Hi Family and Friends!!
I cannot believe it is Christmas Eve!! It is so weird....it just doesn't feel like it at all! But it's a Christmas I will never forget either way :)
Well this week ZJM had her baptismal interview on Saturday! On Tuesday, she still hadn't fully given up tea so we were thinking we would probably have to wait until next week to have it. Sister Liang and I were gone all day on Thursday for the Christmas Activity and when we called her on Friday she said that she had not been drinking tea the last couple of days because we said she couldn't :) ha ha. Well it was a leap of faith but we set up her baptismal interview for Saturday....talked about it briefly beforehand with her and then she had it. She passed! She will need another one with the 1st counselor in the Mission Presidency, but she is scheduled to be baptized this coming Saturday :) For me personally, it's a leap of faith because it just kind of happened! But I will trust in the Lord because He knows her better than I....she has found her relationship with her Heavenly Father and Savior and that is what is most important :) Her son also wants to be baptized and while I was praying this week, I had a strong impression that this wasn't about her, this was about her family and we needed to focus even more on them :)
I want to introduce you all a little more to ZJM: She is an adorable, little, 55 year old lady and such a special and unique spirit. I have never seen her raise her temper once, she has such a loving and serving heart, she loves family history work (and she's not even a member yet!), she is so strong as she has to go do dialysis for her kidneys three times a week, she reads the B of M every day and is already in the Book of Mosiah, she has three kids and a one tough cookie husband :), she comes to church every week on time and brings her kids, she is simple in answering but willing to learn. She says she comes to church so she can learn and wants to be obedient so she can go to Gao Rong Guo Du (the Celestial Kingdom). This is ZJM....and I love her. Keep her in your prayers this week :)
Our Christmas Activity was on Thursday and we went to this Buddhist temple and then to an old train station just south of Taizhong. It was quite the site.....150+ missionaries all together!!! It was super fun to be with everyone and finally meet all these people who I have heard about in our mission! When we got to the sites, we took a few pictures but then pretty much just chatted for a few hours which is what missionaries love to do :) Then we all went and ate at a steak house buffet and went to the Taizhong chapel for a fireside which was so so good! Pres. and Sister Bishop gave us all rocks with the scripture Helaman 5:12 about Christ being our rock and foundation written in Chinese characters- pretty cool :) Sister Watterson is going home in 2 weeks and she gave her reflection and it was so good....it was all about how everything matters, every little thing in missionary work really does matter :)
Well it's Christmas, which is just wonderful :) It definitely feels a lot different here- there are lots of decorations and Santa outfits (we saw a whole motorcycle gang of Santa's on Tuesday :) ) but not everyone knows the full story of Christmas or why we celebrate it.....there's just a little something missing. I sometimes wish we could tell the whole world about their Savior who loves them! Yay for the B of M and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ....for little by little, one day the whole world will know and we can all praise him together as the human family. Isn't it remarkable that one night in a lowly stable, the prince of peace, our redeemer was born to an earthly mother and father? He was born for us, for every single one of us. Sometimes when I think of His love for us, tears just come to my eyes because it is beyond my understanding. I love the scripture in D&C 76: "And this is the testimony last of all that we give of Him, that He lives! For we saw Him even on the right hand of God...." Our Savior does live! I can not wait until the day I can return to His presence and He will embrace me in His arms. He wants us all to return to Him, and we all can through this beautiful Gospel.
I love you all soooo much and hope you have a very, merry, cherry, berry, Christmas!!!
Sister Jarvis :)
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