12/22/2014

Well ho ho ho to y'all in the west! I hope your winter wonderland is whiter than our winter foggyland over here in Ada! 

So here's the lowdown of the week: We had FHE with the Ingrams, a family with a 9-year old son that's a recent convert. Their family's been going through some stuff, and live in humble circumstances. They always try to do whatever they can to feed us or help us out. They even insisted on getting us Christmas presents. The gratitude I have for them and the humility they have is enormous.

Tuesday was our 2014 OKC Mission Christmas Conference! And guess what? We are NOT getting iPads(yet)! This lack of news was totally expected and not thrilling! YAY! Did that sound sarcastic enough? I really should repent. We're all trying to work on our sarcasm, and I've got a long way to go, ladies and gents. Anyway, the food was great, and the trainings even better. We had a fantastic talent portion. Elder Fuller and Sister Drinkall in my district sang together! And one of my zone leaders played the bagpipes!--but not in the chapel, of course! We had another group of missionaries go home the next day, and so they each got to bear their final testimonies. It's always neat hearing their final and departing testimonies. There aren't very many groups out on the mission older than me... In fact, next Zone Conference in March is when I get to bear my departing testimony. Scary. Time to spiritually prepare! 

This week we got to teach Levi, the 8-year old that asked for the Bible. Such a neat experience! He told us about the play he was in at his school. They did the nativity scene for their school play, so when we read Luke 2 with him, he knew exactly what the chapter was talking about. Elder Fuller and I are really excited to teach him and reactivate his grandpa Larry. 

And then church. Ahhhhh talking in sacrament is always exciting. It had been a while since I spoke last, so preparing for this talk kept me on my toes. I learned a lot about the foretellings of the Savior's birth all throughout the Old Testament and Book of Mormon and about the Savior's second coming. Of all the things I've witnessed and learned this holiday season, I would have to say that the celebration of the birth of the Savior is accompanied by a constant celebration of His marvelous example throughout the entire year. It is to keep in remembrance all that He has done for us each and every day. In such a strange place, I feel so close to home this holiday season. 


Happy Holidays from
Elder Garner