Well I hope everyone got to see the
Christmas devotional last night. We were asked to watch it. 8 o clock over here
on the east side of things. I loved it. I loved what President Uchtdorf had to
say. It is so true how well when I get I gift, I feel like I need to give
someone a gift back and it needs to be more expensive haha. I have had problems
with that on my mission! It really made me think about Jesus Christ and His gift
to all the world. His sacrifice for us. I am so grateful for that gift and for
that we don't even have to pay him back! It is the best gift we could receive.
And he doesn't require a gift back. We just have to open the gift and enjoy it
and use it! I testify that the way we open, enjoy, and use the gift is through
faith, constant repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and
enduring to the end. I know that this is the best gift that we can receive. I
know that it brings the most happiness and the most blessings both spiritual and
temporal. It is an opportunity to be able to carry this gift with me and share
it with everyone here in the Orlando area. Especially during this time of the
year. It is sad to see those who don't want to hold the gift, those who will
hold it for a little bit but never open it, those who open it and look at it and
then decide they don't want it. I think it applies very well to the story that
President Uchtodorf told of the aunt who didn't accept the gift that came from
the love and care of her niece. In the end, both were sad. I know from first
hand experience that we don't have to pay the Savior back for His infinite
loving gift that He has given us. I learned by well being wrong haha. I'll
explain. My first day in Florida, I got to President Hall's house and went
upstairs for my turn to get interviewed. We sat down and started talking. I
don't remember much what was said during the short interview but I remember very
well part of the conversation. He asked me why if I was excited to get to work.
I replied, "Yes very excited." He asked me if I was going to work hard, I
replied yes again. He then asked me why. I thought... and told him, well I have
received a lot of blessings from Jesus Christ and experienced a lot of miracles
because of him and He has done a lot for me and I feel like I can pay him back a
little bit and was going to work very hard to pay Him back as much as possible
(Naive me haha)... And he looked at me in the eyes in his strict loving manner
and said "Elder that is selfish, you don't have to, and can't pay Him back." I
testify that that is the truth. I felt the Spirit bear witness to me of its
truthfulness. I know that the greatest gift is eternal life and that it is
possible through the gift of the Atonement. I know that helping people
experience the Atonement is the greatest gift that we can give this holiday
season.
I love and miss you all. To see our nativity activity this week in the
church and see some pics go to msFamilyPhoto.com/nativity I might be in a
picture haha.
Love You,
Merry CHRISTmas
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