I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!! If Chileans have one constant tradition for whatever sort of holiday they celebrate, it is that you must eat. And if you are eating, you MUST eat meat. It is tradition and necessary and it is blasphemous to not do it. Anyway, since the members here are very wonderful, my companion and I got a lot of invitations to Christmas dinner. One less active family invited us, about two months back, for Christmas dinner, and then another family in the ward invited us to eat dinner on the 24th. What we were unaware of is that, the 24th IS Christmas here. Christmas Eve is when they have the big dinner and then wait until midnight to open all the presents. The 25th is when they all leave for the countryside to kill and cook more meat. Obviously. Anyway, we were unaware of this, so we accepted the invitations of both. Only the day of did we figure out that they both meant the 24th. So this day we went to "lunch" where we ate chicken and mashed potatoes, then first dinner where we ate chicken and ham and pork (and all the other things) and then second dinner where we ate lamb and beef (and all the other things. And it is extremely offensive to refuse seconds. My companion and I decided we are never eating again. Ever.
But anyway, apart from that, Christmas Eve was lovely. The member family that invited us also invited Marina, who just got baptized, She lives alone and doesn´t really have anyone to celebrate with. And before dinner we all read the Christmas story together and watched a Christmas Mormon Message and she began crying because it was the first Christmas in awhile that she had felt loved. She´s divorced and her daughter who lives here in Punta Arenas doesn´t really spend much time with her. I was so glad that we had found her and had continued teaching her (because it was really difficult at first). She is so much happier and I felt an incredible love for her, and was so grateful that that now she truly feels the love of other people and of her Savior Jesus Christ.
This week as well, all of the missionaries in Punta Arenas got together in the main plaza where there is a huge sculpture and a Central Park sort of thing, and we all drew the Plan of Salvation with chalk on the ground, but HUGE, and then we gave people tours of it. It was really quite cool, and there were actually a ton of people who came to see it. And we wrote in Spanish and English because there are a LOT of tourists. It was EXTREMELY difficult to explain in English. Only through divine intervention did get through that.
Well I accidently turned on italics and I don´t know how to turn it off, so I think that´s a sign that I better go. But Catalina accepted a baptismal date for the 11th of January too, that story next time!! That was the best Chrsitmas present! Still just way too much!!
Anyway, I love you all, and I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to find true and lasting happiness in this life and forever. That the family is central to the plan that God has for us and that it is forever. I love my family so much and I love my Savior. There is nothing better in life but to serve Him. It brings a peace that nothing else does. Anyway, these italics are starting to get on my nerves, so until next week!! I love you all!!!!
I´ll leave you with one of my favorite stories:
"Years ago there was little one-room schoolhouse in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough that no teacher had been able to handle them. A young, inexperienced teacher applied, and the old director scanned him and asked: 'Young fellow, do you know that you are in for an awful beating? Every teacher that we have had here for years has had to take one.' 'I will risk it,' he replied. The first day of school came, and the teacher appeared for duty. One big fellow named Tom whispered, 'I won't need any help with this one. I can lick him myself.' The teacher said, 'Good Morning, boys, we have come to conduct school.' They yelled and made fun at the top of their voices. 'Now, I want a good school, but I confess that I do not know how unless you help me. Suppose we have a few rules. You tell me, and I will write them on the blackboard.' One fellow yelled, 'No stealing!' Another yelled, 'On time!' Finally, ten rules appeared on the blackboard. 'Now,' said the teacher, 'a law is not good unless there is a penalty attached. What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?' 'Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on,' came the response from the class. 'That is pretty severe, boys. Are you sure that you are ready to stand by it?' Another yelled, 'I second the motion,' and the teacher said, 'Alright, we will live by them! Class, come to order.' In a day or so, 'Big Tom' found that his lunch had been stolen. The thief was located- a little hungry fellow, about ten years old. 'We have found the thief and he must be punished according to your rule- ten stripes across the back. Jim, come up here!' the teacher said. The little fellow, trembling, came up slowly with a big coat fastened around his neck and pleaded, 'Teacher, you can lick me as hard as you like, but please, don't take my coat off!' 'Take your coat off,' the teacher said. 'You helped make the rules.' 'Oh teacher, don't make me!' He began to unbutton, and what did the teacher see? The boy had no shirt on, and revealed a bony little crippled body. 'How can I whip this child?' he thought. 'But I must, if I am to keep this school.' Everything was quiet as death. 'How come you aren't wearing a shirt, Jim?' He replied, 'My father died and my mother is very poor. I have only one shirt and she is washing it today, and I wore my brother's coat to keep me warm.' The teacher, with rod in hand, hesitated. Just then 'Big Tom' jumped to his feet and said, 'Teacher, if you don't object, I will take Jim's licking for him.' 'Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?' 'Off came Tom's coat, and after five strokes the rod broke! The teacher bowed his head and thought, 'How can I finish this awful task?' Then he heard the class sobbing and what did he see? Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. 'Tom, I'm sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you forever for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!'"
The Savior does this for us. Love you all!
No comments:
Post a Comment