Christmas as a missionary is amazing......

Well my official pday will be Thursday, Christmas Eve. But I'll tell

you a couple things that went on last week.

     Christmas as a missionary is amazing. We've had lots of service

opportunities every day this week. Tuesday night we went caroling in

Gettysburg square, Wednesday and Thursday we got to be a part of a

Christmas project at the food pantry where we work at once a week

normally. They gave Christmas to families and individuals who use

their food pantry. I got to help two families Christmas 'shop.' One

was a young couple with three young kids, and the other was a single

mom with one young girl. I was thrilled to help her, she was Spanish

speaking.

     Thursday and Friday night all the 20 missionaries of our

   Chambersburg zone got to be a part of a live nativity, it was

amazing. The stake president put it on, and he went all out. We had

live alpacas, donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens, etc. I played one of

the Shepards. In the two nights, over 1,000 people showed up from the

area. We were surprised to see much of the Amish and Mennonite

community come. We reenacted it every fifteen minutes for two hours

both nights, and in between each one we talked to people. It's so

amazing how people's hearts are softened and everyone comes together

this time of year.

     Saturday sister smith and I hosted a zone activity in Hanover. We

went caroling to ten homes. Some investigators, Spanish and English,

and ward members. It meant so much to them. Brother Remmington just

got home from another month in an in patient physical therapy center,

so it was a nice welcome home for him. He is still progressing slowly.

We ended up at the Willoughby's house for dinner which Hermana 

Smith and I got stuck making for everyone. The Christmas gift cards from the

ward ended up going towards that. Haha.

     Sunday we sang in sacrament meeting together, and got to help

Hermana Yolanda with her family history work. Her husbands name is

ready to take to the temple!

     A little miracle, Tuesday while on exchanges with Sister wells,

we had literally walked for hours and hours trying people with zero

success. We had 15 minutes until we had to head back to exchange back,

but I kept feeling like we needed to try and see Faye. I tried to talk

myself out of it again and again, I knew she was sick, we had tried a

million times before. But when we went, they answered the door, and we

got to see Faye! In fact we've seen her three times since then!

     Faye is incredible. She has continued reading her scriptures

every single day through her illness. She is unlike anyone I've ever

met. Faye should have passed away 15 years ago but the doctors have

told her it is literally her positive attitude that has kept her

alive. She has three terminal illnesses, but if you talked to her you

would never guess. She is the sweetest person you could ever meet.

Even though she's just recovering from falling out of remission she

couldn't let her friends, neighbors, the greeters at Walmart, her dogs

vet go without her annual Christmas cookies. The best are the poodle

shape cookies she made in honor of her poodle service dog.(:

      Another interesting fact about Faye. The many hours we've spent

making Christmas cookies with Faye we've gotten to hear all about her

life story. Faye has worked with every big name in Hollywood you could

possibly think of. I'll just have to send her list someday, there's

too many to list. But she's so funny about it. The reason she made it

big was because she could always walk onto a set and never be star

struck by anyone. I'll have to send some pictures of her work, it's so

cool!

     We're just so happy to have Faye back. Who knows if she will ever

get well enough to go to church, but for now she's doing everything

she can be.

     This week we got a new secret weapon- an RM in the ward! Fresh

from the Pocatello Idaho mission. Let me tell you, RM's are

missionaries best friends. They're so socially awkward and wannabe

missionaries still that they're just dying to go out with you and

refer everyone and their dog to you. Anyway, we're loving the help. He

came with us to teach Faye this week, and instantly fell in love with

her as soon as he realized how amazing she is.

     We have been teaching more Spanish than English lately! It's

great. Laura and Juan are doing so well. We saw them last night and

they were so excited to tell us they had been reading and they've

always got a million questions. Last night we committed them to

baptism, and they said YES! They said "so they (their two girls) will

have to wait until they grow up?" I am SO happy I could die. They're

coming to a baptism the Gettysburg elders are having Saturday.

Honestly... I know I shouldn't get my hopes up. They haven't attended

church yet. The Spanish branch is in York, an hour away. Please pray

for their family!

I'm holding up okay since Hunter's departure. To be honest my

companion thinks I'm depressed. But I just need my time to mourn and

I'll be okay haha. It's been hard.

Merry Christmas, I love you! Thank you for all the Christmas wishes.

The church is true.

Hermana Sears