SISTER ZACKRISION: MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas y’all!

Can you believe that this week is the day we have been waiting for? Christmas is almost here! I can hardly handle it. The spirit gets stronger and stronger the closer we get to Christmas. This really is the Lord’s holiday, and there is no doubt about that. This week was wonderful. We were really busy, and so it was a long week as well. We weren’t in our area most the week, and it was rough on our numbers. We had a lot of other things that needed our attention, and so we went where we were needed. The time we did spend in our area we tried our hardest to be effective with our time. 

On Tuesday, the Lord blessed us in the fact that all of our plans got cancelled. Just as we were trying to re-plan our day, we received a call from our Northport sisters. They asked us to come help them pack, since Sister G was heading home the next morning for her ankle. She hurt her ankle a few weeks ago, and it is just not healing. It really was a blessing that this happened over Christmas break when our work in our area was slow. We spent the night packing her up, and then later packing Sister Moore up when we found out she was leaving too. Since Sister Warren used to serve in Northport, she took Sister Moore out to say her goodbyes, and I stayed in the apartment and packed her bags. It was probably the worst packing job I have ever done…I just folded and shoved clothes everywhere! But I did somehow manage to fit all her clothes in one suitcase. It was a miracle. We stayed the night with them so we could get the car packed for them, and then get Sister G to Birmingham early the next morning. It was really sad to be with Sister G as she was packing up her stuff. She loves this mission, and she loves the work. It broke my heart seeing her go through that. The next day we went back to the apartment to finish cleaning it out, and close it up for the transfer. It was really sad to lose two of the sisters in my zone. They added a lot, and we will really miss them for the transfer.

On Thursday, we went to Jasper to blitz the area. Those sisters are amazing! They are doing some amazing work out there. I was with Sister Woodard. Let me just say, she is a gem! She was able to lead me to her investigators house all by herself, and she is really working on contacting. She was so eager to go talk to people, and it was a learning experience for me. I am really impressed by how well she is doing. That evening, we met up with their district and we went caroling in the mall! At first, I thought it was going to be super awkward and a little embarrassing to be standing in the mall singing. But it was the coolest experience ever. We sang, and as we did, people stopped and listened. People smiled as they walked by, and they gave us thumbs up. Some people recorded us, and others took pictures. It was amazing to see the spirit literally warm their hearts and stop them. They all felt it as they walked by us. We even sang a song for Santa. He told us that there was no missionaries in the North Pole, but that was because all the elves were Baptist. Ha, that was really funny. We caroled in a neighborhood as well, and saw miracles as those that opened the door really needed the Christmas spirit that we brought. One family had even buried their daughter earlier that day, and the songs touched them deeply.

The next morning, we found out that three of our sisters were sick. They didn’t want to tell us, but we heard them coughing all night. We all had a big sleepover since we had their district meeting the next day, and it would be easier to stay together. Ha. We made them soup, and we made sure they were taken care of before we left Jasper for our area. When we got home, we were able to go do some service, and help put together food boxes for the disabled veterans. It was amazing to see the love that was being shared by all the volunteers putting together boxes. I thought to myself, this is truly what Christmas is all about. The love of the Savior.

On Saturday was our Mission Christmas Party, which was an all day event, and a complete blast! We had a devotional, a lunch, a talent show, and to top it off, we got to watch FROZEN!  After nearly a year of hearing all about it, I finally got to see it. Hands down, I have the best mission president ever! The movie was super cute, and it was better than the story line I had imagined in my head. It was really fun to be together with a group of missionaries, and see a lot of my past companions. Sister Warren and I even had matching Christmas outfits, with a matching bow in our hair. It was quite fun.

This week we have seen some real Christmas miracles. We saw others as we tracted, and as we contacted. The Lord knew how we would need help, and He gave it to us! I am so grateful for the spirit we feel during this time of year. I don’t know how to express the joy I feel as I teach people about the Savior this season. This truly is the best time of year, even more so now that I am a missionary. I don’t have a quote this week, but I thought we could just soak in the spirit of Christ, as this week we will finally celebrate Christmas. I love the Lord, and I love the gospel. I know that this is His church, and I am so blessed to be a part of the great work.

Sorry for the long email this week, but I hope y’all enjoyed it! MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope the holiday is wonderful!

Love,

Sister Zackrison