AwKwArD

You know that awkward moment when you are so excited to talk to your family on Christmas and then the majority of the conversation you have is about how fat you look? Oh yeah, me too!

Haha, I wanted to post about Christmas and family. I am about the luckiest missionary ever. Almost every missionary ever is away from all their family on Christmas, but I am serving in my Aunt and Uncle's ward! So we got to go to their home for Christmas! :) I got to spend Christmas with my family as a missionary! Lucky right? It gets better!

I didn't just get to call my family, I got skype them! It was so fun to be able to see all their faces! Of course, they were making fun of my fat face.. but you know what? They are just jealous I get to eat all this tasty southern food! ;) Haha We joke a lot in my family and I love that!!!! We always tease each other and have fun! I love that we are close enough to each other that we can joke and have fun!!!

I also got to skype with my Grandpa and Grandpa with a lot of my cousins there! It was so great to be able to see their faces and be able to say hi! I love technology! How blessed are we?! Thousands of miles away and I get to see my whole family and talk to them almost face to face!!! :) Truly incredible.

I realized how blessed I am on Christmas. So many people were so generous towards Sister Fagergren and I. The people here in North Carolina are so inspiring and just incredible. They took care of my companion and I very well and blessed us so dearly!!!!! Thanks!!!!

I am in love with the Gospel. I love being out here and serving the Lord. I love Jesus!

We were talking to a man yesterday on the road and he asked what we aren't allowed to do as missionaries, so we named just a few, we can't: call home, watch t.v., surf the web, go home, go to school, work.

We told him all these things and he was in awe! He asked how old we were and we told him 19. He was SHOCKED! He said, "How is it that you have enough faith and courage at your age to go out and talk to people about Jesus? How can you just not be around your family? How are you able to do that?"

Our answer was simple, "It is hard, but worth it. It is for Jesus and remembering our purpose makes it possible. He has given His life for us, so we can give a little of our lives for him."

Why would we give up so much just to live a life filled with rules and mean people yelling at you and not being able to be home for Christmas, ect.?

SIMPLE:

Because it is for Jesus.

Blessed :)

I wanted to do a post today about how blessed I am, but I am blessed beyond explanation. I cannot ever express how much God has blessed me. I know it is because he loves me.

I love Jesus Christ. I love this Gospel. I love this time of year. I love God. I love my family. I love being in North Carolina. I love the chance I have to grow. I love the struggles and overcoming them with Christ. I love being able to say with a fact, that I know Jesus Christ lives and loves us. I love life. I love the hard times. I love the good times. I love country music! I love my friends. I love my mission. I love Thomas S. Monson. I love stuffing. I love to smile. I love to dance. I love to talk. I love to go for drives. I love guns. I love snow. I love shopping. I love shoes. I love sleeping.  I love cuddling. I love my brothers. I love my mom. I love my dad.

I LOVE TO LOVE!!!!!!!!!!

Everything I love is a gift given to me from God. Everything in my life is centered on God whether I realize it or not at the time. I am who I am and I love what I love. What do you love?

GUESS WHAT?!?!

Everything that you love. Who you are, GOD LOVES IT ALL TOO! God loves you. God has given us everything good that we love!!! We need to give him the credit and realize how blessed we are. How many blessings that God has given us!? :)

How blessed are each one of us from God? How much does he love us? More than we can EVER comprehend. Remember all he has given you this season, because above all he gave us the gift of his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. How are you going to show him your gratitude. How are you going to thank him?

SO BLOW A KISS.

LOOK FOR THE GOOD.

EMBRACE LIFE. 

MOST OF ALL, LOVE JESUS. AND SHARE IT.

Picture!

Last week we got to have a special meeting as Sister missionaries in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission. It was absolutely amazing. The spirit was so strong! Below is a picture of all of us missionaries and our fabulous mission president and his wife.

This is the first Christmas that I haven't had with my mom and dad. I am missing them so much right now, but I do not want to be anywhere else than on a mission. A lot of people have asked why I wouldn't want to be home. The truth is, that I would love to be home for the holiday's but being on a mission is so fulfilling. The spirit is so strong. It is so easy to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

I miss my family, our traditions and so much more, but I love the new people I have met, my relationship with God and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So why on earth would anyone be willing to give up 18 months to 2 years of their young lives, to be away from their families and to talk to strangers everyday? Because the church is true and it is so worth it.

The reason I decided to serve: I was going through a lot of things and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was brought to me knees. For a few hours I just cried and prayed because that is all I knew to do. I had the strongest impression that I needed to start thinking about going on a mission. I just scoffed and I was like really? Me? Come on, you know me God there is no way I could ever do that! 3 days later I got my patriarchal blessing that said I was going on a mission. That confirmed it. Because I know so strongly that this is right where God wants me, I don't want to be anywhere else.

When we can have our wants and desires the same as God's we can ultimate joy. I am so happy right now, despite the fact that I miss my family dearly. This is only 18 months with-out them so that I can help others be together with their families for eternity. It is worth every minute.

I am away from my family to share His Gospel. What will you do for Jesus Christ this season??

Traditions

Traditions are very big in my family. Especially this time of year!!! Our families Christmas traditions are very dear to me. I would like to share with y'all them!

My mom and I put up the Christmas decorations. We put on Christmas music and we dance! (Not very well, but that doesn't stop us!) We make treats. We hand out gifts to our neighbors. We watch Christmas movies. We make a ginger bread house. Most importantly, we remember Jesus Christ and all that he had done for us.

Below is a picture of our families ginger bread house last year. This basically sums up my family right there. :) #AWESOME

Christmas Eve however holds my heart for my favorite day of the year. I wake up nice and early (about 5 A.M.) in time to watch the Curious George Christmas special and then I get ready for the day.

I go to work with my dad at 7 A.M. At his work, they do a half day. They clean and just finish up some projects they need to get done for the year. I love going there and playing with all the little toys around the office and talking with his co-workers. It is so fun to spend some time with just my dad and helping him out. It truly starts a good day of Christmas Cheer! Serving others is so fulfilling. Around noon they order lunch for the office and we eat together. Then we drive home. By the time we get home it is about 2 P.M.

My two older brothers are so awesome, and are just waking up.

My mom has the house cleaned and is ready to start cooking.

Normally we forgot something, so Mom and I run out to the store. Dad usually has a quick nap. Finally we are ready. We start cooking all of our favorite foods! My brothers marinate a lot of meat. My mom and I make treats. We all cook our favorite foods. It is so amazing to spend time together as a family preparing our feast of  favorites.

Finally all the food is done! :) Okay now the best traditions start! We start off with a prayer. Then we open up our crackers. Crackers are little tubs and they contain a crown, a joke and a prize. So we see what everyone's prizes are, we read our jokes and we all put on the paper crowns. Then we start feasting! We have all types of cheese and crackers. We have sparkling cider. We do fondue of all sorts. We have smoked oysters. We just feast, laugh and enjoy one another. The spirit is always so strong. The love you feel, is absolutely indescribable.

After we are all stuffed, we play a game. It can be any type of game. Last year we played Battle of The Sex's. That was a blast!

We get to open our Christmas Pajamas! We all change into them and go downstairs to where our big tree is. It is all lit up. We then watch The Muppet Christmas Carrol. And we all have it memorized now. We sing and just have a ball quoting it.

Below is a picture of my mom and I in our Christmas pajamas last year!

After the movie is over, we get our special pillowcases. We put the pillow cases at the bottom of our beds and while we are asleep Santa puts a few gifts into them, that we can open as soon as we wake up!

My parents go to bed. Us kids usually stay up and eat some more, play some video games or something. Usually Pokemon on our game boys.

Now we are all older, we don't wake up at 5 in the morning anymore, we all sleep in. Back in the day, my brothers and I would all wake up super early and open our pillowcase presents and play with what we got. My parents had an alarm clock in the hallway and we weren't allowed to go to their room until the alarm went off, but we could play with each other! We would usually play a card game that we got in one of our pillow cases. I have some of the best memories from Christmas morning with my brothers, before mom and dad woke up. Well like I said, that was in the past, now us kids sleep in until our parents wake us up, usually around 11 or so. We wake up and open our gifts.

We get ready for the day and go to my dad's sisters home. She always have Christmas breakfast for us. So we get to eat a little and we always play a game there. Then we head over to my mom's side of the family. We all play with our cousins and spend time with each other. Then we go home and have a family dinner.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the gifts, but because of the Christmas spirit. The spirit of Christ.

One thing I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is how focused it is on families. Our family traditions are something that we can always count on and bring us closer. As we do these little traditions, you can feel the spirit of Christ filling our hearts. That is the true meaning of Christmas.

Jesus

My best friend is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He is the reason for the season. He is the ultimate gift. Jesus suffered and went through everything for us, so he can help us always. Jesus Christ wants us to have ultimate happiness. He is there for us no matter what. He loves us unconditionally. Jesus Christ is truly the best friend any of us could have. He is the perfect example. We should all strive to be like him.

Ask yourselves right now, who is Jesus Christ to you. Really answer the question. Do you believe your answer with your whole heart? Good. Now go share that with someone. Help share Jesus Christ. Let Him be the gift you give this season.

http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529