It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas! Outside our apartment.

Once again! Happy Christmas salutations; I hope this email finds you well and warm and cheerful.

It's been a good week. We didn't teach a ton, but you win some, you lose some I suppose. We taught two lessons this week to the Moreno family. I don't know if I've told you about them before. They're a family who's been investigating the Church on and off for years. When we taught them for the first time, they had a million questions about many different things. We told them to pick 2 (two) questions (parenthesis for emphasis) that they wanted us to answer in our next visit. Based on their questions, we taught them about the pre-mortal life and the Word of Wisdom. Then we showed them the importance of reading and praying about the Book of Mormon to find out if these things were really true. Everything that we taught, we took from modern revelation. In order to accept the answers we gave them, they have to know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. So they need to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Once they know it's true, they have to decide if they think God would reveal a true book of scripture through a false prophet (and they told us they don't believe He would). So now they just need to FOLLOW THROUGH with their commitment to read and pray about the Book of Mormon!!

We had our Celebración Navideña with the Branch. It was great! Two investigating families of ours (including the Morenos), and one investigating family of the Sisters'showed up. We had a great Christmas dinner, followed by an African Nativity play put on by the Primary. The only reason it was African is because a lot of the kids were wearing tiger, lion, or giraffe suits instead of donkeys and oxen, etc. They must have just been short on costumes... Following that, we had musical numbers from the different auxiliaries in the Branch, including from the missionaries! That morning, Elder Smith and I had gone to the church and figured out a great medley of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "Feliz Navidad!" It was just nifty. He played the cello, I played the piano, and the Sisters sang, and also played the piano with me (I didn't have time to really practice, so one of the Sisters played the left hand for me).

Transfers is coming up next week (the week following Christmas this time, not preceding, thank goodness)! In our interviews, President Murdock told us that he's probably going to keep me here and transfer Elder Smith out. But we'll see. The things he says before hard are rarely the things that end up happening. I'll let you know!

Sunday was just... blech. I was suuuper sick. I was sneezing and blowing my nose all throughout church, and then I went home and slept. Actually, I rested, because I couldn't really fall asleep. Oh! And also, that morning our apartment flooded and we found out that our plumbing has stopped working. We had to go over to another companionship's apartment to get ready. The carpet is still soaked. They haven't gotten anyone in to take care of it yet. This morning we went over to the church to shower (yeah, there are showers in the church). That was a first! I don't know for sure, but we might end up having to do that for the next few days. So! I was sick and our apartment was wet. I also couldn't go to the bathroom whenever I felt like it. Don't take that blessing for granted. I'm still not feeling 100% better, but our Branch President is a doctor, and he can hook me up if I need anything special.

Don't pity me though! Just giving you an update on my week. I'm sure I'll feel better soon and our apartment will be dry. We're just looking forward to great things! The work goes on and this is the most wonderful time of the year! That helps a lot. I can't imagine how bad it would be if all of these things were happening and it wasn't Christmas time. Christmas just brightens everything up! Remember the true meaning of Christmas. It's a good, better, best season. Good: get presents and have fun with family. Better: give presents and have fun with family. Best: remember and share the true meaning of the celebration: 

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,which is Christ the Lord. . . . And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2: 10-14)

I know that Jesus Christ was born to be our Savior. I know He fulfilled His mission in mortality, and that He lives! That's the Gospel. Now go share the Gift!

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Elder Rogers