WEEK 47 "I cannot get the song "Jesus en Pesebre" out of my head"
WOW tomorrow is Christmas. I hope you all have taken a moment to slow down and truly focus on the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas.
This week we got creative with Light the World. On the busiest street in our area, Miracle Mile, we set up a Hot Cocoa stand with a sign that said, "What does Christmas mean to you?" All the families and children of Miami were drawn to our music on the violin, hot chocolate and poster as they were on their way to see Santa and the huge Christmas tree outside of the city park. It was even a little chilly out (if you can believe that) so how could anyone turn us down? It was a very powerful experience for me as were were able to testify of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the life and sacrifice of our Savior who makes it all possible.
We had a lot of flyers for our special Sunday service as well. I would say it was one of the most memorable nights of my mission. The true spirit of Christmas was there as we told hundreds of families about the Glad Tidings of Great Joy and as we shared the Light of Christ. I am so grateful for this season and the happiness that it brings to us as we truly lose ourselves in serving other as Christ did.
This week we have seen so many Christmas Miracles! I will just share a few:
First, we were right about to have a family home evening and it was Friday night. As we were preparing and setting everything up with the other sisters I got a prompting for the spirit that we needed to go see how one of our friends was doing and invite him to come to the activity. To our surprise when we arrived, this cute little old man named Claudio was collapsed on the ground outside of his house. He had fallen and couldn't get up. We don't know how long he was actually laying there but I know that this was a shear miracle. I can testify that as we live worthily to have the spirit with us and as we follow these sacred promptings with faith we will be able to run the errands that our Lord needs us to run.
This week Yohendris took us to a Nicaraguan restaurant (their food is my favorite). And we were in line checking out and there was a man in front of us who had been obviously ease dropping on our entire conversation. At the end I leaned over to my companion and I said I think we should go talk to him. We were short on time and needed to run off to an appointment and so we introduced ourselves and gave him a card with our name and number on it. GUESS WHAT! He showed up to church this past week and he told us that he wants to prepare himself to get married in the temple. Once again, as we are aware of the people around us and the promptings of the spirit, the Lord will be able to work through us to accomplish his purposes.
And last but not least... I believe that every missionary and member should carry a Book of Mormon everywhere they go. This is a simple act of faith that shows our Heavenly Father that you are ready to help those in need and testify of the restored Gospel. This week a cute Costa Rican lady came up to me and randomly just starting asking me her questions about our Church. I later found out that her dad was a member before he passed away and she has always wanted to learn more. We taught her a quick Restoration and The spirit was so strong in the account of the First Vision. I know that God truly is gathering his children back from the 12 parts of the world. I know that If we look for opportunities to share our beliefs and the light that Christ has given us, we will find unexpected miracles.
I love the Joy that comes from representing our Savior and Sharing the Gospel. I truly know that when we serve as He served, when we testify as He testified, and as we align our will with the Father's as He did we will truly come to know our Savior better. I know without a doubt that this is His church that it has been restored on the earth again. I am so grateful for Him.
Love you all! FELIZ NAVIDAD
con mucho amor,
Hermana Richards
