Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everybody! Hopefully it was good and that being able to celebrate the Savior's birth on the Sabbath day contributed to the spirit of the day. Seeing as it was the week leading up to Christmas not too much happened, most people are busy with family and vacations so nobody was really that available to meet with us. The weekend was super different as well. Obviously nobody wants to be harassed by a bunch of weird 19-20 year old guys in shirts and ties so we ended up just hanging out as missionaries. On Christmas Eve we started out the day by playing ultimate frisbee and soccer in the morning for a while as missionaries and then we just relaxed for a big chunk of the day. At night we went to dinner with some members of the ward and shared a big family Christmas Eve dinner and after dinner we went to another members home for a Christmas program. While there we read the account of Christ's birth in Luke chapter 2 and  had a little puppet show that went along with it. It was so great to be able to share the night with those families, it truly made it feel more like Christmas to be with families who were doing their usual Christmas traditions. On Christmas we had church early in the morning, it was a wonderful musical sacrament meeting. The choir sang some hymns, a couple of members of the ward talked about different aspects of Christmas and of the life of Christ, and the congregation joined in occasionally. After church we got to go home and relax for a little bit, as one should on a Christmas Sunday, and then we went to brunch at a member of the ward's home. After brunch we went to our ward mission leaders home to skype our families. It was so much fun to be able to talk to my parent, sibling, grandparents, and cousin. Its crazy to think that I only get to call home one more time on the mission now. After talking with family we went to dinner with the members who were feeding us. It was fun to be able to spend time with them and play some games and relax again.

I'm so grateful for the chances I've had to celebrate Christmas while in the service of Him whose birth we celebrate. Throughout the past month most of the people that we have talked to have said that the Christmases that they had on their missions have been their favorites, I don't think I can say quite the same thing but I can say that I will never forget either of them. There is something different about being focused on Christ and on helping others to focus on Him as well that makes a celebration of His birth seem more focused and real. The key now is to keep focused on Him all through the year and to continue to help others do the same. Its crazy to think that I only have 6 months left, I remember last Christmas when I hit 6 months feeling as though it would never end but now it seems like my mission is just about done and there is still lots to do. I look forward to the next 6 months and I know that as I keep myself committed and focused I will be able to see miracles and blessings galore. I love this place and I love the people here.

Love

Elder Cheever