I Stand All Amazed

Feliz Navidad Family!

We had a fun Christmas party this week! I didn't come with high expectations but people worked really hard to make it nice. It really isn't hard to impress me as long as you make take-home goodie bags with chocolate in them.

The trio is down to two. Hermana Gervais left this week :(   But Hna Mercader and I are pushing forward! We are working to find new people to teach and we're trying to be better at encouraging the members to be the finders.

Our flooded streets

Jen and her babes

Getting people excited for Christmas is a lot harder than I expected here. It's just another drinking holiday. Our mission president tries to give us animo by saying, "It's the Christmas season! People will be especially receptive and looking for Christ!" But I think the exact opposite is true. In my last area, Diesel didn't want to get baptized before January because she wanted to be able to party with her friends, and everyone is too busy to go to church or are leaving town so we dropped a couple until next year. Oh well. I still like hearing the message of Jesus' birth.

The first time I ever caught a glimpse of the miraculous condescension of Christ was in seminary (and Mom was teaching). I stand all amazed when I remember that Jesus left his glorious throne to come to this earth and be born in a box that farm animals eat out of. His visitors were mere shepherds. It is humbling to think that the greatest person to ever come to earth never had fame or riches or fans.

This week we went contacting with Julio, an investigator. He was really sad when he saw that people ignored us or hid from us. I guess I was used to it so I never noticed until he said something. But I don't feel bad because like Elder Holland says (click here):

“Remember that when you struggle on your mission, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best person this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have every reason to stand tall and be grateful that the living Son of the living God knows all about your sorrows and your afflictions, and that He came to turn every minus in your life into a plus.”    *flexes  ;-)

Have a merry Christmasss!
Hermana Dudelang (every Domican that tries to say my name)