Letter - December 20, 2010

Su Šventom Kaledom!!

Hello Family!

Merry Christmas to you all. This last Saturday, a young girl which Sister Alldredge and I taught over the summer was baptized. We both wish that we could have been there. It is wonderful to see the Lord preparing the hearts of the people here, little by little. We are seeing some hopeful investigators sprout out of the snow, like daisies. Speaking of which, we had daisy tea last night at an investigator's house. The word for daisies is equivalent of "calm flowers," or calmies. Kind of cute, eh?

We enjoyed a wonderful zone conference, enjoying a Christmas pageant afterwards. Sister Alldredge and I were Shepherds. Each zone conference is like a re-charge session. The spirit has a way of speaking to the heart that is unlike anything else. There are questions, trials, and worries so deep that I find myself overwhelmed and unable to express them. The spirit really can act like a balm, drawing out the natural man, consoling, cleansing, and really changing one's desires. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission. I have a testimony of the power of prayer.

Yesterday at Church, I was feeling troubled that someone a few weeks before had walked into the church, looked around, and left before any of the missionaries talked to him. I was so busy running around with church preparations that I didn't say anything to him either. I said a prayer, promising that if I ever saw someone new in the church building, I would immediately introduce myself. During the third hour, I saw someone in the foyer, and instead of talking myself out of it, I went and talked to her. Turns out she was just passing by after doing some grocery shopping. We are hoping to meet with her and her family before Christmas. I know that we are surrounded by opportunities everywhere to do missionary work. Last night we went knocking. We are focusing on finding and teaching worthy males who can become Melchizedek priesthood holders. I felt a desire to pray for this specifically, and we were able to teach two lessons to men last night. I know that the Lord is waiting anxiously to bless us if I will just exercise the faith to express the desires of my heart.

I am so excited for Christmas. I know that my Redeemer lives. I am so grateful to be able to serve Him at this time. I could not ask for better learning experiences, or a more wonderful people to serve. We visited in the home of a mother and son. She's 73. He's got to be in his 30's. They live in one room without a kitchen. There was no where to sit together. The walls were decorated with pasted grocery ads. Donatas, the Son, has autism. He is very intelligent, speaks four languages, but sometimes his thoughts get stuck on a track that just repeats itself. He had brought his mom to church the previous Sunday, and we set a time to meet. He seems to already have read the book of Mormon, or most of it, and has even received a spiritual witness that it is true. His mother has a desire to know more of our message because of the impact it had on her son. The spirit has really prepared this family.

Love,

Sister Paul