Joyeux Noel

 December 23, 2019

Are y'all ready for the most wonderful time of the year??  Christmas countdown at 2 days!! So, wherever each one of you are, whether it's in Africa, or Europe, or South America, the MTC, or nice and cozy at home surrounded by friends and family, I want to wish each one of you a Merry Christmas and hope that you will MAKE IT a merry Christmas as well. And how you might ask do we make it merry? I don't doubt that each one of you don't know already the "reason for the season" or you haven't been blasted with hashtag lighttheworld billboards and posters, and I'm sure that you already know that Christmas starts with the word CHRIST. And if you're in Utah I hope you and your neighbors still brought around goodies with cute little messages about Christ on them. 😉 All those things are exactly how we make it merry! In forgetting ourselves, remembering what Christ did for us, and then acting as he would if he were here in serving others and keeping his commandments! Wait a sec, doesn't that sound a lot like our baptismal covenant that we made? Yes, it does my friends. That is exactly our baptismal covenant! So then if focusing on these things brings us warm, tingly feelings and love all around then how do we keep that feeling all year round? Not by making new promises or new commitments but simply by honoring the one we've already made. A mission has taught me that. Christmas here just feels like any other day (your right also because its 95 degrees and they celebrate with fireworks) but also a large part is because a mission is the best thing someone can do to start to forget themselves, turn towards Christ, then help others do the same. How grateful I am that I have that opportunity to be in the army of thousands of missionaries around the world all doing the same thing! And on top of that, all the millions of member missionaries around the world doing the same thing!! The Son of God truly was born for us, died for us, was resurrected for us, and has restored his church on the earth again FOR US. 

Our Christmas activity

We had a great week this week and had baptisms this Saturday (they were walk in baptisms cause I just got here). Here it is a branch, but its bumping and they have way more people at church than there was in my ward in Benin! Today was kind of crazy cause we moved apartments across town. I forgot my card at home so no pics but it was hilarious, they didn't think about how to get stuff in the apartment before they bought it so with a tiny stairwell nothing would fit up the stairs, so they rigged it and went on the 3rd story balcony and had one person hold the power lines back while the other guys pulled everything (couches, tables, wardrobes, etc) up by ropes! I laughed at first, but I ended in deep respect. 

Love y'all! Joyeux Noel!!

Amis I miss back in Benin