So long 2014. That went by in a flash. When all of the returned missionaries used to tell me that it goes by way too fast, I never believed them. Especially in the first few months of my mission.. But HELLO 2015, you chased this year away real quick.
Christmas was beautiful. It was so wonderful to be able to see my beautiful family. Especially Corb!! Holy goodness. I can´t believe that it has been almost a year an a half since I have seen you!! I hope that everyone else loved Christmas as much as I did.
My companion and I were invited to have Christmas Eve dinner with Ismael and Hermana Kata. All day, we ran around with Santa hats singing Christmas hymns for the members and then we ate way too much grilled meat and got permission to watch a few scenes of Ice Age UNTIL... weeeeeuuuuooooweeeeeeoooooooo. Sounds the Fireman sirens!! Now, Ismael is a volunteer fireman with a broken knee. Nevertheless, he decided that it would be fun to scare the bloody goodness out of me and jump up from the table, grab his fireproof clothing and head on out to fight a fire. Now, I was terrified and mostly just upset that he knocked the grilled pig on the ground but extremely grateful for my life. Not only that I´m not a firefighter.. :) BUT that there are people in this world willing to sacrifice a Christmas Eve with their family in order to save the lives of another.
We all have Christ-like qualities.
“True Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for your fellow men. This is the spirit of missionary work” --President David O. McKay
We stayed up ALLLL night the 24th, waiting for the fireworks. And then we decided to climb up on the roof to watch them. Because our Balcony just didn´t give us a good enough view of the firework filled sky. Because we were exhausted after playing with our sparklers and still stuffed full from the night before, we didn´t make a huge breakfast. But I promise you, there will be one for New Years. :)
Yesterday, Presidente Ferdnandez from the Mission Presidency came to San Vicente and he talked about new years resolutions. YIPEE!! I am so horrible at them. But I loved what he challenged us all to do.
Vamos pues.
We are going to all make a huge list-- as big as possible-- of all of the WONDERFUL things that we accomplished in 2014. New years are for happy beginnings. Not regretful endings. I so easily could look back at 2014 and say urgh. Why not. Why this. Why did I not learn faster from that?? BUT NO. Let´s look forward with a heart full of gratitude for our accomplishments and improvements and face 2015 with desires to be even BETTER!
Just reciently. Like as I was waiting for the slowwwww internet to load, I was talking with the young man beside me asking him about his Christmas. Welp, this poor young fella doesn´t celebrate Christmas. And I thought, how sad. I love that the WORLD has created this tradition and that the LORD has adapted it to help us to become better Cristianos. What better way to start the new year than with a resolution to better Serve the Lord and to remember Him EVERY DAY throughout the New Year. Christmas sets up the New Year so perfectly.
God is brilliant. :) We´re on the winning team, my friends. I know it. Because the Lord can and does use everything for the benefit and for the bettering of His work. Because I know the church is true!! And I KNOW that this is the work of the Lord. The Gospel is such a blessing and I am so grateful for it. For EVERY PART OF IT. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to be a missionary in this year of 2014. I´m gonna go out with a BANG and show 2015 what I´ve learned and who I can be, who the Lord has made me. :) A better, more dedicated and loving desciple and missionary of Christ.
That´s number ONE on my resolutions list. What´s on yours?
Hermana Rupe
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