Dear Family,
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season as the kids get out of school and the holiday is right around the corner. With only a few days left before the big show, I hope everyone has all of their gifts together. More importantly, I hope everyone has had a bit of time to contemplate exactly what we're remembering this season.
There are few times better than this season to remember our Savior and exactly all that His life entails. Now we remember the birth of the only person who can open the gates of heaven for any one of us. As a missionary it has been hard to really convey to people the significance of the life of Christ. If we could only understand what he went through for each one of us, then perhaps we could understand just a part of the magnificence of his atoning sacrifice for the whole world.
This Christmas season is going well for us so far and we have had some success in teaching people about Christ and the Restoration of His church. We are trying to teach all of the people we meet what our purpose is as missionaries so they can understand exactly what we do and why we are doing it. As missionaries we are called to, "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, and teaching repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holly Ghost." So far it has been a good experience for me to help people understand why I'm serving as a missionary. We have found a couple of good people from it.
I'm grateful for everyone who thought to write to me and support me on my mission. It can't be easily expressed how much gratitude I feel for those who have set an example for me and have given me a hope and vision for what new members of the Church can become. I hope everyone takes a renewed effort during this season to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone that they can and to support the missionaries wherever you are.
I hope everyone is able to have an enjoyable Christmas season and spend time with those they love the most. Take some time to remember the Savior on Christmas Day and make some traditions that will help you and your children remember their Christmas experiences with the Savior. Merry Christmas to all!
Love,
Elder Wood
