12.2.14

I heard about how Spencer’s mission was going and sent him an email. It sounds a lot like what happened to me when I was sent to the worst zone and area in the mission my first day in Uruguay. It just goes to show how badly Satan doesn't want us to serve. That's so cool though that Tyler was able to call him! I've never heard from Parker but I had a dream about him the other night. 

As for the changes...E' Marín is going home to Nicaragua and I will be here with E' Rampton. I'm SO excited. E' Rampton was my Zone Leader when I was in Rivera. E' Neilson and E' Nelson were companions in the CCM and E' Rampton trained E' Nelson and I trained E' Neilson. I am just excited to have an American companion again. I learned a lot from E' Marín but it was definitely my hardest change companion wise. 

Ok, the craziest thing happened...Have you guys heard about He is the Gift? christmas.mormon.org. Well we had another concilio (meeting with President in Montevideo). It was incredible! President started off with Juan 3:16...and explained the love that God has for us. He gave us time to look up some scriptures and be prepared to guide us in a discussion about love. I looked up a scripture that I thought was interesting in 1 Juan 4:19 that basically says...we love him because He loved us first. I thought about that and found it to be interesting in that the Apostles didn't love Christ until after feeling the love that He gave them. They were then able to show Christ-like love towards others because they learned it from Christ when He was with them.  They realized and gained testimonies of the Atonement that He performed for them. We can't love until we have been loved. Christ, however, loved us first. Where did He learn how to love? It had to have been from His father. …and the Father from His father. That's why it says in the scriptures that the pure love of Christ is never ending (Moroni 7:47). It has neither beginning nor end. As we come to know God and what He did for us, we learn to love. If we don't know God, we can't love and if we don't love we do not know God. (1 Juan 4:7-8) Our goal here on this earth is to know God and become like Him and the only way to do it is by feeling His love and sharing it. President called on me to share what I learned and it was so cool how the other missionaries were on the same page as me. President went on to talk about the Savior’s sacrifice for us and how it is the ultimate demonstration of love to ever exist. Sacrifice and Love go hand in hand. He talked about how the closest example we have to help us understand the love He has for us is a mother and her child. He began to cry and talk about the Love he has for his children and it has a lot to do with the sacrifice he saw his wife go through. He says that he knows Hermana Smith has more love for her children than he does, because she sacrificed more. He said it is incredible how we can love our children before they’re even born and before we even know them. He went on to explain what Love had to do with He is the Gift. We as missionaries have to help the largest number of people feel God's love by helping them discover the Gift, embrace the Gift and then share the Gift. Later we had a Zone Capacitation about it and I shared the same things and talked about our discussion with President in the concilio. I also talked about how last Christmas was so bad and how I didn't even feel like Christmas happened. Uruguayans don't know how to celebrate Christmas. I heard 2 Christmas songs the entire season, E' Bedke and I almost got robbed. We didn't receive anything from any members. IT'S HOT instead of cold. But the thing that helped me the most was knowing that I wasn't the only one that was having a yucky Christmas. I started off in Cerro. I got a package from my family with some candies and a shirt and tie...many ward members and people didn't receive anything. I heard only 2 Christmas songs, but there were people there that have never heard a Christmas song in their lives. I had one bad Christmas, but there were hundreds of people there that have never had a good Christmas. I was able to see and talk to my family and cry like a baby when talking to my mom about how much I love her and appreciate what she's done for me. People there don't have Skype let alone a family to Skype. By thinking about how blessed I was, I was able to make the most of Christmas and help the largest amount of people possible feel the love of God. (Of course I got choked up a bit... but didn't cry because I'm a MAN) But I testified about how I know that we received direct revelation from God through the First presidency to help us help as many people here in Uruguay feel the love that God has had for them since the beginning of time.  And the way He demonstrated His love to the world was by sending His only begotten son to die for us. It was the best capacitation that I have been in. 

I'm super excited for this next change. 

I hope you all are taking advantage of this time to help the sincere in heart find answers to the questions they will have the holiday season. NOW IS THE TIME TO HELP THEM... not Christmas day. Thanks for everything. Home sounds amazing...I get a bit trunky sometimes but I wouldn't change the time I have here for anything in the world! Love you all and hope thanksgiving was nice with the Nelsons!

 

E' McRae