Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hope everyone's holidays were good! I'm down to mere seconds, so I just wanted to tell you a little bit about what we did down here in the south. :)

We had a really great Christmas, but I think my favorite part was Christmas Eve. We went with Sister Vance (the senior sister missionary) to go sing Christmas carols. We picked a handful of our investigators, and some people in the ward that we thought might need a boost. And then, we went to the hospital and sang to the 9 patients there. That was REALLY something. I really felt the Spirit, and I know they did too. Everyone asked us who we were, and told us we sounded like angels. I'd been thinking a lot about that lately---about what an angel's job is, and how we can be angels here on earth. The Book of Mormon is chock full of information about angels, and it's been really incredible to read about them and see how we can be angels of the Lord as well. My favorite scripture I've found about angels thus far is Alma 13:22-26. Alma mentions the 'glad tidings of great joy' and 'joyful news' a good handful of times---and what is that message of great joy? What are those glad tidings? Look at D&C 76:40. "And this is the gospel, the GLAD TIDINGS, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us---" And again in D&C 79:1---"...proclaiming GLAD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY, even the everlasting gospel." And last of all, in D&C 128:19-20---"Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have recieved? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy...And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah!...declaring...the dispensation of the fulness of times!" What greater joy can we ask for than to know and have the Spirit of God bear witness to us that Jesus is the Christ, that He still lives and loves us, and has proclaimed His gospel in its fulness so that we can make it back to our heavenly home and family?! I love this work. I love getting to share this news with everyone I can. I'm so grateful that I have been able to serve the Savior here in Louisiana. I have learned so much, and I have seen the hand of the Lord more clearly in my life and in the lives others than I ever have before. This gospel is true! This is Christ's church, and He stands at the head of it, beckoning us to come follow Him.

I love y'all! Keep on keepin' on!

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sister P.

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