Good tidings of joy to you all as well!!

This week has been a crazy one, I guess the best way to describe it would be a roller coaster! Now most roller coasters are super fun, but a missionary one isn't always the best.. haha It’s been a great Christmas already and we still have plenty of days left in the year to do great things for other people. As a missionary it’s really easy to do things for other people, so I would like to extend an invitation to all of you that read this email, to find someone you can help this Christmas season. I am super grateful for an amazing family that supports in this work! I wish more people had such a great family to rely on too:)

On Monday last week, we had an awesome lesson with Q......... and K....... who are trying to prepare for the end of December to get baptized. They have to get married first before they can do that. I never would have thought that I would have to help someone get married as a missionary, but there is always a first for everything. On Tuesday we went with them to get their marriage license and that same day He purposed to her!!! That was just one step in this process. We waited all week for them to go and pick up the final copy of the license, but guess what that never happened!:( so we had a lesson with them the next day and talked about it. They said they ran out of time... so today and tomorrow we are going to do our best to help them get the license and get it signed so they can get baptized on Dec. 31.. but if they aren't ready then will have to wait till next year.. :p So that was a crazy roller coaster of the week.

N.... received his baptismal interview on Tuesday and passed!! We got everything ready for the baptism and finalized some things, with him and A..... A.... is C.....'s daughter and will also be baptized with N....... C..... is N......’s cousin and will be baptizing them both. Well Friday came around and everything was going super well. We received a txt message at 2 in the morning saying that C..... got stuck in Memphis Tennessee and won’t be able to make it back in time. We were like nooooo!!! It’s all good though, we just have to postpone the service till next week:) That was the last roller coaster of the week. Crazy right!

The lesson that I've learned this week, is that Satan really works hard whenever someone is trying to do something right. No matter the person or the good that he is doing. Whenever people are preparing to make a covenant with God, there usually is always some sort of opposition that stands in the way. It reminds me of the experience of Joseph Smith. A lot of time we just remember the wonderful experience he had with the visitation of the Father and the Son. If you read before that, you will know that Satan did everything in is power to stop his prayer, but Joseph exerted all his strength to call upon the Lord and he was delivered from that awful state. Jesus Christ suffered much before he experienced joy and peace. Before his resurrection he suffered in the garden and died on the cross. As we reflect upon Christ this Christmas season remember to give thanks for what you have and always know that there is light at the end of the tunnel whether in this life or the next, God will repay you for your struggles.

This past week was my last Zone Conference of my mission. :( I gave my going home testimony, just as everyone before has done. It was a weird experience to stand up there and do that. Before I just watched many other missionaries going home bare there testimonies and always thought that that will never happen to me. Well it did and now it’s past. During this ZC we watched a movie called Ephraim’s Rescue, I would highly recommend it to everyone! it is really good, but be careful because you will cry in it... The mission life is coming to a close faster than expected and I would like to thank all of you who have sent letters and packages these past few weeks! O and to answer your question mom, we can go to the mail box everyday:) I love you all!

Have a great week and I will see you next week! literally! LOVE ELDER KIRTON!!