Merry Navidad y Feliz Christmas!!
Hello World! Its Christmas even in south Texas where the sun is
hot! The ocean is still across the street and the palm trees give us the
best shade :) Haha! Just kidding! Its actually cold again so I can't
brag about a sunburn on Christmas just yet :)
This last week we had our mission christmas party! It was a blast!
They split the party in two, so the northern zones had a party and the
southern zones had a party! Our party included Corpus Christi zone,
Sinton Zone, Laredo North zone and Laredo south! Lots of missionaries!
Its so cool to be around a big group of missionaries because the spirit
is soo strong!!
I need to give everyone a BIG thank you from President and Sister
Maluenda! all the mission parents were so generous that it worked out
that instead of every missionary getting one present, everyone got TWO!
:) So Thank you to all who helped out with that! it was very much
appreciated! Especially by those whose parents couldn't afford to send a
christmas package... Now the bad news on packages... if you sent Sister
Diaz and I something and it wasn't in mission office by last monday...
we haven't gotten it yet :( The hope is that we will get it today but it
probably wont happen... If we are lucky, they will do a training on
thursday or friday and someone will go down to McAllen and bring up all
the stray Christmas presents! But its ok :) We do have a couple packages
under the tree that i keep trying to convince Sister Diaz we should
open early and she gives me an angry mother look and tells me walk away
from the baby tree... :) I have a great companion! She also has kept me
inline with our advent calender and made sure I only opened one a day.
Darn it!
It just doesn't feel like Christmas when you aren't home! But I
have something really cool I have learned this last week. Its about
patience! I've been a little frustrated with this transfer and kind of
had a difficult time motivating myself... Not a fun adventure but hey!
Everything in life has its ups and downs right? So this last week while
talking to Sister Kreis, she pointed out to me that maybe I need to
learn patience. Of course at first I thought "I AM PATIENT! THATS NOT
IT!" But... as we all know... when you get defensive... thats usually
what you need work on... So I've been questioning and trying to figure
out exactly WHAT IS patience...
Here is my definition:
Patience is having an eternal perspective tha things will be better even when you are miserable.
I guess that sounds a little... pessimistic. But its super not.
here's why, we can be patient with people when they upset us when we
realize that they aren't perfect... they are doing the best they can to
become what God wants and we are never done improving. We can be patient
with ourself when we realize that we have faults for a reason, God
gives us imperfections so that we will turn to Him and accept/seek the
help we need. We are patient with circumstances when we realize that
everything happens for a reason and know that things will get better.
Thats something that has helped me a lot.. Nathan told me before I left
to just remember one thing "It gets better." That has kept me going
quite a few times in the mission!
So moral of the story, Patience is looking for the bright side! Its
being willing to go with the blows and know that something is better on
the other side. Me? I'm not a patience person most of the time :) but
man have I learned a lot of it this last week! There is always something
better coming! I think the Lord was incredibly patient in His suffering
for us because He knew that because of the pain He felt, we would be
able to all return back to Him to be with our Heavenly Father again! How
wonderful is that? :) I'm grateful for a Savior that loves me enough to
suffer for my mistakes, and a family that loves me enough to suffer
without me for 18 months so I can help other people know of our Savior's
love! ;) I know this Christmas is extra special because I'm learning
the true meaning and worth of my eternal family and the eternal family I
will have with my future husband some day! The gospel is just
wonderful! I hope you all find joy in this Christmas season and learn a
little patience as things don't go perfect with present opening, or the
Christmas party isnt exactly how you planned. The Lord has something
better in store in the future! Love you all!
Feliz Navidad de la isla de Norte Padre! :)
Hermana Nielson
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