WEEK 47

Today is the day after Christmas…I can't believe its past! And we FINALLY have a real Preparation Day too…We have been spending most of our lives in the Visitors' Center for the past month, and you can pretty much say…we lived here. Many people came in to feel of the true Christmas spirit, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to share that with everyone here on the mission, including all our fellow "VC sisters" who worked so hard for the last few weeks that led up to Christmas day.

Our apartment is filled with opened gifts, candy, letters, cards, etc. Today we'll need to clean up =P By the way, last week I failed to mention that it was a new transfer, and so my "new" companionS are….Sister Lu and Sister Hsiao – again ;-) Yup, and we are serving in the Oakland Chinese 7th Branch along with 2 other pairs of elders.

We've had some fun together this Christmas. One of my own Christmas gift to myself this year was that I duplicated a green parking ticket envelope (it was so much fun making a "home-made" envelope to look like a real one!) and put it on one of our Chinese Elder's car when they were parked in town. They of course weren't too happy that they got a ticket..again…heh heh..but when they opened up the envelope, enclosed was a pass-along card for a free "Finding Faith in Christ" DVD and Sister Lu and I had written and signed on the back of the card: "Happy December Fool's Day! Enjoy your free gift! =P"
Well, I know pranks are not really meant for the mission, but I couldn't help myself =) I guess after being out in the field for a while…the real me is starting to emerge..!

On a more spiritual note, this Christmas my companions and I did a little studying on the Savior and the atonement. There are so many references found in the scriptures on the atonement. One of them is found in the Bible Dictionary under the heading "Atonement" (found on page 617). In the first paragraph it explains: "the word (atonement) describes the setting "at one" of those who have been estranged, and denotes the reconciliation of man to God." It goes on to explain how the atonement saves us from our first spiritual death due to the fall of Adam, by giving us all the opportunity to be resurrected again and thus opening up the opportunity to return to God's presence once more. Secondly, the atonement also saves us from the second spiritual death, which means "the purpose of the atonement is (also) to correct or overcome the consequences of sin."
It is no wonder that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For it is because of the mission that Christ fulfilled during His mortal life, even the atonement, that we have the hope of obtaining eternal life and exaltation. He truly is the only way that we can obtain such a gift.

I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me with this knowledge of the fullness of His gospel. I am grateful for sacred temples and for missionary work. I know that as we each dedicate our lives to serve Him, therein will we find the sweetest joy and the most satisfying fulfillments in our lives.

May the year 2008 be one filled with servince to our fellow men and to our God!