Sunday before Christmas - 2010

Today was our last Sunday before Christmas in the Mission Field of Dallas Texas. That makes me sad to think of that. There are so many mixed emotions involved. We love these people very much, on the other hand we miss our family and love them very much. They are also our lives.

Alyssa Taylor and Bill Iannonie were confirmed members of the church today. Elder Whiting confirmed Alyssa, while Brother Stringer confirmed Bill. We were worried because it was time to start and neither one of them was there. The Branch President said it was okay, we would just confirm them when they arrived.

Bill got there just as the meeting began. He had problems getting water to his horses because his hoses were all frozen. He walked in, with a frustrated look on his face. I thought, "Oh, no!" So Bill was confirmed before the Sacrament.

Alyssa arrived just after they started the Sacrament. She brought a friend, Lance, with her whom she has just started getting to know. AS soon as the Sacrament was over, she was confirmed. I gave her a hug on the way back to her seat, and she was just sobbing. It was pretty much that way the whole 3 hour block. She felt the spirit and cried a lot. Lance is a friend that she met a Walmart. He seems like a great guy, not sure where that is going. Anyway he came to Gospel Principles class and participated there. He is not afraid to participate, for sure. We talked to him about teaching him about the Gospel. We brought that up immediately because it is important to ALyssa.

We had three non members in Gospel Principles class, Jeremy Kimberly and Bill. Besides that we had Bill and Alyssa and others. It was great

In church yesterday, the Spirit was strong. Each organization presented a musical number, even the 6 Seminary kids. The male members of this branch have a hard time carrying a melody line, so it was interesting, but the spirit was strong. "A song of the righteous is a prayer unto me," it doesn't say they have to be able to carry a tune.

Today is Monday morning and we are headed out to Dallas for a Senior couples mission get together at the Mission home with the President and wife. We are doing the white elephant thing, going out to dinner to "Salt Grass," and staying at a Motel over night so that we can go to the Temple together in the morning. We loved it last year.

Last night we watched a video of our family Christmas program made in Boise. What an amazing family we have. It was wonderful to see them all work together and support each other. Milton did the video and it was outstanding. We heard their piano music, we were able to see it, and yet feel like we were a part of it. To end they all sang "Silent Night." That was a tear jerker and I felt the power of the spirit so strongly. The love and power of the spirit was there. We love them all very much and they have gone out of their way in every respect to help and support us in the work we are doing. Wow!!!!

That video kind of left us disarmed. The love that we feel for our family. The knowledge that what we are doing here is so needed and right. Watching our family pull and work together under the power of the spirit. Elder Whiting made the comment, "That is what it will be like when we are on the other side of the veil." We feel so grateful to our Heavenly Father for the great blessings he has given to us. It was just such a feeling of peace and love.

This week will be a little slower as we are searching for new people to teach. Christmas week will have everyone being very busy. It is okay because we are both reading the Book of Mormon and are trying to finish before Christmas, (at least I am.) Elder Whiting has read it already and through it almost again.

Merry Christmas 2009 to all of us.