This Saturday we had a Christmas Devotional with all the missionaries on the east side of the mission. They fed us Costco muffins and donuts and hot apple cider and then the best treat of all: they let us watch a movie!! We watched "It's a Wonderful Life" which is pretty much one of the greatest movies of all time. If you have never watched it, then go repent and watch it right now! One of the main themes of the movie is the impact that each person has on other people's lives, even when we don't realize it. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) thinks that the world would be better off if he had never been born, but when he sees what the world would actually have been like if he hadn't been born, he realized how many lives he has touched just by living his simple life in a way that served other people. As missionaries, we talk to people all the time. LOTS of people. Many of them are not interested. Some people hate us (the other day some guy we met started yelling and cursing at us because we were presumptuous enough to believe in God—that was an interesting conversation.) It is sometimes hard to think that we make any difference at all, when so many people we talk to are not interested. But really, you never know how much the small exchanges we have with people on a daily basis can effect them. God places us in the paths of other people for a reason, and with our limited view we cannot always see the grander design of Heavenly Father's plan.
The scripture that we have been sharing with a lot of people these past few weeks for Christmas is Helaman 14:2-8. It is a prophecy about the signs that will be shown to the Nephites at the time of Christ's birth in Jerusalem.
"And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name. And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there was no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you. And behold this is not all, there shall be many sign and wonders in heaven. And it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life."
How beautiful this prophecy is! When the Savior was born, the sun went down but there was no darkness, only light! At Christmas time there are many lights—on houses, on trees, in windows—but their true purpose is to symbolize the light of Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. He is the way back to our Heavenly Father. He shows us the path we must take, and drives away the darkness of the world. I am so grateful to know my Savior Jesus Christ and to be able to share the message of his Gospel with others. The Gospel brings light and understanding to people's lives and allows them to see the purpose for which Heavenly Father has placed them here.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
Sister Daelemans
Pictures are from last P-Day—we went bowling with some of the other sisters in Ugly Christmas Sweaters!
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