Merry Christmas!

I just can't believe it's this time of year again. I have been finding more meaning in Christmas this year and it's a hard way to find it but I truly rejoice more thinking of the Birth of our Saviour and what it means for our family. It was the beginning of his mission on earth and i'm so grateful for all that He has done for me. I'm strengthened everyday by the Spirit and the scriptures. I fininshed Moroni and I loved so much of it. I loved in Chp8 when mormon writes his son and says in vs 3," I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the FAther in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he through his infinite goodness and grace will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." I feel that way about all of you! I love when he talks of how perfect children are and he says in vs 17 " i love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation." I feel that way too. In Chp 9 vs 6 he says "And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation;for WE HAVE A LABOR TO PERFORM whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God." I like that cause it means even if you labor and don't see the results it's still so important to keep laboring and we will be at rest one day.and then in vs 25 it says, "but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings unto our fathers, and his mercy and long suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." I have felt lifted  up. I love the scriptures. I love all of you. We still meet crazy people everyday.. some say we should be in modeling school and some say we deserve the death sentence... so they are both extremes. We have been doing a lot of christmas caroling which is freezing but fun. We had a mini mission for the youth and it was fun to take them out tracting and stuff... they took it really well :) This one guy said oh i've heard all about your church and i'm not interested and the girl i was with like it's not true look at this website and she managed to give him a card before he shut the door. It was a good time. Well I wish you all a very merry christmas and i'm excited to talk with you.         Love me

it's cold outside!

Well I don't have much time today but I love you all and pray for you constantly. It has been a pretty good week we went and volunteered at christmas party for under priveleged kids and it was fun and it made me a little sad too... there was a magic show and it was so fun to see the kids get sooo amazed and excited! All week long i think of things i want to write but when it comes to it I don't know what to say. It's a happy time of year and such a sad time too.. but i'm determined to make the happy times win! I love you all i'll email more if i can get another computer!


Love Sister Savage

it's beginning to look like Christmas

It's pretty snowy today. Yesterday we were walking on the street and these people were doing free pictures with santa and I don't know what came over me and I was like lets get one.. my companion was a little skeptical at first. Then the camara didn't work and it took longer than I thought and I felt bad but we talked to two of the elves about the gospel so really it was just an out of the box finding activity. We have had some sweet miracles. I called a girl I talked to on the subway a few days ago then she called back while we were in church and left a message and was like I would really like to join your church. She came to the First presidency christmas devotional last night and really liked it. She is wonderful. she is coming to FHE tonight. Curtis is an investigator that we have been working with for awhile and he has had such a rough past. He used to be in the rap industry in Harlem New York... and he was in a bad way when we first met him but he has come to church once and FHE 2 times and to the ward christmas party and he just smiles. I asked him why and he said he was happy. It's amazing to see the changes the people go through. We finally got Gerald to commit to praying about a specific date he did not want to do that because he's afraid something will come up and he won't make it. he was baptized but not confirmed 15 years ago and he knows everything is true and he wants to be baptized but he has a lot of obstacles. We told him setting a goal always helps us progress more than we would if we don't set goals and he said he's going to pick a day and pray about it. The hardest thing here is people are sooo busy.. most are going to school and working and finding time is really hard. We just keep trying though. Mandla who was baptized the first week I was here is struggling cause his employers make him work on sunday now and he is so sad about it. He reads the book of mormon everyday and I love calling him and hearing him tell us what he has learned. He always says how much he loves Nephi. So it's been a good week but very emotional for me. I think this Christmas will be a struggle as I miss my family and my sweet mom. There are no words to tell how I feel. I'm grateful for prayer and for the scriptures. I am being carried through. Life is so full of dissapointments and things we don't understand and i'm learning more and more to just accept and not question but to keep on moving forward. Life is so much more full of blessings and things to be grateful for. when I am at my lowest my companion and I go back and forth and say what we love and are grateful for... that's something I learned from dad and I'm glad I have such fond memories of doing that with him. It really lifts my spirits. I've noticed that it is in my moments of feeling the most peace and happiness that I feel closest to my mom. I know that those are the feelings she is wanting so much for us all to feel. It is when I doubt and focus on the negative that I feel the most separated from her. I challenge each of you to look for the good in life, despite what happens. God is waiting and there to comfort us whenever we choose to let him. I love you all. I don't know if I shared this thought before but I think often of when the Savior went to suffer for us in the Garden and He was sore amazed.. or surpised.. He even asked to let the cup pass from him. But in the end He said Thy Will be done... and I think that's how i have felt of course in a much smaller degree. I think we all knew we would come to earth and go through the struggles and pains of life but I think it is surprising when we realize how much it can hurt. I know I have been surprised. But there is a way and that is through our Savior. I know He lives. I know that the more I try to put my will in line with the Fathers I find more peace. I miss you. I love you!


Love Sister Savage