing to see the change in people just because it is Christmas. One family we were visiting said he wished that people had the spirit of giving year round rather than on Christmas. Yes that is our ultimate goal, that Christ like love and Charity, but every little spark of that helps.

We had our Christmas Conference and it was filled with fun! We had some great musical numbers that helped us feel the spirit of Christmas. One that hit me, was an Elder sang "O Holy Night" and besides the fact that i was sitting in a church building in church clothes, it was like a Sunday night at Grandma's house around the Holidays. We had good spiritual uplift in some of the stories and then music and of course later some fun. They told a story about the importance of teaching children the true meaning of Christmas and then related that to us as missionaries teaching God's children the importance of Christ. It was so interesting how it applied to us. I want nothing more than everyone to understand the true meaning of Christmas, he was born that we could live! Even his birth was for us. Not a single part of his life was selfish. After the devotional we watched a picture slide show from the mission and then they fed us some "Christmas Dinner" it was sooo good. Then, we watched "Monsters University" it was really weird! but fun. I thought it was a pretty good second movie. Then for Christmas we all got a big picture from when Elder Ballard came to the mission. I forgot to take a picture to send. maybe next time. And a book. Never have I been so excited to get a book for christmas! The real story is this picture...