Week 70: Christmas!!!

Elle with her new Companion, Sister Lindsay.
Sister Lindsay in from Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Everyone guess what?! It is CHRISTMAS!!!!! I love this time of year so much! I love the music and the smells, I love the weather and the feeling of peace and happiness, I love that we are able to learn more about our Savior and that we are able to share His love and birth with all those that we come in contact with, through our words and example. I love that everyone is wanting to serve others, whether they know the person or not. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and am grateful that we are able to celebrate His birth! 

Elle and Sister Lindsay putting lights on their
Christmas tree Thanksgiving night.

This last week we had transfers, Sister Perry was transferred and I am here in Oak Harbor. My new companion in Sister Lindsay, she is amazing! I have been blessed so much on my mission to have companions who are incredible. It has been fun to get to know Sister Lindsay, I think what has been the best is that we are so much a like that we find something new we have in common everyday! AHH!!! Hahaha Sister Lindsay is from P.G., Utah. She comes from a family of 10 and has been on her mission for five months, this is her third area....lets just say I have a lot to work on so that I can get to the level that she is on. I got very lucky!

Elle said, "I finally received the Dr. Pepper I had won".

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. We got to spend the day over at our WML...Thursday was our P-day because of the holiday and because we had an early curfew. It was a lot of fun to be able to spend the day with Brother Carters family, he has three kids 12 and younger and so we got to play board games and Lego's and many other things. I am very grateful for the amazing families that I have been able to meet on my mission that when events and holidays come up like this they are more then welcome to have us come over and spend the day with their family. Heavenly Father has really been looking out for me and made sure that my mission has been the best experience for me, so that I will be able to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. When we had to come in for the rest of the evening Sister Lindsay and I finished putting up the lights on the Christmas tree! It looks so happy and every time you look at it you cant help but smile! I LOVE this time of year. 

Elle got her hair done.

At the beginning of November President Wilding invited all of us to spend the next two months learning all that we can about our Savior Jesus Christ. I was so excited for this invitation what better way to spend the holidays then to spend it learning more about our Savior the One who is the reason for the season. I have learned a lot already, I have spent a lot more time in the New Testament along with the Book of Mormon and doing my best to memorize The Living Christ (harder then I would have thought, haha). Today I was reading in Mark 7 and while reading about Christ casting out the devil in the Greek women's daughter. I started to think about what was maybe my favorite parable or story. While I was pondering this question I thought about when Christ was 12 years old and he was in the Temple teaching the Rabbis. 

We learn that Mary and Joseph were very faithful and they went to Jerusalem every year during the feast of the Passover. That this religious festival is very important and that is was a reminder of the new year. All men were required to be there but the women were given the option. When Jesus turned 12 years old He went with Mary and Joseph. There He was recognized as a member of His community. It was common for people to have their sons attend the feast of the Passover and also to go to the temple ceremonies, being recognized as someone who has become of age; that being when Jesus went to the temple. The feast only lasted about seven days and so when it was over everyone traveled in their groups to go home and get back to their normal lives. But after Mary and Joseph had been traveling for a day they realized that Jesus what not to be found with them, so they headed back to Jerusalem to find Him. About three days later they "found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions." I learned that it was common for a 12 year old boy to be questioned by the Rabbis, Priests and Scribes. I guess that it was part of their education and training. But what is amazing is that no one had ever seen or heard a "student" be able to answer questions and be able to have such a strong understanding. So eventually Mary and Joseph found Christ, they must have been very excited because it had been maybe four days. But Mary says to Jesus, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." Christ's reply must have really surprised her because he reminds her of who he is and what he is sent here to do. He says, "How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" It blows my mind that he so kindly reminded his mother that he was sent here so do His Fathers work. Then He says, "thy father and I" reminding us that He is always with the Father. That His Father was not wondering where He was but that he was in the Temple, His fathers house. 

YUCK!!!

I am so grateful for Christ and that from such a young age he was able to learn of His purpose and of His divinity and because of that we have the Plan of Salvation and are able to repent and live our lives in a way that will bring us back to live with our Father in Heaven again! 

I love you all and hope that you have and amazing safe week!

Getting her hair done.

Only in Washington