First off, thanks to everyone for the emails this week! It was sooo fun to get on and see so many emails for people back home! :) MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
This week was honestly a dream for SO many reasons!! I am honestly so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary especially around Christmas time. I don't know how to put into words how special this week was..? but I'll try (this is for you mum)
VICTOR GOT BAPTIZED! Saturday was one of the BEST days on my mission. It was the greatest Christmas present to see him enter the waters of baptism and to see how this Gospel has changed his life. I met Victor on the street back in March and taught him for 8 months. It has been a long road and it wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I have now seen it multiple times on my mission/in my life, but this gospel really does change lives. I saw it again with Victor this weekend, and that is why this work is so special. I don't know how to describe it, but it is the BEST feeling to see someone you love soo much, come to know and accept Jesus Christ.
I (&every other missionary) got to Skype my family! It was soo good to talk to and see my family on Christmas. Crazy to think that I will be home in 3 months and will be able to talk to them in person.. woah. But I have the best family ever so it was soo fun to talk to them! (yayayay)
OH, MY MISSION TRAINER is back in Melbourne!! Sister Guan is doing a working holiday visa here, so she will be in Melbourne for a year! I was able to see her when I was in the city this weekend and it was the best surprise! There was screaming, tears and soo many hugs. I love her and I am so happy she is back!! <3
We have had soo many feeds recently and we have eaten sooo much. A couple Sundays ago, our Bishop was conducting Sacrament meeting and he asked all the missionaries in the ward to stand. We had no idea what was going on.. but he just said, "We have 6 amazing missionaries in our ward. They are doing soo great and helping our ward so much, and we now need to help them. We need to do better about feeding these missionaries and have them in our homes." haha I felt superrr embarrassed.. BUT now we have soo many dinner appointments. haha so that's cool.
This Christmas has been one of the best ones yet. It was so fun to spend it with members and missionaries. The people I have met here have become some of my closest friends. I am so grateful to be surrounded by soo many incredible people. They made Christmas 2017 unforgettable.
As Sister Cahoon (my bff/soul sister/comp 2 times) said in her group email, "I seriously cannot believe that 2017 is coming to an end, and that I've spent this entire year living in Melbourne Australia. Crazy to me how fast the time has gone by. Even crazier to think of the change and growth I have gone through since the start of the year." This was perfectly said and I could not agree more. :):)):)
xoxo,
张姐妹
Sister John'stain'
(I was at a Christmas party at a members house, and I spilled some RED sauce on my nice WHITE shirt so that is how I got the new name.....some things never change)
Cute Kelsie Stringer doing Alyssa's hair.
Poor Alyssa spilled something on her white shirt - oh boy
Victor - who Alyssa met while GQing on the streets.
All the sister missionaries who taught Victor
Flatmates at the ward Christmas Party
Sister Lee, Sister Johnson, Sister Chen and Sister Tuu'u
Sister Guan - trainer came back to Melbourne for
a year on a working visa.
Sister Patchell, Sister Chen, Sister Cahoon,
Sister Johnson, Sister Li, Sister Madsen
Little Christmas tree with some interesting decorations
Pipe cleaner Christmas Tree
"The members give us soo much at Christmas time - fruit and lollies -
what more do you need?"
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