Hey
Guys!
Just to tell you what
I'm gonna be doing today: Elder Cabrera and I found a bunch of fishing gear, so
we're gonna go to a local pier and see how the fishing is. If we get anything,
we're gonna take pictures, so you guys will see next week.
This week we had our
district conference. (A district is like a smaller version of a stake, expect
they don't have high priests most of the time and the district president
doesn't have the keys to oversee the Melchizidek Priesthood) Our mission
President came and very lovingly invited all the members to repent, and
re-organized the district presidency. So a lot of things are gonna change in
the district. I don't know how much that will affect our branch here in Puerto
Barrios, but the good news is that the old district president, who is member of
our branch, will finally be able to sit with his family in the congregation
after 9 years of service. So I feel happy for him. (We'll also finally be able
to visit him to get him inspired about missionary work, too.)
My mind has been
occupied with Christmas and everything that has to do with Christmas lately. My
notion of what a Christmas should be like has changed completely! Christmas,
the way we celebrate it here in Guatemala, needs tamales and FIREWORKS! Imagine people shooting off fireworks from every
street corner, starting at 12:00 at night, for an hour, 2 hours, or up to 4
hours without stopping! So yeah, we're
super excited. There are families that are inviting us to eat with them already
and everything.
I haven't only been
thinking about the secular part of Christmas, however. I've been thinking about
the impact that our Savior had. The truth is that he came in super humble
circumstances to the world. Even his name- -JESUS- that name so respected
to us- was a common name. It would have been like naming your child John or
Frank or something really common. But yet, this man- born homeless, without
even a blanket to put on top of him, so poor that his mother laid him in straw
to keep him warm, became one of the most recognized figures in all the world.
He was poor all his life- "birds have nests, and foxes have holes, but the
Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." He died as a common criminal-
crucifixion wasn't some kind of special punishment. He lived, he died, and if
you look at his life like any other ordinary man, you don't see too much too
different. But He was different. He is our Savior. He, for all that he did,
took upon him the sins of the world, in a way that no one saw until after he
explained it to his apostles. For me, He lived great, He died great, and he
still lives.
Food for thought for
today! Study Christmas this month! Participate in the program the church has
for this Christmas! Love you all!
--
Elder Jeffrey Reed
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