A "White" Christmas!

December 14th--
We had our mission Christmas party in Tacoma yesterday. We had a dinner and sang some silly songs and then they gave us each a fleece blanket that had WA-TAC MISSION embroidered on it. It was way fun to see everyone..sometimes I feel that I've forgotten how to have fun so I felt really out of place for the first part of it haha..And after all that we went to the chapel (we met at the Stake Center in Tacoma) and had a more spiritual meeting for about an hour. Then it was time to go back to our areas so we lined up and they gave us our packages from home. I thought I'd just open it and kinda see what was inside but I ended up going through everything and trying it on/eating it/reading the cards ..so Sister Oehler and I kind of celebrated Christmas yesterday I guess (:

The weather in Elma has been crazy .. it rained so much that it flooded in several areas, where now it looks like there are trees just growing in the middle of lakes. Hopefully it'll dry up before it freezes! Sister Oehler and I have a baptism this Friday! We have been meeting with Will for a few months. He is just really searching for truth. He's really come to recognize the Spirit and how to receive personal revelation through prayer. He was really struggling to understand why he needed to be baptized again (since he has been in a few other churches) but we explained the Priesthood authority to him and he went home and prayed about it and came back and said "I know without a doubt in my mind that I need to be baptized and I want the Holy Ghost". He even prayed about what day and time to be baptized and somehow came to the conclusion that he needed to be baptized on December 17th at 7:45 AM!

Yesterday at the Christmas party, I talked to the Sisters who are now serving in Sequim and I asked them about a family I taught there. Sequim was the first area I served in and while I was there, we tracted into this family and taught them the gospel. The mother, Kim, was first baptized and then her husband, Michael, and the following week he baptized his two children, Dylan and Alex. It was incredible to see the Spirit touch their hearts and give them the strength to progress towards baptism and to remain active. Yesterday, I learned that Dylan was ordained to the Priesthood last Sunday and will now be passing the sacrament! If my whole mission were just for that family, I would know the 18 months were worth it. I know that Heavenly Father has people, just like them, prepared for the gospel in every part of the world.

Stand in holy places!

Read your scriptures and say your prayers!

LOVE
Sister Luke