OH MY GOODNESS!!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!  That paper chain was BRILLIANT!!!!  I opened it this last week, and I saw the first few from our family and Katie, and I was like, 'oh, how cute...' and then I started cheating and looking at who else had written, and you must have chased down like every  important person in my life!  I couldn't stop staring at it, and I had to wait a day or two to start it... and I look forward to it everynight.  I'm going to tell you each weeks whose I've read, kind of as a shout out to them :)  Here it is so far:

 

Kallen

Sister Geddes

Heidi

Morgan

Will Weiss

Sister Deb Andrew

Heather

Pam and Brianne

 

Mom, it is seriously so great.  Fabulous job.  I have to admit, it makes me a bit homesick, but I really love it.  It's like I'm assured a letter everyday until Christmas.  Wow.  So great.

 

Tough week.  Gonna be honest.  We set some pretty big goals for Stafford with Sister Low was still here, and it looks like we probably won't be reaching them.  At least not in the timeframe imagined.  It has really gotten me down, because I feel like it is my fault, but what can you do?

 

We went to the Temple on Tuesday!  We did get the names on the Monday so it was perfect.  With the ones Jordan sent we had enough that all the sisters in our zone were able to do my names.  It was really fantastic.  I love the Temple, I just wish I could be there more often.  Sister Maughan and I were the last ones out of the session because I refused to leave.  And we were like the first ones finished.  We had a lovely Christmas dinner for our Zone conference in the Temple Cafeteria.  It was so good.  We were running a bit low on food so S. Maughan and I really had them pile our plates, which was a really good idea :)  Love it.  (BTW, we have plenty of food now.)

 

While I was in the Temple I had an impression that we needed to go to 'Maple Grove'.  I didn't actually even know if it existed inside of our area, but we checked the map and it does.  We have been able to tract it and were able to teach someone on it, so we'll see how it goes :)

 

We taught a family last night, my first time!  The dad is Daniel and the mom is Becky and there kids are Callum (5), Tom (4), Ollie (2) and Sophia (12 weeks).  We meant to teach all of them, but I mostly distracted the little boys while S. Maughan taught the parents.  After a while I had a lapful of Christmas decorations because they wanted to show them all to me.  I was trying to tell them about Jesus, but all they knew about him was that he was 'in the sky' and that they are in a Christmas play about Him.  Callum is in the choir (I thought he said he was a cryer) and Tom is a camel.  Appearently he likes being a camel more than a sheep because he cried last year.

 

The discussion eventually moved to angels.  Tom began to tell me how scary angels are.  Not only how scary, but he showed me the scary faces they make.  Then he told me that if you close your eyes the angels will get you.  Callum informed me, however, that Dr. Who is not real.  He said, 'Dr. Who isn't real, and neither is Jesus.'   I told him that Jesus was real...and he said, 'but He is in the sky...'  I had to clarify that Dr. Who isn't real, but Jesus is... so not ALL things in the sky are pretend.  Tom then went off about a sonic screwdriver.  I asked them what they asked for for Christmas.  Dr. Who dvds, and books, and cybermen, and daleks, and stone angels.  And a TARDIS.  I asked him what size of TARDIS, and he said just a medium sized one.  So that is good, not a real TARDIS.

 

My friends love these kids.

 

Apparently the lesson went really well as well.  Becky really felt the Spirit and was even able to identify another time in her life she had felt it before.  They don't really know what to believe, but are planning on coming to church in two weeks, so that will be great.  And the LOVE their children.  It is so amazing.  To be honest, in England there are a lot of broken families and you can't say that all parents love their children... a lot of parents are children themselves trying to play house or something.  But this family definitely has love, and they want to be together.  Family is the most important thing to all of them.  So we'll see what happens :)

 

I've been studying more about Jesus Christ.  I've heard that we celebrate His birth because of His life.  But I think we celebrate His birth *and* His life because of His resurrection.  If He hadn't loosed the bands of death and sin He would have simply been another great moral philosopher.  I'm eternally grateful that He is not only that but my Saviour and Redeemer.  I love Him.

 

Everyone have a memorable Christmas Season.  'There is so much to be grateful for...'  I'm grateful for all of you.

 

Loves,

 

Sister Jasmine Hull