Merry Christmas!

December 19, 2016

What a week! Monday and Tuesday were spent saying good bye to the wonderful people I love in Fort Walton. Monday evening we had a super fun dinner at the Birds' house with the elders. We made homemade sushi and it was sooo tasty! On Tuesday we had a lesson with Rod, who is down to one cigarette every two days and feels confident he can quit by Christmas! I am so excited to follow up on that! On Wednesday, I finished throwing my stuff into suitcases (I feel like I have almost as much stuff as Sister Stephens did when she went to Tallahassee, and she had been out for over a year, yikes!), said good bye to Sister Trawick, :( and Sister Hilton- who had finished her mission and was going home- and I became temporary companions as we drove to the transfer location in Crestview. I pray for Sister Trawick every day and hope so much that she is adjusting well to her new companion, because that is a difficult adjustment to make. Her new companion Sister Ramadahr is so awesome, though, and I know they will continue to do wonderful work in Fort Walton. We spent some good time getting to know the sisters who are new to the zone while we waited for the transfer van to come, bringing missionaries that will be serving in the Fort Walton Beach Zone. 

These past few days have been wonderful! I love being companions with Sister Saunders!! She reminds me of one of my best friends Sarah Jensen from high school, which is really fun. On Thursday we helped serve food at a soup kitchen, which was truly humbling. We talked to a guy named Jimmy who has made a lot of changes in his life to come to know Christ. We had dinner with the wonderful Vaun family. On Friday we went to bingo at a care center where a less active member works. Then we helped a member name Jenoa organize her house. Then, we did family history with a gentleman who serves at the soup kitchen with us, Joe Barley. He has a lot of European royalty in his line, which is nice, since they keep good records, relatively. Then the craziest thing happened. We were just going back and back on one of his lines, going waaaay back before Christ. Suddenly, we saw a name that said, "tribe leader for Judah." Judah? We clicked back again. JUDAH. THE JUDAH. SON OF JACOB. As in the Judah in the Bible!!! Eventually it led back to ABRAHAM. Then we kept going back, further and further...until it got to NOAH, then down a few... SETH... and then..." ADAM, son of God." and EVE. Born: Garden of Eden. He could literally trace his ancestry back to Adam and Eve! I've only heard stories of that happening, but it literally happened! WOW!

Yesterday I was asked last minute to speak briefly in sacrament meeting about being a member missionary. During the sacrament, I was tempted to think about what I was going to say, but instead, I decided to think about the Savior, trusting that the Spirit would guide my remarks. And it did! It seems foreign to feel at peace while speaking in sacrament meeting, but I strangely felt so much peace. I felt that the Spirit was truly speaking through me, and I felt Him powerfully confirm to me the truth of what I said. It was an answer to my prayer that very morning, asking for the Spirit to reconfirm to me my beliefs. Additionally, Sister Saunders said that what I had said helped her so much. The Holy Ghost is remarkable! We are so blessed to have such an incredible gift from our Heavenly Father than enables us to come to personally know Him and His Son Jesus Christ. I know They live! I know Christ was born so that He could set a perfect example for us of how to obey Heavenly Father and live a life full of joy and return to live with our Heavenly Parents. Remember Him as you celebrate Christmas this week. Remember to strive to be even as He is. I love you all!