Week 66: Christmas in Chile, and Santa Missionaries!!!

  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! 

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the Christmas season and were able to spend the time with their families. I love the Christmas season because it is a time where we are focused on our Savior and what he has done for us. 

As for me here in Chile, this Christmas was a great experience for me. Actually funny story happened to us: So this last week the assistants came down to deliver gifts to us. We received the Christmas packages for all the missionaries in the sectors. We then realized the next time we would see everyone would be after Christmas. We thought how bad it would be to not have gifts on Christmas.... So what did we do? WE BECAME THE MISSION SANTA CLAUSES. Elder Christensen and I got on our Santa hats and went to visit each Sector.

On Christmas Eve we went to each and every sector in our Zone dropping off their packages and a few No Bake cookies we had made. I have never had so much fun riding buses and delivering packages. Well as the night came to an end we had one more sector to visit and then we were going to return to our sector and go and spend the night with an awesome family. As we got to the last sector, Yumbel, which is about an hour away from our sector. We were greeted by the 2 Sister missionaries that were in that sector. We gave them their packages and we were all super happy. We said our goodbyes and made our way to the bus terminal. We got to the bus terminal and I kid you not it was a Ghost Town. There was not one person in the usually busy terminal. Everyone had left to spend the night with their family. WHAT WERE WE TO DO? We could not spend Christmas Eve in Yumbel! We were thinking of what we could do. We ended up calling a member from our sector to come and get us. We waited over and hour and a half for him to pick us up and by the time we got back to our sector we were 2 hours late to the Family’s house. CAN YOU SAY SANTA GONE WRONG? It was a really fun night though and we really enjoyed our time. We still were able to have our Christmas dinner and spend it with the family. It was a  Christmas miracle!!! 

Elder Boyer and Christensen

I hope you all had a great week and enjoyed your time with your families. 

Hope you enjoy your NEW YEARS, as well!

Week 65.... There is a Definite need of a Savior!!!

It has been a great week  here in LOS ANGELES. The time is coming closer to the Christmas season. Here in Chile it is super weird, I see the stores getting filled with gifts, reindeer and trees, and the houses begin to be filled with all colors of twinkling lights; Meanwhile the sun beats down and the temperature begins to rise. It has been over 80 degrees every day this week. I see pictures of home where there is a foot of snow. Meanwhile here in Chile there is never a WHITE CHRISTMAS, haha. The atmosphere down here is still the same though. As we are getting a little closer to Christmas, everyone gets a little more stressed ;) Everyone is running to the mall to buy those last second gifts. Everyone is getting for the great Christmas season. This time of year is a lot better for the missionary work also. The people begin to open their hearts to a great Christmas message. Even though many are focused of gifts and presents, no one really forgets the TRUE meaning of Christmas... THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR. 

As we have gotten closer to this Christmas season, I couldn’t help but turn my thoughts to Christ and all that he has done for me. There has never been such great a man as the one they call Christ. If it wasn’t for Him, all of us would be lost. We would never be healed, we would live in a life of darkness. I hope this Christmas season you all can remember the true meaning of Christmas and everything He has done for us.

 I just wanted to share a few things I have been thinking while I was studying this week. 

In Romans 3:23 it talks about as humans we all fall short of God. We are not perfect and we all fall short of his presence.

"Mankind cannot lift himself, there is a definite need of a savior" 

We as humans are in need of a Redeemer. Christ has given us a chance. Christ has given us the only way to get back to God.

Mosiah 3:17 There is no other name by which we can be saved. 

I have never felt so close to my Savior. I have really came to love Him and everything he has done for me. I am so grateful for His birth and His great sacrifices.

I hope each and every one of you have a great Christmas holiday. I wish you the best of times and hope you all enjoy your time with your families in all your festivities.

Remember CHRIST AND HIS BIRTH!

Merry Christmas from Chile

Week 63..... The steep path of Discipleship!!!

What a great week. As the week went on we are approaching closer and closer to the final Days of Elder Anderson. We have been working super hard. I have tried to help him so he doesn’t die too hard ;) We have been having some good times together. We have been trying to have the most fun we can have so that he can remember his time here forever. We had many great experiences this week, anywhere from going mini golfing with the boys, service projects in campo, to mission conferences and intercambios. We have just been trying to make the best of the time that he has left. 

This week I don’t have much to say because I usually write down what I want to say in my agenda, but as I was sitting in the cyber, I was showing an Elder some quotes I was going to share, as I starting writing, I looked down and my agenda has disappeared. I now don’t have the quotes I was going to share. He totally stole my agenda so everything I was going to share with y’all is gone. So I guess I will just let you all know what I was able to learn this week.

As all of you know, I have been on the Journey of BECOMING MORE LIKE CHRIST…to find out who He really is. This week has been one of many trials in that sense of things. Each time we grow closer to Christ I feel like times get more challenging. There was a quote I found that went something like this... bear with me, I might butcher this.

"Hard experiences come to those who are doing good because they are more willing to learn." 

Also, I found one that says:

"As we continue further along our path of Discipleship our path gets steeper" 

I really starting thinking about what that quote 
means. What does it mean that our path gets steeper as we come unto Christ? I realized that it meant as we grow closer to Him, times get more challenging. The times get more challenging so that we can be stretched to our limits. Our path turns from something easily conquerable to something extremely difficult. We turn from normal easy going people to someone who gives every ounce they have to Christ. Who says being a believer of Christ would be easy? I know for me in my life, I have seen how easy it is to not follow Christ. How easy it is to just give up and let the world control you. How easy it is to just forget everything you believe and become part of the crowd. The World is like a river, it is easy for us as "Rafters" to go with the flow. It is easy for us as humans to go with the flow, but us believers in Christ MUST RAFT UP RIVER!!!! How easy is that? I will tell you, it is not one that is easily done. Christ asks us that we turn unto Him and raft upriver. If we believe in Him we must give all we have to raft up river no matter how rampant or rapid this river flows. We as believers of Christ need to raft upstream. But, how many of us have strength to make it all the way up the river... NOT ONE!!!! Some of us may be a little stronger, maybe they will make it a little while paddling up stream and make good process, but they will gradually become tired and might get worn down. There will be a time where they are asked to give but just can’t give any more, and that is where Christ and His grace come in. All of us fall short of getting all the way up the rampant river but if we as humans can turn unto Christ He will give us the strength to finish our journey. 

That make me think of one of my favorite scriptures: 

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

I know Christ strengthens us as we will come unto Him. By His grace we are saved. There might be times when our path may turn into an uphill battle. Or maybe as disciples we are asked to raft up stream, BUT THROUGH CHRIST WE WILL MAKE IT!! We will be strengthened enough to conquer the beast. We will win our Salvation. I love each and every one of you.

 I hope that each and every one of you can continue your uphill battle no matter how steep the mountain or how rapid the river flows.

CHRIST WILL BE THERE FOR YOU!!! HE LOVES YOU!!!