The New Year! What awaits us?!

Buenos dias!

 

All you need is love!!!!!

 

 

 

Hermana Hammar's birthday cake

 

It was so great to see you all and to talk with you all this last week! It made me so happy to see you all so well. I feel like I don't have much to tell you since I just talked to you...haha but I'll do my best. The 26th was Hermana Hammar's 20th birthday! Whooo! We decorated and I made her banana bread for breakfast. We had cake at our district meeting, and we celebrated for her. We also had a lot of really awesome miracles that day like finding a new investigator, receiving a referral, finally finding a less active we've been trying to contact for forever, etc. It was a good day! We also had an investigator come to church on Sunday! His name is Hilario and he was a referral that we received. We taught him the first lesson and he came to church, so we are excited to keep teaching him!
 

 

A Merry Christmas in our apartment

 

Now I'm going to share the experience that I had on Christmas Eve here as well so I have it in writing. 

 

As I was praying before bed on the night before Christmas Eve, I received the impression that I needed to fast. I didn't really know why...and I thought, "On Christmas Eve when I'm going to be with Hispanics?" (They celebrate more on Christmas Eve than they do on Christmas Day) As we visited members it was sure that we would be offered food. We didn't have anything planned until dinner, so I prayed to have help to not have to reject someone's food. Well, the exact opposite happened. The next morning we got a call and found out that we were invited to go eat lunch with a member. I didn't know what to do! I was fasting, but I didn't want to reject his food and make him feel bad. And it was Christmas Eve...I mean who fasts on Christmas Eve, right? haha I was struggling trying to figure out what I needed to do...if I should end my fast and fast on Sunday instead? But as I prayed and presented that option to the Lord, it was clear that it was not an option. I needed to fast. That was certain. So we get to the members house and I told him how sorry I was--that I didn't know we would be eating with him and was fasting. Luckily, he understood and was not offended and instead gave me a plate with un monton de comida (a mountain of food) to eat later on. I felt bad though still, because I didn't know if it would still be good by the time I would eat. Fast forward a little bit after caroling to members and visiting people to when we were on our way to our dinner appointment. We were stopped at a stoplight and I saw a man standing between the lanes walking towards us with a sign asking for food. My mind immediately went to the plate of food I had been given earlier, I turned around to grab it, rolled down the window and handed it to him just as he reached our car. He was so grateful--said thank you so many times, then I wished him a Merry Christmas and the light turned green. As we pulled away I looked over at him and saw him giving thanks to God. In that moment, my eyes welled up with tears and my heart was filled with love for this man. Hermana Saenz turned to me and said "Hermana that was why you needed to fast. If you hadn't that man wouldn't have had food." How grateful I was in that moment that I hadn't given in to the doubts of my mind and that I stayed firm in my decision to fast. It was a lesson to me about how I need to stay firm in all of my beliefs and how I cannot let the enemy sway me. I was so grateful that I was able to listen to the Spirit, and so happy that the Lord had trusted me enough to give me that prompting and that experience. Those experiences are what make Christmas on a mission so special. The next day I watched the Mormon message "The Old Shoemaker" (go watch it and it will make more sense with the story behind it) and they quoted the scripture in Matthew 25:35-40 which read, 

 

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

 

 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 

 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

 

As I heard that, it really hit me that the experience I had just had was so similar. That as we serve those all around us, we are really serving our Savior. I hope that all of you will make a New Years goal to add more service to your lives, planned and unplanned acts of service. That experience for me strengthened my testimony and filled me with joy.

I know that as we set goals, the Lord will help provide ways for us to accomplish them as we include Him in our goals. He knows our desires and He wants to help us! Always keep that in mind. I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week! Start the New Year off strong! 

Much love,

Hermana Hoj