"...Seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given"
When we feel upset, sad, or alone, think upon the bounty of gifts that our loving Heavenly Father has given us. The greatest of gifts often aren't things we can wrap. They aren't things money can buy. They don't have to be large. Among the gifts that we've been given are family, friends, laughter, creativity, freedom, love, intelligence, our bodies, life, the Earth, the gifts of the Spirit, and Jesus Christ himself. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.
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THE GIFT OF FAMILY
Christmas time came around soon enough that December of 2015, the second and last Christmas I would spend as a missionary in Mexico. I got to Skype my family at M.M's house with the other Elders, Montán, Angulo, and Segundo ("See Others As They May Become" and "5th Area: The Lord's High Ways"). The four of us sang Noche de Luz (Silent Night) for my family, and my family got to meet Elder Montán who was extremely excited to test out his English with them.
It was an extra special Christmas at home in Utah because my Aunti Di visited for Christmas and I was able to see her on the Skype call too. I believe it was the second, possibly the third time she'd ever come to visit Utah, and considering we haven't been back to New Zealand in 20+ years, having her there in person was a rare and special treat.
I got to meet someone too for the first time. His name was Alex. My only sister slash sibling had met and started dating him within the past year while I was in Mexico so I never had the chance to meet him before then. I distinctly remember sitting at a playground on a clear night near BYU Idaho a few years earlier when I told my sister that I'd be okay if she got married while I was gone; it was her life after all. I didn't want to be a reason to postpone a happy marriage. It was the previous October of 2015, just 2 months earlier, when I got an email back in Riveras announcing that they were engaged (which I’d been expecting and earnestly praying for). I’d learned all about him through my weekly emails and I was thrilled to finally get to meet and speak with him for Christmas. I liked him immediately and I love him even more now. I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law. (See "Eternal Family").
THE GIFT OF CHRIST
Our Buena Vista Ward was assigned to prepare missionary-themed presents to give away at a Stake Christmas Activity. Obedient to this request from on-high, we brought missionary pamphlets and books to Obispo Piña’s house to wrap (See "Bishops & Shepherds"). I couldn’t believe it when Elder Montán told me that he had never wrapped presents before! He was like a child on Christmas except instead of unwrapping presents, he was wrapping them.
At the Stake Christmas Activity, a couple of guys did their spin on the Nativity that I can only describe as being very "street" and purposefully comedic (See "Celebration"). It was awesome! I wish I would have recorded it but the battery on my camera died and I didn't have the best view anyway.
Christmas time is undoubtedly a special time and presents many opportunities to come together and share messages about our Savior Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints produces special commemorative videos for both Easter and Christmas every year. As part of our missionary efforts, we would hand out pass-along cards with the invitation to look up the video. That first year, the video was called “Él es la dádiva” or “He is the Gift”.
Beginning in December of 2016, there's been a new popular worldwide Christmas initiative led by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints called “Light the World”. In the 25 days leading up to Christmas, participants are invited to do at least one act of kindness a day. Each day is given a theme and a suggestion to get participants thinking about ways to love or serve. I encourage you to investigate it if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Whether through donations or other acts of kindness, there is no shortage of ways to help those around us and spread a little cheer.
When we seem to get caught up in the gifts of Christmas, it is my hope that we remember that first gift which wasn’t bought in a store. That first gift wasn’t wrapped in wrapping paper but rather swaddling clothes. It wasn’t laid under the Christmas tree but in a manger. It was the greatest gift our Heavenly Father could give us. For God so loves us that He sent His only begotten son (John 3:16). He is the Christ!
THE GIFT OF MUSIC
As our gift to the Ward members, our Zone of missionaries learned, practiced, and performed a musical number from Pentatonix called “White Winter Hymnal” on Wednesday, December 23, 2015. I’m not sure the song had any relevance to Christmas but our Zone Leaders thought it would be something fun to do and asked for our participation. I was interested merely for the chance to do something different with my buddies. Some, like Elder Montán, only participated because they had no other choice; but with that being said, Elder Montán was the biggest perfectionist when it came to anything musical. I would have thought that the opportunity to sing in English would have gotten him excited but it seemed to frustrate him more and we had a serious talk about to what end we were performing. Nonetheless, we learned it in a few days. It was easier for me since I knew English so I helped sing while the others did their best to learn the synchronized hand movements. With that being said, we weren't very good, but we gave it a go.
Our little performance was imperfect (which is putting it lightly). No offense but the guys really struggled to keep such a simple tempo and this one was like learning to deep-dive before getting good at swimming! And I just look like I'm between being flat-out bored and embarrassed. It's really cringy. Watch it at your own risk. We didn’t have a grand turnout, probably close to 30 people, but it was the thought that counts. Just being with the other Elders that'd become like family to me, going an extra mile with them, trying something new, getting outside of our comfort zone was well worth it. If anything, I was in it for the memory. Whether or not anybody cared, what was important was that we cared. Sometimes missionary work is like that; we give because we care and it doesn’t matter if it’s a few or many that accept our gift, it is worth it for the one who will.
THE GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP
The week before, on Thursday, December 17, 2015, after our weekly planning session, we took the bus to Reynosa for the Mission "Posada" Christmas party. With the bus crammed with almost entirely with missionaries, as the inter-city buses usually did, they put on a movie for the duration of the ride. The movie that the driver put on was 22nd Jump Street! What an awful choice, especially for a bus of missionaries! At least we got a laugh out of the irony. We arrived at about 4 or 5ish and slept over at Elder Rangel and Elder Martinez's house until the celebration the following day.
It was super cold in the mornings but most days were pretty mild like Spring with a gray humid sky covering all. Compared to the previous year, that Mission Party felt like it came and went in a flash. We watched a documentary-type video in the dark of the chapel of some kind of Mexican dance that almost put me to sleep in 45 minutes. We ate a bunch and some of the games included musical chairs, piñatas, popping balloons with confetti over each other's heads, and so forth. They dressed Elder Brennaman (who was one of the "bigger" guys in the Mission) as Santa clause and we got to sit on his lap when President Morales gave us our gifts. I got a greenish tan tie, similar to the orangey-blue tie I'd gotten the year before.
In some ways, it didn't feel like Christmas given the weather and the work and so forth. There were no classic Christmas movies, no classic Christmas music, few Christmas decorations, and so forth. But Christmas isn't about the festivities. Christmas is first and foremost about CHRIST and may we never forget it. As far as I'm concerned, the greatest gifts are the ones we share with others.
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