It's a Great Gift to Me!

12/22/2014

Merry Christmas you wonderful people out there!  I hope you all are stoked for the 25th.  This week I won’t write much, because we have a missionary Christmas party in like a half hour, so I have to go quick, but wanted to just fill you all in.  This week took a weird turn, and it's finally stopped raining in my area.  So it’s like a billion degrees again.  We are going to cook for Christmas.  ha ha.   As for the work, it was a pretty good week.  We were able to set an all-time high with member lessons here in my area.  This week we only had one investigator show again... so a little down, but hey, half of everybody was gone.  Here in Honduras everyone just goes back to the little village in the mountains where they grew up until January for Christmas.  So ya, that’s been a real downer because that means that our dinners are falling through too..... so that’s a bummer.  No dinner Christmas day... oh well?!

I was also a little disappointed this week with our missionary activity we planned with the branch.  We had planned to go and sing carols to some of the inactive members and investigators that we have.  And well...... two people showed up at the church, and it wasn’t even for the activity. It was for institute class.  So that was another bummer.... and then we sat and talked to the two men that showed up and one of them just basically told us there’s not hope for the people in La Jutosa.  That he’s tired of talking and that he’s depressed because no one listens.... lots of sad stuff.  So we have to figure out how to get the members excited to do missionary work somehow...

So that’s basically everything that happened this week.  I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you all remember the true reason, the birth of the Savior.  Maybe we could all just take a break Christmas day and think of some of the things He has done for us.  I know I already shared a bit, but just repeating the same thing, He has given us His life.  Everything He did, was for us.  His suffering in the garden of Gesthemane (I don’t remember how that is in English anymore), in the hands of the roman soldiers, on the cross, all of that was for our salvation.  I love how the scriptures teach us these concepts.  It’s a lot clearer than I can teach, especially in 2 Nefi 2 verse 6 and 7.  And it’s in Spanish so I won’t write it.  But He died for us, and all we have to do is have a broken heart and a contrite spirit and turn to him, repent, and follow Him. And that is how we receive of His mercy.  I know that Christ lives, and that He died for us, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to learn so much more about His sacrifice here in the mission.  I’m thankful that I get to be His representative and teach these truths: that salvation is for all if they turn to Him, and that is the only way.  It’s a great gift to me! Merry Christmas!

Elder Ollis