Grace Shall Be As Your Day: HE is the GIFT!

Merry Christmas to All!!

In my personal study, I am studying the life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. I love the story of his birth. As I think about the work of the angel that came to tell that Christ was born and proclaim peace and good will for all mankind, I liken it to the work that I am doing here. In a way, missionaries can be like those angels spreading the good news of the gospel and being a proclaimer of peace. I feel so blessed to be here and be a part of this great and marvelous work, bringing that love, joy, and peace to all as we testify of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This past week was pretty great. We were able to go to Santiago for a Christmas devotional. Sister Rahlf talked about the music of Christmas and President Rahlf talked about the gifts of Christmas. When we really think about what the true meaning of Christmas and the real blessing it is in our life, it becomes so much more special. He showed us a picture of one of his favorite paintings. It was a room full of toys and presents, yet the two kids were completely focused on the little nativity set. For anyone who hasn't seen the "He is the Gift" video, I challenge you to watch it and this Christmas really think about the gift of our Savior and His example to us all. [please watch the link below]

Even with Christmas coming up, missionary work still goes about as normal. This week we had kind of a funny experience. Last Sunday, a member introduced us to a couple that lived close by him. We taught them that day and they were excited for us to come back. We set a return appointment for a specific time and everything. Even the day before we saw one of the the family members and confirmed that we would see them the following day. So when we showed up at there house for the appointment, their house had been completely abandoned. All the walls were stripped of the bamboo frame and there was nothing left...GONE...VANISHED!! Sister Garcia and I stood there puzzled, thinking that they must have ran away from us as fast as possible. Turns out they didn't. They just had to move for a problem with the land that they were on, but for a while we were so confused. It was a great laugh afterward! ; )