Sister Marli MacLay: "The Birthday of a King!"

Yesterday, we got to go to 2 sacraments since our ward isn't meeting...all the college students are gone home. Haha. At one of them, 2 guys sang the song "The birthday of a King" and it was so good! I hadn't ever heard it before.

Beckley came to sacrament again yesterday! he is doing so awesome! We committed him to pray about being baptized January 19th! After sacrament, we walked with him around the temple and he asked us more about what being a missionary is like. I think he's going to serve after he gets baptized, if that's what the Lord has in store for him.

I've never taught someone so committed! We went over to his house for a lesson but couldn't go inside since there wasn't another woman. The only member we could find to come was a guy, so we all sat out in the freezing cold and discussed the Plan of salvation! None of us could feel our toes lol. Most people would be like, yeH UM nah it's too cold maybe another day. So yeah, Beckley is amazing. Keep praying for him and Eddie please.

We have had a phone lesson with Eddie everyday this week too! And he's meeting with other sister missionaries where he is for Christmas. Haha. We asked him the other day when he would like our next phone call to be, and he said "Um tomorrow and the next day and everyday after that until I die." so yeah, he's pretty committed too. I've never seen someone so GRATEFUL for us and what we are doing! Every conversation we have with him, he thanks us for helping him change his life. Most of the time, people just make you feel like a nausance(?) here. He's praying about being baptized February 16th! He is so prepared, he just needs to recognize the answers to his prayers.

I got to go on exchanges in Seminole with sister josoff! I liked being in a small town again

we got to do a lot of knocking! We also decided to do some finding at the mall! We met this awesome girl named Monica at the perfume counter. She said she is interested in learning more! She was like, "no guys, like for real, I really want to meet with you and learn."

Soooo many miracles!

I also got to go to the temple this past weekend! It was my first time going during my mission for just personal worship, not with recent converts or anything. I love the temple so much. There is soooo much to learn. It's gonna be quite awhile before I even scratch the surface of beginning to understand things haha.

Last night we went caroling with our zone leaders, the assistants, and a member! It was so much fun! We went in the zone leaders area, into the cutest neighborhood ever. It felt like Disneyland. It was pretty great, we got to make a lot of people's nights! There was a lot of parties going on that we knocked into. And so many people told us they have never had carolers before so it meant a lot! And we got to tell all of them about light the world (: but my voice is wrecked now lol.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Christ's birth wouldn't really mean much without his sacrifice and resurrection; There would be no Christmas if there were no Easter. It was his atonement that made his birth a 'holy night.'

"The light we love at Christmas emanates from the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. The story we cherish at Christmas tells of our Father’s plan of happiness, which Christ made possible. The gift that makes the Christmas season sacred is His very life, which He gave that we might have everlasting life."

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas!

The Lord loves you and so do I!

Sister MacLay