EM: Missionary Work is the BEST

12/9/13

Family Dear,

How goes it?

Sounds like you're getting awesome weather up there! I am really jealous! One of the members of our ward has a daughter in Provo and she sent her mother a picture of the snow covered streets leading up to campus. I could have stared at that picture all day! I miss snow!

It's freezing down here right now but all we get is the frozen rain. It's the weirdest thing. It's like frozen raindrops pelting you. I don't enjoy it very much but I'm counting my blessings that I'm not on a bike right now. The roads freeze over really fast here and when they do they close the bridges. Our area covers both sides of the bridges so we have to be careful at night not to be on the wrong side or we're stranded.

This week has been a good one! We taught Shelby the Plan of Salvation and she loved it. She wants to get baptized so badly. She is a rock star. She reads the Book of Mormon almost every day. She has already downloaded every possible LDS app on her phone and she always wants to offer the prayers. At our last lesson she said the dinner prayer, the opening prayer, AND the closing prayer. I love her prayers because their so innocent and sincere. I can already see this girl serving a mission. Her enthusiasm for the gospel is so fun to see.

We've set a date with her and she wants to be baptized on the 21st of December. The only thing we need to go on with that date is permission from her Aunt who is her legal guardian. We're praying hard that she'll say yes but I have no fear for Shelby if she happens to say no because I know that that won't deter her one bit. She has found the truth and she's running with it.

Missionary work is the best.

This week our stake had a Christmas community program. Our church and 3 other churches (Presbyterian, Catholic, and Methodist) put on a Christmas program of musical numbers. It was hosted at our Stake Center and it was so neat. They decorated the church beautifully and there were so many people of different faiths who came to celebrate Christ. The spirit there was amazing. It was really cool to have the community come together and worship together despite differences in beliefs. There are so many good God fearing people our here and we all want to do the same thing - follow our Savior Jesus Christ.

Being a missionary at this time of year is incredible. People seem to be so much more accepting. It is the prime time of year for member missionary work too. Our ward has really stepped up and headed the prophets call to preach the gospel. They have really taken advantage of all this season brings. We had many members bring friends to the community program, and this past Sunday our ward had their Christmas program and many members invited friends to come. We've already had many members come up to us and tell us that they are bringing a non-member friend to our ward Christmas party and they want to be sure and introduce us to them.

As a companionship we've prepared a short 30 min Christmas message that our members can invite their friends to hear and last week we had the Bishop announce it to the members. We've already got a few people who are planning on it!

Every week one or two of our members will come up to us and tell us about how they invited their friend to listen to a message or come to church etc. and the amazing thing is that many of their friends have said yes and many have said no. But no matter the response the members are so excited about it and they feel good because they know they did what they have been asked by our Heavenly Father to do. You never know what effect the invitation will have in the future.

Last week in young women's the challenge was given to the girls to do some member missionary work. On Wednesday they invited us to come to mutual and 3 of the girls had invited their non-member friends to the activity! It's incredible to see how fired up about missionary work everyone is. What an incredible time to be a missionary

We had another really neat thing happen in our ward this week. We have this beautiful young couple in our ward who are recent converts and they are pregnant with their first baby. Unfortunately this past week they lost the baby and when that happened they posted on Facebook that they wanted nothing to do with the Mormon church or any other church for that matter. The ward really stepped up and showed their love and care. That very day members of our ward went to their home ministered to this young couple. It was a testimony to me of the importance of the ward family and truly being a Zion people united in our hearts. This past Sunday the couple returned to church heart-broken but with the love and support of every member of our ward. It brings tears to my eyes to be able to see the goodness in people and how they've fulfilled their baptismal covenant to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. There is a lot of bad in this world yes, but there is SO much good.

I'm so Thankful for this time of year. It puts a special feeling of love into everyone's hearts. I wish it could be that way all year long.

I have been reflecting again and again on how grateful I am for the gift and birth of the Savior. There have been many sacred moments in my morning studies as I've thought about the Savior and what he means to me. He is the greatest gift of all.

I love you guys and I hope you know how grateful I am for all of you and your support and prayers!

The Kingdom of God or nothing!

Love, Sister Gregson

Dollar store Christmas décor