"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest."
-Joshua 1:9

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Week 24...Feliz Navidad!


Hey guys!

I first want to wish you all a Feliz Navidad and a Happy New Year! I hope that this email finds you guys all doing great and enjoying the holiday season! As far as here, besides the few houses that have Christmas trees and Christmas lights and the actividades we have done with people for Christmas it’s still hard to believe navidad is casi aqui.. wanna know why? There is NO snow... and it’s 80 degrees... so yea that will take some getting used too! But it’s all good! So this week was crazy busy with all different holiday and Christmas shenanigans. But it was a blast! 

So this past week we had the Christmas party for the mission with the missionaries, and that was a blast! So so much fun! Got to see all the boys and have a great time! We also got to watch a movie with the President- dispicableme 2! That was a very funny movie, so that was great! We also had a gift exchange and I got this pretty cool stone statue- it’s legit. So that was good too! Presidente shared some really spiritual videos and his thoughts and testimony about Christmas- the spirit was very very strong and it was such a great actividad! We also had the actividad de nuestro estaca loarque. That activity was amazing as well, it was on the temple grounds and the spirit was sososo strong. The spirit at this time of year is like no other. I love it. I am so grateful to have really learned what the holiday season really is about this year- more so then any other year in my life. My view of the Christmas season has really changed- especially with the conditions that some people live in here. I am truly grateful to really understand the true meaning of the holiday season.

So this Saturday we had a baptizmo de un joven se llama Genesis- she is 9 years old with one of the strongest testimonies. She is great! In the past few her testimony has really grown and she was so ready to be baptized. She is great! The spirit tambien was soo strong in the baptism! We have 3 more baptisms planned for this upcoming Saturday so with Christmas and all, this week will be very busy! The majority of the people here celebrate Christmas the 24th, tomorrow and some the 25th so este semana is full of visiting people and sharing my love… HAHAHA on Christmas or whatever day they celebrate!

So this past week I spent a lot of time studying about Jesus Christ... what a great topic to study. I spent the majority of my time studying Christ-like attributes. We all need to try and be more like Christ. There is no other way to explain it. We can all improve the people that we are. The Christ-like attributes that I studied this week are: hope, charity, love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence and obedience. All the attributes we possess are things that we can always improve and do better. It’s not easy, but it’s the right thing to do. Christ-like attributes are truly gifts from our Heavenly Father. We will develop Christ-like behaviors and receive blessings when we use our agency righteously day in and day out. It’s not always easy – I know but we must ask our Lord to bless us with the attributes - you cannot develop such great qualities without His help. We all need to continue to develop these fine qualities.

The discipline contained in daily obedience and clean living and wholesome lives builds armor around you of protection and safety from the temptations that come as you proceed through life. 

I love all you guys. I want you all to strive to be more like Christ. I love you guys and think about you all each day! Make it a great week and a happy New Year! With tons of loves, aim high in all you do, and put your best foot forward! 

Con Mucho Amor! 
Elder Long 


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