Dear Family,
Happy thanksgiving!!!! I hope you are all doing wonderful and that you eat lots of good food for me! Apparently they are feeding us thanksgiving lunch in the cafeteria and then thanksgiving dinner is a sack dinner. Haha! BUT I'm just grateful I'm not in the MTC over Christmas because I wouldn't get to call home! Bless those poor kids hearts! I get to be part of the MTC Presidency's thanksgiving skit tomorrow as a puritan woman who says "Mercy Me!" on que...so what more could a girl ask for on Thanksgiving?! :) This week has been really good! Our goal to only speak spanish as really failed but we have had a really good week otherwise. Our lessons have gone well and we have had the spirit with us I think so it's been good! The spanish is coming along about as good as it possibly could for someone who knew little to nothing coming into this so I am very grateful. I have been praying to have charity and I can feel that it is working. My goal is come home from my mission filled with the Savior's love for everyone so I am doing everything I can to develop that and praying for it every day.
So this week I was in the gym one day and for some reason I just had this really spiritual experience so I thought I would share it with you all. I was kind of feeling sorry for myself at the beginning of the week because it was a Holiday week and I wasn't going to be home but I was in the gym riding the bike and watching the new Bible video (the actor that plays Jesus looks just like Christian Bale FYI) about the Savior's birth. I watched the part with the three wise men. It showed them travelling on camels through the snow to give their finest gifts to the Savior. I then flipped to another channel and a Mormon Message was on called "Wise Men Still Seek Him." I don't know if I can adequately describe or express my thoughts and emotions as I watched these videos but I am going to try.
"The Wise Men Still Seek Him" video shows a man serving others at Christmas Time. I started thinking about how every Christmas my entire life I have been able to receive gifts and more importantly make memories with my family and friends, all in celebration of the birth of a baby boy who would save us all. We celebrate this miraculous gift that He gave us.
As I watched those videos I was just overcome with gratitude for all of the memories that I have shared with my family during the holidays in my life. I understood more fully that He is the reason for the season. All of our blessings come from our Heavenly Father, including the gift of His son and so we celebrate Thanksgiving. Christmas is the celebration of Christ's birth and New Years is a celebration of the opportunity to begin again. I am grateful for these holidays and the sweet memories that I have because of them.
I realized in the gym that because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have blessed me so much in my life during this time of year, it is a blessing for me to have the opportunity to draw closer to Him during this time this year and to help others who seek Jesus Christ find Him. After all the gifts and blessings He has given me in the past 23 years and Christmases the least I can do is serve Him by sharing His gospel with those who need it. As Mosiah 2:17 says: "When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God."
Later as I reflected on holiday seasons past I couldn't stop crying as these cherished memories ran through my mind.
I thought about Thanksgiving meals at Momel's, Grandma's and most recently our house. I thought about Turkey Bowls and football. I thought about Me, Brooke and Danielle's matching dresses from Papa and Grandma. I thought about Santa Claus's horse drawn sleigh driving down Crest Drive and me dropping my milk because I was so surprised. I thought about Pa and Grammy and the family singing Christmas songs. I thought about Chester and Elwood singing "I'm getting nothing for Christmas." I thought about Pepper Steak and Danielle trying to guess the gifts before we opened them. I thought about Papa and Grandma and how they made every Christmas Eve magical. I thought about Momel bringing presents every Christmas Day without fail and her never-ending generosity. I thought about Daddy C putting Christmas bows on his head. I thought about Blake King saying "Woo, that's purdy" and "Thank you Bishop Frankie, Thank you Miss Paula" and then watching Beatles videos all day. I thought about Christmas Jars and Doorbell ditching. I thought about the excitement of Christmas morning and how Daddy never has the video camera ready and always tries to convince us that Santa didn't come. I thought about Natalie and Benson's faces on Christmas morning and Mama and Daddy's tired eyes that were always filled with joy because we were happy. I thought about white elephant exchanges and Barbara's Nativity at church. I thought about Daddy C and Daddy reading Luke 2. I thought about Grandma's singing and her "It's a wonderful life" Christmas. I thought about Janice's Christmas recitals and Christmas Carolling in the back of the Hallelujah van. I thought about Lori's wedding. I thought about George Bailey. I thought about New Year's Family Dances, Bruce and Johnny's Dance-Off and Grandma's black eyed peas. I thought about the Steak barn and Papa and Grandma's 50th Anniversary Trip. I thought about how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family, amazing friends and the gospel and all I have been blessed with. I was reminded of a line from Alabama's Christmas CD (which brings back another great Christmas memory from Festival of Lights when Kate Bell couldn't believe multiple people in our office loved that CD) that says "All those Christmas Memories, Oh they mean so much to me." I just felt so grateful and at peace. I knew that for these next two holiday seasons I can give the Lord the gift of my time and service to repay Him for all of these wonderful blessings and memories. It is the least that I can give him.
"What can I give Him, poor as I am, If I were a shepherd I'd give Him a lamb, If I were a wise man I'd do my part, What can I give Him? I'll give Him my heart."
I love you all so much! Happy thanksgiving!!! I miss you! Thanks for everything! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!
-Morgan
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