Happy Holidays!! I hope everyone has had a great week!!! I am so excited for this Christmas season!! I am excited for the time we have to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ and to find joy and peace in the things that He did for everyone!!
This week
has been good. There were some difficult days this week, but the good
always out weighs the bad here in the mission field!! This week, we had
Zone Training and it was amazing!!! Our Zone set a goal to have 1
baptism for every companionship this month. In order to do that we made a
goal to find 8 new investigators a week! This week, Sister Smith and I
were able to find 11 new investigators!!! We were also able to set new
Baptismal dates and now have a total of 10!! 4 of those dates are
scheduled for this month!!! The work here in Lumberton has truly been
amazing!
Last night, we got to watch the
Christmas Devotional!!! I absolutely loved it!!! My favorite talk was
Douglas D. Holmes' talk. I love at the beginning of his talk when he
asked us to imagine what it would be like to not open our gifts on
Christmas and how we sometimes do this with the gifts our Heavenly
Father gives us. This talk has made me reflect on the gifts from
Heavenly Father that I have left unopened. It's sad to think that we do
leave gifts from Heavenly Father unopened. He loves us so much and gives
us so many gifts and sometimes we don't receive those gifts!!! One of
the gifts that I have been reflecting on is the gift of the Sacrament.
Each week, we have the opportunity to renew our covenants with Heavenly
Father and a lot of the time I feel that I haven't made the Sacrament as
meaningful as it can be. Something I want to do better at is making the
Sacrament more meaningful by thinking of Jesus during the Sacrament. I
also want to prepare myself before I take the Sacrament by using the
time before the Sacrament to feel at peace and remember the Savior. I
challenge all of you to reflect on the gifts from Heavenly Father that
you have left unopened. Then....OPEN them and receive what Heavenly
Father has to give you!!! I love this scripture in Doctrine and
Covenants 88:33, "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed
upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that
which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the
gift." I know that as we receive all the gifts that Heavenly Father has
to give us, we will be able to rejoice this Christmas season!!
I love you all so much!!! Thank you for everything you do!! Have a wonderful week!!
Love,
Sister Paynter
Hi mine Sister Paynter, it was good to hear your description of what to think about before the sacrament. I sit with Jenny's kids so I am more involved with them than anything else, but that is okay because the Lord loves little ones and so do I. I know the Lord is glad they are in church where they belong and smiles on them all the time. He smiles on you too Meghan and loves you to pieces and is so pleased with you. I sent a christmas card I hope you received it. Enjoy this Christmas season. Love you. Grandma Paynter.
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