Feliz Navidad

 

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Hey everyone!!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!! I hope everyone had an amazing week leading up to Christmas. It's such an exciting time of the year. I'm jealous of all of you experiencing a white Christmas!! It's a rainy and gray Christmas here but no complaints! Lighting the world and focusing on others makes this season special, no matter the weather! 

It was another solid week here overall! Lots of lessons and teaching. We've been doing lots of Light the World activities this past week and have had a ton of fun doing it with our investigators as well. It gets dark here at 3:30 now but that is starting to change beginning today… thank the heavens. All of our normal investigators are doing awesome and staying strong! The Flores family is doing great and are progressing well still! They unfortunately were a little sick this week so we weren't over there as much as we wanted but I know it's all in the Lord's time. We were hoping and working towards a baptismal date in December but it will probably be a little later. Nonetheless, they are still learning and growing as their conversion process continues!! Keep praying for them!! 

We had a really cool experience with one of our friends from Honduras that we are teaching English! His name is Nery and after our english lesson we had a conversation about the Book of Mormon and followed up on his reading "homework" that we had given him. Not expecting much out of it, we chatted with him and bore testimony of the power of this book and began to end the class. After a little hesitation he started to tell us an experience he had a few days earlier while reading the Book of Mormon. (Background info on Nery, he has two children but lives here alone in Washington. His daughter lives in another state and he hasn't talked to her or seen her for 4 years!) He read the verse we gave him and immediately after felt a super strong love come over him. Right after he put the book down, his phone rang and it was his daughter!! After 4 years he was able to get in touch with her and rekindle their relationship. He said that he considered this a sign from God and that he should learn more about the Book of Mormon. How amazing is that?! Heavenly Father really is in the exact details of each of our lives and knows how to let us know that He is always there. We are excited to keep teaching Nery and help him grow his relationship with God! 

Other than lots of teaching and creative contacting this week, we had a really great Christmas devotional with President and Sister Beardall! Lots of missionaries performed musical numbers (I was not one of them, thank goodness) and we heard lots of uplifting messages and songs. My companions even played and sang "O Come O Come Emmanuel" on their ukeleles. They did a great job but wow I think I'll be okay if I go the rest of my mission without hearing another ukelele...hahaha pray for Hermana Christensen. With some good food and a delivery of christmas packages, it was the perfect start to the week of Christmas as a missionary! 

I want to end with a quick spiritual thought that I actually stole from my parents! They gave a great Christmas message in their YSA ward yesterday that I was able to read later on. In their talks they described the 3 levels of Christmas based off of a concept from William B. Smart, a past editor of the Church News. Their message described how we can find lasting peace for the entire year instead of just retaining it to the season of December. The first level is the "Santa Clause" level featuring all the parties, celebrations, food, shopping and gifts that surround the holiday. The second level is "Silent Night" and our fascination with the nativity scene and the sacred roles of Mary & Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise Men, the angels and of course, baby Jesus. The third and final level of Christmas should always be our goal and is beautifully described below:

"For Christmas to last all year long, for it to grow in beauty and meaning and purpose, for it to have the power to change lives, we must celebrate it at the third level, that of the adult Christ. It is at this level — not as an infant — that our Savior brings his gifts of lasting joy, lasting peace, lasting hope. It was the adult Christ who reached out and touched the untouchable, who loved the unlovable, who so loved us all that even in his agony on the cross, he prayed for forgiveness for his enemies.

This is Christ, creator of worlds without number, who wept because so many of us lack affection and hate each other — and then who willingly gave his life for all of us, including those for whom he wept. This is the Christ, the adult Christ, who gave us the perfect example, and asked us to follow him. 

Accepting that invitation is the way — the only way — that all mankind can celebrate Christmas all year and all life long." 

I hope all of you take this invitation to focus on the adult Christ this Christmas. I know that by doing this we will be filled with the peace, hope and love that we need to tackle 2021. Let's celebrate Christ all year long, no matter the holiday!

I love you all SO much. I hope you have an amazing holiday and end this rough year of 2020 on a loving and happy note. My heart yearns to be with all of you this season but I'm thrilled to be a missionary during this time!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Sending love and holiday cheer from rainy Seattle!!!

Difícil es bueno.

Xoxoxoxo Hermana Christensen 

Seven Month mark!

Lesson Prep Hermana C style