"It's Christmas time in the City" 12-30-2024

Christmas Eve was so amazing! We had a Christmas devotional with the whole entire mission and it was so spirit filled. President and sister McPherson's whole family was there and it was special. Though of course some Elders took that as an opportunity to flirt with sisters and of course one of them was my trainee I have chapped him one to many times. After that devotional we went and had a Christmas dinner with an African family in the ward from west Africa and it was awesome. Our recent convert from west Africa showed up with all of her kids and it was so special. We had all the African soups and of course fufu. We talked about African Culture and then we sang some Christmas songs and everyone bore testimony of The Saviors Birth. I loved every second of it. I felt close to my homedawg Gus as I got the opportunity to Celebrate Christmas in African culture and it put a smile on my face. Christmas was something special. The only thing that made it special was the Joy that came from being there for others and representing the savior Jesus Christ. We had a zone activity and it was pretty fun we just grubbed. After that my recent convert in my last area was Ghost mode so I stopped by and we got in contact with her for the first time in 2 weeks!! It was a Christmas miracle...She has been super sick and just got her tonsils removed so she couldn't speak very much and she is also about to get her wisdom teeth removed....she's just going through it but gains spiritual strength through the Book Of Mormon as she reads everyday. We also got to run into a lady who had her house burn down and her kids didn't have presents and we were able to sit and talk with her on the curb and be a guardian angel during this time in her life during the Christmas season. We also stopped by our friend Afework from Ertria in Africa he is an older guy in his 70s and we stopped by and read the Scriptures with him and he shared his trials as his kids are living in Canada, Dubai, and Ethiopia while he is going through a divorce and his wife moved out but we were able to be there for him and share the Love of the savior during Christmas. We also didn't have a member meal that Night so the sisters Told us about this guy from El Salvador who feeds missionaries for free at his restaurant so we just pulled up and it was low-key pricey but he fed us for free and we got to talk to him for a minute and it was a Christmas miracle. (He is way sus though he has been feeding sister missionaries for free for ten years because he thinks they are cute) I was actually kinda sad Christmas morning but the Lord has blessed me throughout and made Christmas a good day. Thursday wow it was exhausting in the sense I was low-key depressed for the better half of the day walking around with a fake smile. The best thing that happened is I was able to knock on a single mother's door and her kids were so precious my whole mood changed and since meeting her we had another phone call lesson and got to know her needs to draw closer to the savior and set up a solid in person return appointment with a member Besides that I just felt dead inside. As I was walking around I felt I have been doing everything and it's been 3 weeks into the transfer and the patience I have had towards my companion has been very intense....something about him is he has the worst ADHD I have ever seen and at this point I'm lost on how to help him....He struggles with everything except being afraid to talk everyone. He simply struggles to focus on anything and can't seem to do anything unless I remind him 3 times...I love him but struggle being able to help him. I can't remember everything myself.... I have been so overwhelmed between the city I live in, the responsibility of whitewashing two areas, leading out as distric leader, and everything else that falls between it. He also farts 24/7 because all he eats is cheese and eggs and peanut butter and bananas. A little miracle I had this week is we were able to cold call a random girl in our area book and she answerd and we were able to teach her about the Book Of Mormon and help her feel the spirit. She mentioned she has been depressed recently and that phone call came exactly when she needed it and that she would read the Book Of Mormon and come to church. We then offered to stop by and drop off cookies from Christmas..which we did and we happend to grab her favorite cookies!! Sister things work. The Sisters in my district were straight up depressed this past week as well from working so hard and just getting straight rejected all day and the area was not progressing the way they wanted it to. Being able to be there for them and counsel with them is why God put me as their district leader. They prayed their hearts out that night and went to bed only to wake up in the morning and have a incredible miracle filled day and were able to have their testimonies increased! I was able to have a baptismal interview for a friend the sisters were teaching named Becca. It was so spiritual...being able to see a 60 year old woman humble herself before God and interview with me a now 19 year old kid to prove worthy for baptism is the kind of Humility I strive for...As she shared her testimony on the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ my heart rejoiced and I was able to bear witness of a soul who desires to be with her father in heaven and desires to make that sweet sweet covenant of baptism. It's a little overwhelming sometimes being only 19 years old doing the things the lord has me doing but he knows me...He has known me before the world was and is here for me now. That following day we just had 0 success it was raining all day and it was kind of sad. We contacted so many people and no one was answering. I could tell my comp was dying inside so I took him to get some street tacos and we did comp Study inside of the acoustic guitar room inside of the local guitar center. All in all it was a very long day. We had like 5 people confirm for church multiple times but That following Sunday no one pulled up to church except our recent convert and it was sad but from then on miracles just started flowing like a dam releasing water. Our recent convert met with bishop without us knowing and Just Got her temple recomend it was crazy. She Said she wants to go next Saturday and we are so pumped!! We then had a very powerful phone call lesson with one of our friends who was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and we were able to discuss prayer with her and the gift of baptism and it was really incredible to see. She is so precious in God's eyes. We also had many other things happen like one being our friend who fell off date is back on and has a stronger testimony than I thought previously and she really wants to go to the temple and the way her baptism is lining up she will be able to go with out recent convert!!! Another huge miracle is my comp and I during weekly planning were able to discuss personal and companion goals and he was straight up like yeah and then started talking about all these problems he was going to work on that have been the bane of my existence these past 3 weeks more so this past week especially and it was like a small burden being lifted. I have been under tons of pressure and a huge workload but all the while I have God and my companion. I made a homemade cheese pizza cause the best way for me to get along with my comps Is to cook them some food but it's been extra hard because he is vegetarian and if I cook I'm cooking meat. I definitely felt the blessings from service so serve others. I'm just going to Quote something Grandma Murray said once she said "As soon as life gets easy you aren't living anymore you're dead" (I paraphrased) God is there for us always the Plan of Salvation is awesome Go study it 26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved Shoutout to everyone who got me something for Christmas or my birthday I love you all!!