I'm imagining many of you busily getting reading for Christmas, the kids grateful that finals are over or at least that school is finally over for the year. For us missionaries we carry on, and I'm sure in the case of Elder Wengreen, Sister Ashton & Sister Christensen you're sharing the message of the gospel of Christ and the beautiful promises of His birth and life, His atonement and His gospel. As President Hinckley said, "There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection." Aren't we grateful for this message and sure knowledge?
I've had a very nice week! It has been quite slow at the office again, but the evenings and afternoons have been fun. Monday night was a party with my FHE group. I was in charge and we had a yummy potluck and gift exchange. We played it a different way with dice and passing the gifts around based on the number rolled. I think everyone had a good time. On Tuesday night, Coray invited me to have dinner with their family at a really nice Italian restaurant at City Creek. It was so great to be with them and be part of their traditional before-Christmas celebration. I'm mad at myself for not getting a picture before we parted! On Wednesday, Lori and Annabelle came to meet me at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They came to the office and got to meet my mission president. We walked around City Creek and had dinner together. It was so fun to be with them! Annabelle is such a cutie!
On Friday, I went to lunch with my cousins Kathi & Doug. They are siblings and children of my Aunt Frances, who was my father's sister. That was fun too because we just don't have chances to get together often enough.
Yesterday morning I decided to brave the Salt Lake Temple one last time. Since it's closing next weekend I knew this would be my last chance to go while I'm here. I knew that it would be extremely busy and that I might have to wait a long time to get in, but I decided that it would be worth it. I got there at 10:00 hoping to make it in to the 11:00 session. I didn't. The room was full, but I thought I might get in the next session. A few minutes went by and they started taking people to different rooms to wait for the next session. I barely missed getting in that one, but at the end they asked for three people. It was convenient to be a single person so I barely got in for the 12:00 session. I took a seat with a Bible on it, and started reading Revelation 12. Good way to spend my time! I was only in that room for about 30 minutes when they said it was time to go up to the Creation Room. I was pleasantly surprised - they had figured out that they could fill the sessions and keep them going without worrying about them starting on the hour. The 12:00 session actually started at 11:10. We had to wait a few minutes for rooms to empty at times, but it was a peaceful place to wait. I was so grateful to be there. The Spirit was strong and sweet. The worker who portrayed Peter struggled to keep his emotions under control at times. I'm sure he could feel the Spirit as well, maybe knowing it was one of the last times he would be participating in that way. I'm so grateful for the blessings of my temple covenants and for the sealing power which ties me to my family. I put each of my family's names on the prayer roll - hundreds will be praying for them this week!
Church at the branch where I play the organ was really sweet today. The people there are so humble and good. I know many of them have had difficult lives, but they show their faith by worshipping together. "David" keeps coming. I watch for him and am grateful that the branch members have welcomed him. He's the man a while back who bore his testimony wearing two different shoes, saying that he was ready to come back to church. Nolan calls him "the disheveled man in church" and talked about him during one of his Sunday School lessons about the type of person the Savior loved and sought out while He was here.
The beauty of two sacrament meetings on Sundays is that I get double the inspiration with beautiful messages of the gospel. Today was messages of the doctrine of Christ, the gifts of Christmas, and beautiful music of the season. Today the Relief Society gave Christmas stockings to all the young elders with messages from home. The picture is of them following strict instructions to line up to get their letters, pick a stocking and make sure that their Walmart gift card was inside. 😊 It was sweet.
My gift to you today is my testimony. I have a sure knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He came to earth as a precious gift from our Father in Heaven to accomplish the atonement that no other could do. He restored His gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith who gave us the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and complete gospel on earth today. The doctrines and teachings in the Book of Mormon guide us on our way back to our Heavenly Father, and the blessings of the temple will allow us to be together as a forever family if we keep those covenants. I'm so grateful to be blessed with my precious family! I'm grateful for their examples and their testimonies which strengthen me. Their lives are the greatest gift to me.
Merry Christmas!
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