This week marks one month that I have been serving here in McCall! Days are slow, but months are fast oh my goodness. I will try to just sum up a few things that happened this past week!
Tuesday we had Zone Conference so we got to go down to Caldwell and meet together with the Mission President and his wife, and a whole bunch of other missionaries. It was so fun! We had a spiritual message at the beginning, had a super good lunch, and then had a "Christmas Talent Show" All the spanish missionaries (since there is only about 15 of us in total) did a dance to the song Mi Burrito Sabañero and it was a MESS, but super funny. My district also made a video modeled after the show The Office, called "The District Council," and it turned out really funny as well. After that, since we were down in the city, we got to go to chickfila!! I was so stoked. Anyway, Zone Conference was a good time!
We had about 80000 people cancel on us this week, which is disappointing and leaves us with so much time in our schedule that we have to figure out what to do. We ended up tracting a little bit, which is hard because I swear no one answers their doors anymore. Also sometimes the people that do answer can talk so rudely, which is not my favorite thing in the world, but we still keep trying!
We kept up with lots of service again this week, which is super nice! We went and tried to help at the Food Bank this week, but they ended up having too many volunteers. We were bummed but that's super awesome that so many people are willing to help! We did run into a man there as we were leaving that saw our tags and said "Are you guys the missionaries from Utah?" and we explained that we weren't all from Utah but that we were from that church and he said "Ohhh so you guys are brainwashed then?" HAHA he asked it in a way that was literally like it was just a normal, everyday question it totally caught us off guard. We had a pretty long discussion with him but ultimately he's convinced that everything in our society is a lie (literally EVERYTHING) and that religion is the biggest one of them all! yay! I told him I think it just depends on how you want to look at life, and he told me that perspective doesn't exist, it's a lie. Soooo how do you get anywhere with that? I have no idea, but he got pulled aside and started talking to someone else, so we'll never know!
I can't believe that Christmas is already here!! One tradition that my family has at home, is that every Christmas Eve night, we read the story of Christ's birth from Luke chapter 2. I've been reading out of it a lot recently, and this year, my focus was really on the Shepherds. An angel appeared unto them, telling them about the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. They immediately went to Bethlehem to see for themselves. Verses 17 and 18 then read, "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds." As soon as they knew for themselves the truthfulness of the birth of the Savior, they went and spread the word to any and all people they could find. They wanted to share that message of great joy with everyone. May we all be like those Shepherds and eagerly share the good news of the gospel with those around us. And may those people that hear our message, marvel at the things that they are told, like those people did who were told by the Shepherds of the birth of a Savior. There is no greater source of joy than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why should we keep that all to ourselves?? There is a quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley in his talk, "Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep," and it says, "The gospel is nothing to be ashamed of. It is something to be proud of. 'Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,' wrote Paul to Timothy (2 Tim. 1:8). Opportunities for sharing the gospel are everywhere." I think back to when I was in high school and the missionaries would challenge us to invite our friends to church, or try and share a gospel message with them, and I would always be so embarrassed or scared to do it. But what was I scared of? What did I have to be embarrassed about? There is no greater message, no better news, than this gospel of Jesus Christ, and you never know who is ready and waiting for the happiness and saving power that comes from it. It was meant to be shared. There is nothing to be ashamed of, only something to be so so proud of. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel!!
I miss and love you all so much. Thank you to everyone who has emailed me, sent me Christmas cards, and kept me in their prayers!! It's made it a good Christmas season. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!! <3
Hermana Rawlins
808 South Samson Trail
P.O. Box 192
McCall, ID 83638
Pictures:
1. Me outside in the middle of a snow storm, haha! That morning it was -5⁰ CRAZY
2. My comp, Hermana Percival, one of our friends, Hermana Martinez, and I at Zone Conference
3. Pretty drive down to Boise
4. This giant cute christmas tree they have downtown here!!
5. Apparently this diner called "My Father's Place" has the best milkshakes ever so we went and got one...they were seriously the best milkshakes EVER
