Week 17: Best. Christmas. EVER.

 Mom notes: Here are this week's 5 Questions:

1) Do you need more contacts sent to you?  Are you even using them?  Are you sticking with your glasses?

2) Were there any books that you needed that we haven't got to you yet?

3) How are the garments holding out?  I know yours aren't that old, but things happen.

4) Need tampons?

5) Did you get Gma Jo's little package?  Did it make sense to you?  Did you write her a thank you note to that you got it?

1. Uh...I honestly have used my contacts twice--in the CCM--and none since I've been in the field. It's just more work in the morning.... Once it starts snowing for real I may use them again (snow and rain don't go well with glasses) but I'm good on that count.

2. No worries on books. We're only allowed, as missionaries, to read Jesus the Christ, Our Search for Happiness, True to the Faith, and Our Heritage; as well as the Ensign and other church magazines. So I'm good there. Plus, to be honest, there is no time to read anything except the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. Which is okay with me. There's always something to get gotten out of those.

3. I'm good on garments. No holes or anything of that sort, so I think I'm doing okay. That might be a good idea for my birthday though... (; haha

4. Nope. That's what Walmart's for.

5. Yes I got Grandma Jo's package, but no I have not yet written a note back to her; we're only to write letters and such on P-day and it's just barely P-day. I'll be doing that later today--unless something catastrophic happens.

Okay, well this week will be a short email as I just talked to you on Thursday.

The work here is going just swimmingly. I love the people we get to work with. It's so amazing to see the change that happens not only in people's lives but in the people themselves. For example, Julia: you can see the light of Christ growing brighter and brighter in her, and it's all because of the Book of Mormon. I really am so blessed to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Granted, I'm not always a finely tuned instrument, but it's a work in progress.

The holidays have been a bit rough for key indicator numbers, but this weekend we were blessed immensely: prior to Saturday, we had had about four lessons. But then we had four lessons on Saturday and three on Sunday. Oh man. That is what happens when we plan by the Spirit and we follow the promptings we receive during the day. It was awesome!

We're still kind of in denial because Hermana Israelsen leaves in about a week and we don't want it to happen. I told someone yesterday "tengo miedo"....it'll be fine, I know, but I still don't want her to leave. So, that's really sad. So let's not talk about that anymore.

I just wanted to share something real quick that I was learning in personal study this morning. I read from Mosiah 24 about Alma and his people, beginning in verse 17, thereabout. So it says that they packed all their stuff up and it took ALL night. Then they traveled ALL day. When they finally pitched their tents, anyone and everyone who could talk "poured out their thanks to God". And what's the next thing that happens? God tells them that they need to leave. He tells them "if you leave, I'll stop your enemies". But only if they leave right then. They still haven't slept! Maybe it's just me, but if I had been there I probably would have been tempted to say, "let the Lamanites have me." But then, maybe not. Think about what terrible bondage these people had been in. They were willing to pack all night then travel all day and then the first thing they did was praise God for getting them out of bondage. I mean, I don't think I can even fathom how bad they had it. But I think, overall, it just goes to show that even when we do exactly what the Lord asks us to do, we're still going to have to do hard things. It's just part of life. It isn't because He is punishing us; He's testing us. Because that's what life is: a test. It's not supposed to be easy--that would have been Satan's plan. But we all chose to follow Christ while we lived with God in the premortal life, before being born on the earth. We jumped for joy and sang praises to our God for the opportunity to be tested, to have trials, to learn and to grow. So when you're going through a hard time, remember that you asked for this, because you KNEW that Christ would be able to help you. Trust in Him, and you'll never go wrong.

I love this Gospel, and the opportunity that I have to be a missionary and share the happiness that comes through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's definitely a trial some days, but it is so worth it. I would not trade this time for anything else in the world. Thank you to everyone who makes it possible for me to be here; I know I can't see all that you do for me. This was by far the best Christmas I have yet to experience in my lifetime and I know it's because I can feel the true Spirit of Christmas, the Spirit of Christ, through missionary work. And I can feel it everyday of my life. (I'm already making plans for helping out the hermanas in Logan when I go back to school.) I am so blessed to have been born into this beautiful Gospel and Church, and so it's a small price to pay to be a missionary--and I'm the one that wins in the end. I am so blessed everyday as a missionary. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and all that He does for me. I learned this week that if we don't repent for our mistakes and our sins, then we still have to pay the price for them, even though Christ already has. So make it easier on yourself and don't let Him have payed for your sins in vain: repent! Make the changes that need to be made and you life will be blessed beyond measure--that's what repentance means. I am ever so grateful for the ability I have to repent and to become better, to try again and again to reach my potential. Thanks be to our Father in Heaven for providing a way. He gave us the tools, but we have to use them. I invite everyone reading this to more fully accept those tools and put them to use in your life; if someone gave you the keys to a Charger, it wouldn't do you any good until you put the key in the ignition and turned.

Todo Mi Amor,

Hermana DeBuck

P.S. If the temporal respect, best Christmas present ever award goes to Abby Hollis: 1988 EFY CD = the single most greatest thing of my entire life.

However, this Christmas was the best ever for other reasons, which I will not be enclosing at this time as I don't have the energy to write about it. #sorrynotsorry