Christmas in the mission field

Christmas is a great time to be serving a full time mission for the Lord. All our time and attention can truly be turned to the Savior of the World. This year Elder Foote and I are reading the book Jesus the Christ. We have learned so much about His life and His mission. We have come to love and appreciate the life He lived and the atoning sacrifice He made for each of us. We also appreciate the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon prophets who fortold the coming of Christ. We are spending a lot of time reading these books. They are so inspiring.

When we aren't studying, we are visiting people in the Tell City area and talking to them about the blessings that can come into our lives when we accept Christ into our hearts. This is the only way to have true happiness. Other things bring temporary happiness, but to have joy in our lives, we need to include our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

We've had the privilege to make some wonderful friends here. Keith and Leean Emerson and their daughters, Marie and Amanda are very special to us. They have been through trials and through their faith they have become a strong and happy family. I love to visit my friend, Betty. She is terminally ill with cancer, but has a smile and a kind word every time I see her. Brenda and Tom are amazing. Brenda is in a wheel chair. Tom works and comes home and lovingly cares for his wifes needs. Our friends - the Ansons are such good people. Brother Anson is waiting for a liver transplant. His wife is one of those women we all want to emulate. She is devoted to her husband, children, grandchild, work, church - she does it all. Probably the most inspiring person I've met is Leroy Skeen. He has been a quadraplegic since having a stroke over 25 years ago. He is funny, witty and lives life to the fullest. We can always plan on having a laugh when we see him. We've visited him in his home, in the hospital, the emergency room and in intensive care. It is always the same. A beautiful smile and a joke to tell. We love and admire his spirit.

We don't really keep up with a lot of the bad things that are going on in the world. We are trying to concentrate on the good people we meet. There are so many people who are living their lives the best they know how. We are all brothers and sisters. We want to serve them. After all, when we serve others, we are serving our Lord. Some of us need physical assistance, some need spiritual help, some need to feel the peace that comes from forgiving another. We all have needs and we need to reach out to each other.

I know God lives. I know His son, our Savior, Jesus Christ lives. I know they love us. They know us individually. They want us to be happy and they have taught us the way to be happy in this life and in the life to come. Our prayer is that each of you find happiness, joy and peace in your lives during this Christmas season and through out the new year.

Santa Clause, Indiana

We are only a few miles from the neatest city - Santa Claus. Just had to get some pics. We're doing great. It is a little cold, but not enough snow yet to make a snowman. Merry Christmas to you all!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!