Saturday, December 24, 2016

2016-12-21 Buon Natale!

Good Christmas! Buon Natale!

There are high points in the mission and low points. Month by month, week by week, day by day, and even within the day. This past week was filled with both. We were doing weekly planning and were so saddened during the whole thing because so many of our investigators aren't making progress who we thought would be so promising (we think all of our investigators will be promising). But they just don't want to see us or can't see us or repeatedly don't do the things we ask them to do. This is sad but also makes time and room for us to work maybe in a different way, maybe we will even find a better way, to meet new people and stretch to be better. Sometimes I get sad if people don't make progress and I had a moment this week where I just wanted so bad for Jesus to come down and be my friend and walk with me and go to lessons with me because He would just do everything so much better. But, then I remembered....His whole life practically. People who saw and met Jesus didn't even believe in Him. Even if He comes down in the flesh, sometimes people just aren't ready for the gospel. And so that gives me the comfort along with the plan of salvation that good-bye isn't goodbye forever really, it just means that our paths will cross again not during this mission maybe, but definitely some day in the future and I will be very happy that day.

I just want everybody to be happy! Dang it that's all I want.

In any case, we also had high points like an incredible ward lunch for Christmas in which we got to talk to a member who, during our time here, went from less-active, to re-activated. So she is 19 and so cool, she is really smart and just a neat person. We were eating at a table with her and the Spirit somehow led the conversation to going on a mission. Now, before I went on the mission, I hated when people asked me if I was going because I wasn't. But I asked her and she admitted that there was a time when she felt like she should. We could tell that the Spirit was telling her in that moment again that it's still the right thing to do, so we asked her that (what the Spirit was telling her), and you could just see the fire of the Spirit burning inside of her when she admitted that it was telling her to go. I could totally see her going and I think it would make me so so proud and happy for her if she did. Then the day after we visited with her and her mom and testified that they are both lights to others and I could tell the Spirit was telling her the same thing again. Moments like that, sharing a Spiritual moment with someone, is what makes the mission such a rich experience.

I have loved getting to share the message of Jesus Christ with people during this time of year! It's hard for me to even express my feelings about Him because He is what I live, eat, and breathe right now. But I just want to say that I know He lives, we have four whole books of scripture that say that he does. If four books of scripture all talking about one man isn't a sign from heaven of His divinity then I don't know what is. 
"26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." 
I'm grateful for a Savior. He is the reason for the season, the reason for three major faiths, the reason for missionaries, the reason for the scriptures, the reason for hope, the reason for every good thing in life. I testify of this and wish you all a merry Christmas in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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