I can't believe Christmas is almost here! Time is flying by so fast. I've been out on my mission for three months and I'm almost done with my first transfer out in the field! People always say that a mission goes by fast, and I'm only starting to understand that. But I am so grateful for the time that I do have to serve the Lord and everything it has taught me already.I'm skyping the family tomorrow morning so I don't have too much to say right now, but some Christmas miracles definitely happened this week. My companion Sister Ure has been sick with a cold for most of the week: some days she feels fine, others not so much, so this week hasn't been as crazy as most. We've had a couple nights where Elder and Sister Clement have sent us home from the Visitor's Center to rest up a little more so that she can get better. Because she's been sick, we haven't had much exercise this past week, which would be alright if we hadn't received tremendous amounts of sugary treats from members of our ward. My mom might just have a heart attack when she sees how much candy we were given - it's a little excessive.
But if we thought we got a lot of candy from the members, we were in for a huge surprise with all the presents everyone gave us. All the members of the Relief Society contributed little gifts and they gave both of us a stocking full of things, as well as a couple of boxes. It's insane! I'll include a picture of that too. I didn't expect any of this; I am serving in such a great ward and everyone is so thoughtful and kind. I am also so grateful to everyone who sent Christmas cards or any other gifts - they're all sitting under the Christmas sign in our apartment, waiting for Christmas morning.
Now on to the important stuff about Christmas. I absolutely love Christmas, but mostly because I love giving gifts. It's been hard this year because I haven't had much of an opportunity to give any gifts - I just don't have the finances or the resources to get presents for anyone. This Christmas is unlike any Christmas I've ever had, but I love being a missionary, especially around Christmastime. As I've considered my purpose and what I have come here to do, I've realized that I have the privilege of giving the gift of the gospel this year. And not just for Christmas, but for 18 whole months! The knowledge of Jesus Christ's complete and original gospel is a gift of immeasurable worth - I can't count all the ways that it has blessed me in my life, and I've seen how it has blessed all the people I have met. Just like any gift, we give it with love. People recognize that love, and it makes them more willing to learn more and to use that gift. When we perceive the gospel as a gift, we will want to share it with others. I've probably shared this thought before, but the word gospel means "good news". Who doesn't want to hear good news?
And that's what I get to do while serving here in the Oakland/San Francisco mission: spread the good news, just like the shepherds who witnessed Jesus Christ's birth spread it all throughout the land. With the help of the Spirit, I've been able to share that news with some of the 12,000 people who have come to the VC this month, members and non-members alike. I've been able to see this good news change lives - Saturday was my first baptism here on the mission for Ling Liu Garrison. Her husband Derrall was baptized one month ago, and so he was able to baptize her. There were complications: the drain wasn't fully plugged so the water was only up to their knees and the water was freezing and no one could hear anything because the heater was running - but it was still great. You could see the change in Ling, especially after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost the next day, yesterday, at church. It was a beautiful baptismal service, and we have another one this Saturday for Craig!!!
Ling's son Leo is 13 years old, and we've been teaching him for a few months now. The last time we asked him about baptism was probably two weeks ago, and he adamantly said that he did not want to be baptized. Slowly he progressed from disbelief in God to a belief in the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. We taught him after church yesterday, and we asked him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He replied with, "But I already know it's true", an answer we were NOT expecting. But Sister Ure and I had felt a prompting to come and teach him, and we knew he was ready. We talked for awhile, and he said he wanted to be baptized when he turned 14 in August. We couldn't understand why he wouldn't be baptized now if he knew the Book of Mormon was true, but we eventually accepted his answer and asked him to end our lesson with a prayer and ask Heavenly Father if he should be baptized sooner than that. We stood around and talked for a few minutes after the prayer and Leo just blurted out, "I changed my mind, I want to be baptized. After I prayed, I got this really good feeling. I feel like it's the right thing for me to do." This 13 year old boy, with never-ending questions and no religious background, felt the Spirit. He saw how it made both of his parents happier, and he knew that is what he wanted as well. It was an amazing experience - truly a miracle. But the Spirit knew we were supposed to be there - instead of seeing Jackie like we do every Sunday afternoon, we were guided to Leo. The Spirit really does guide us, and usually we don't notice that it is the Spirit until we put forth the faith to follow those promptings. And then we see the miracles - Leo is getting baptized January 12th :)
I've also been able to see how that good news is very "plain and precious." The idea of seeing our families again after this life is common among most Christians, but still marriage ceremonies say "til death do you part". A family from Tonga came into the VC on Saturday - the wife's sister was being sealed to her husband and family but it took awhile to figure that out because the family didn't really understand what they were doing in the temple. We showed them the God's Plan for the Family presentation and also the pictures of the inside of the temple. The husband, Sifa, said that he was baptized when he was eight but then his family stopped going to church so he didn't know much about it. But he said that he has always believed that families can be together even after death - it was just something he knew, and he didn't understand why they had to be sealed in the temple. This idea is one of the plain and precious covenants of Christianity that was lost after Jesus Christ's death, and the truth of this doctrine is still believed by many people, but only through the restored power of God on the earth is this possible. Elder Boyd K Packer said, "It is important for a missioanry to know that the Holy Ghost can work through the Light of Christ. A teacher of gospel truths is not planting something foreign or even new into an adult or a child. Rather, the missionary or teacher is making contact with the Spirit of Christ already there. The gospel will have a familiar 'ring' to them." As we open our mouths, people will recognize our beliefs as true doctrine given by Jesus Christ.
I have seen how people can relate to the gospel. Even the Big Book (used by Alcoholics Anonymous) follows a similar sequence of events to what Jesus Christ taught, specifically faith, repentance and enduring to the end - as I've learned from one of our investigators. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, logical, practical - it just makes sense. It answers every question. The gospel pieces everything about life and death and everything in between together, everything that's missing, because it was restored in its original form by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith. The gospel is the Christmas message because it is centered on Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the new perspective I have gained as a missionary for the Lord this Christmas season. Merry Christmas everyone!!!
