Monday, December 26, 2016

Lumberton, North Carolina - December 26, 2016

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday!! I absolutely loved the time that I had to Skype home yesterday and to talk with all of you!! It looks and sounds like you are all doing really well!!!

This week has been wonderful!! Saturday, our investigator Donna got baptized and on Christmas she received the gift of the Holy Ghost. What a wonderful experience it has been teaching her!! It's been remarkable to watch as the light of Christ filled her soul and she became an amazing follower of Jesus Christ. We definitely had a wonderful Christ-centered Christmas. All of our other investigators are making wonderful progress. We have a couple of other investigators that show really great potential in meeting their baptismal dates. The work here in Lumberton is truly hastening. I am so grateful for the privilege I have had to help move the work forward here. However, I would not have been able to do it without the Lord. I have had to rely on him time and time again and each time I discovered strength and courage that I did not have before. Being a missionary is truly remarkable!!

This morning in my studies, I read Sister Oscarson's talk from this past General Women's Conference. This talk is probably one of  my favorites because of how bold she was in teaching us that we need to rise up in strength. In her talk, she talked about how the times ahead of us are not going to improve and that we need to prepare ourselves for the storms that lie ahead. I truly believe that if we are going to be able to withstand the storms of the devil, we need to be spiritually strong! We need to be exactly obedient in following the commandments and the teachings of the prophets. I am truly grateful for President Thomas S. Monson. I know that as we hearken to his counsel, we WILL NOT go astray. What a blessing it is to have a true modern prophet on the earth today.

I love you all so much!!! I hope you have a wonderful week!! Keep enjoying your Christmas break. I love you all!!!!

Love,
Sister Paynter





1 comment:

  1. How fun to be baptized and given the Holy Ghost on Christmas. Double celebration all your life. We too had a good Christmas. Talked to your Dad on Christmas Day. They too had a good day. It is so fun to watch little kids open gifts. I gave Sam and Seby collapsable back scratchers , they were having fun with them. We played Christmas trivia, there is a lot I didn't know about Christmas. I love your sweater and pajamas, how sweet. Love you Sister Paynter, Grandma Paynter

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