Mississippi Jackson: So Much To Do!

Greetings from the University of Southern Miss!

This week has been totally NUTS. Since it was transfer week, Sister Matealona and I have had to scramble around to get me settled in to a brand new place. We have quickly discovered that there just aren't enough hours in the day for us to do everything that we need to.

Even so, I am loving Purvis! My new district is very different from my last one; we have less missionaries in it, and they're new people, so they're definitely different! My district consists of Elder Stokes and Elder Lovell, who are in Purvis with us. Elder Lovell comes to us from Guyana! He's a lot of fun, and rather obsessed with cricket. The other two elders are Elder Petersen and Elder Dubosz, who are actually Spanish-speaking! We have a Spanish Branch at the Oak Grove building, so they get to help out these members and travel all over the Zone to help teach Spanish-speaking investigators. I am so grateful to have these wonderful elders in my district!

As a quick tangent, usually when I type up these e-mails, I have my journal open in front of me so I can recall everything that's happened this week. However, with transfers and how much Sister M and I deeply enjoy talking way past our bedtime, I only have two entries! Ha! It's making it rather difficult to remember everything, but I am doing my very best.

This week, we helped the Oak Grove Stake put together and run a Christmas nativity event. This event included dozens upon dozens of nativities donated by people in the ward on display and presented with flickering, electronic candles and surrounded by gorgeously lit Christmas trees (also donated by a member who actually owns a tree farm!). On the stage was a live nativity, where couples played the parts of Mary and Joseph, coddling little baby Jesus while the visitors ogled at the nativities.

In the chapel, the Stake President told the story of Jesus's birth, and introduced musical performances by people in the stake. One of my Zone Leaders ended up playing the piano for everyone, actually! (Awesome job, Elder Stanford!) They were all beautiful performances, especially the finale put together by a local Methodist church. This choir, combined with some members of our stake, sang beautiful Christmas hymns and truly invited the Spirit to the event. It was gorgeous!

My companion and I did different things on both nights of the event. The first night, we worked in the Old Bethlehem Marketplace. This was a hands-on area for kids, where they could write or draw something they'd give to baby Jesus on His birthday. We'd then roll it up and tell them to keep it under their Christmas tree as a reminder of their gift to Him. These kids came up with the most adorable things! Some of them said they'd give Him money, while others said they'd "give Him a hug" or "love." I remember one girl very carefully spelled out "hope" on her piece of paper and happily handed it to us to roll up and tie.

This touched my heart. It reminded me of 3 Nephi 17 in the Book of Mormon when Jesus Christ is blessing the children. Christ blessed every single one of the children of the Nephites and He is so touched and is so consumed with love for them that He cries. Jesus Christ truly has a special place in His heart for little children, who are so innocent and close to the Spirit. They don't even realize it sometimes, but they are. We all have a tendency to grow away from our Father in Heaven as we get older. While some of us may be aware that He's there, we struggle to feel Him, and feel the influence of the Savior in our lives as we are tossed to and fro by the waves of the world. It's terrifying, to be carried away in that. How scary is it to think that we, just like these children, were so close to our Heavenly Father and by our own choices and influences of the world drew away from Him ever so slowly?

This makes me think of Peter when he went to his Savior on the water from his ship. In Matthew 14, we read that Peter "was afraid" and "beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." The next verse has one word in it that strikes me: immediately.

Immediately, the Lord reached out and caught Peter. Immediately, the Lord helped him and raised him up. Immediately -- without hesitation or second thought, the Savior stretched forth His hand and caught this fearful disciple and with love in His voice He said, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

In a world of tossing waves and stark confusion, we must always remember never to doubt the fact that Jesus Christ will always and immediately stretch forth His hand to catch us when we are drowning in the raging seas of trial, temptation, and affliction. He will always be right there, ready to help, if all we do is stretch forth our hand and ask.

With the Christmas season rounding the corner, remember the Savior's role in your life. Just as we had given thanks to our Heavenly Father and all He's done for us this past Thanksgiving, don't forget that Christmas is a season for Christ. This is the time to remember why the Savior was born for us, why He came to this earth, why He even bothered with such a wicked people! We are His brothers and sisters; we are children of God and all He wants to do is help us! How amazing is that?!

Give thanks to your Redeemer, your Rock, your Giver. He gave His life for you. It still astonishes me just how much our Savior suffered for us. His suffering began long before He was nailed to the cross. Remember what He's done for you, and now think of what you can do for Him and for your brothers and sisters, whether they be followers of Christ or not. Your Heavenly Father loves them just the same as you.

Give. Serve. Do all you can to invite the Lord's light into someone else's life by giving your time to another. Show your love this Christmas season by giving the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and understand what He would have you do.

Have a wonderful week, brethren and sistren!

Godspeed!

- Sister Rose