Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
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| The "Car Elder's" Apartment has a view |
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| Merry Christmas |
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| Mitch and Elder Speth with the "Car Elders" |
I don't think I have ever read as
fast as I do when it comes time to open up emails. I just soak them up
so fast and love them even more!
Feliz Ano! (sorry I can't type the accent) Nothing seems better than to start the New
Year off then a Skype call from home! Seriously that was so awesome and
so refreshing. I had no feelings of homesickness just gratitude and
laughs! Thanks for being so awesome :)
So, first things first, we have returned back to our
original apartment and haven't heard or seen anything with concern to danger.
So thankfully we can get back to work! Our numbers really tanked
because of it but, I have no regrets in how we reacted or handled the
situation. Nevertheless Christmas was spent on a couch at the Car Elders
pad. I will never forget it :)
I really wanted to get a lot out of
this Christmas because of all I have heard from other Elders and even
Return Elders about how life changing Christmas in the field can be. But
to be completely honest with you, it was just another day. No snow,
no temple lights, no Christmas books...just missionary work. I came to a
great realization while we were out on the street about 7 o'clock
Christmas night. There were no cars, no people and the night was super
quite. It reminded me of the nights back home when it would snow really
hard and people would stay inside (but just minus the snow). I thought about what
made Christmas special in the past: family, Christ, gifts, friends. Then I realized that everything that makes Christmas so great is what we
do as missionaries everyday. We think of Christ always. We visit with
families and try to offer happiness and eternity. We find friendships
in those we serve with...men and women who are in the same boat as we
are. We give gifts that don't come in boxes but rather that come from
study, hard work and life experiences. Christmas was perfect this
years. Truly...so, so perfect.
It was great to hear how Steph's farewell went! I wish I
could have seen it but it sounds just as good as I pictured it would be.
Farewell's are a hard thing but seeing all your friends and family means
the world. I don't think I can remember a time when I have felt more
supported and loved! Thanks for being a part of that for Steph.
Dad said you sold my roommate...bittersweet moment right
there. Kind of hit me in the childhood but, Toby will always have my
heart...even if she could care less haha.
We had a
double baptism week in our district and it was a really great
experience. It was nice to see that missionary work as a whole continues
on even if personally it feels otherwise. We had 0 investigators at
church and had to drop 3 investigators throughout the week. It is a hard
thing to drop an investigator but if you see it as clearing a path to
the field that IS white and IS ready to harvest it becomes a smaller
pill to swallow.
Our district leader, Elder Norman, was hit by a car
yesterday on his way to the baptism. He broke his hand and sprained his
knee but all is well. He made a traffic mistake and unfortunately paid
the price. Also this is his first bike in 14 months...bad luck
haha. I am grateful for the blessing of safety Elder Speth and I see everyday being
on bikes.
I have made some goals to help manage my headaches and hopefully will start seeing some results. I am drinking more water, packing snacks
and watching out for the situations that seem to trigger them. Sorry I haven't
mentioned them before. They really hurt and put a huge damper on my work
but honestly I know I can figure a way to get rid of them. I'll let
you know how it goes!
I am so hopeful and excited to face this new year.
2014 will be a year of growth and faith! Our President has challenged us
to make a goal for this next year (and for the rest of our mission).
And that is to picture the kind of missionary you want to be when you
return home. What do you want to look like, sound like, and say? What
kind of stories will you have and will they be of regret or success?
Will you be eager to become part of the world you left behind or will
you become fully converted to living a life full of the gospel and
Christ like attributes? I am excited, oh so excited for the future. How
could I not be? I have a Father in Heaven who loves me, truly loves me
and loves what I am doing. I have a family who supports and uplifts me. I
have the scriptures and a living prophets to guide me and show me the way to
eternal happiness. Whatever 2014 brings it will be embraced :) Love you
Mom. Can't thank you enough!
Con Amor
Elder Bagley
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| The best hot chocolate ever! |
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| I love packages...thanks for all the love! |
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| Best companion ever! |
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