This Christmas was so wonderful!
Interestingly, being a missionary doesn't change at all the temptation at christmas to get stressed and overloaded with too much stuff. But this Christmas I tried my hardest to make my focus on what the true meaning of Christmas.
On Christmas we got to watch "its a wonderful life," we exchanged presents and skyped our families (which was so incredibly great!) and ate tons of food!
But one of my favorite moments of Christmas was when I snuck away (still within mission rules of course) from the other missionaries and by myself kneeled and prayed in a corner of the church and spent time there by myself just reading the bible and the book of Mormon about Christ's birth and pondering it's meaning to me.
My favorite christmas story is in the book of Mormon, when the christian Nephites watch and wait for the star to come, praying hoping that it would, despite persecution and threats of death.
I can imagine the faith of a family, the kids get bullied at school for their belief in the savior, and they come home to their father probably named Jemlon and say, "Dad dad, the kids told us that they are going to kill all the christians if the sign doesnt come!"
And I can imagine that faith filled father speak with power and conviction from his testimony by the Holy Ghost, "Don't worry little one, I know that...
He Will Come"
And then they watched and waited trusting in the birth of christ that meant very literally the difference between life and death for them.
We can learn from the example of those predecessors and live our lives with steadfast and immovable faith in His son. Having our own powerful testimony, that He lives and He will come again.
I know that He will.
I bear witness of that in His name,
Nagasaki, Japan
Elder Walton
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