Merry Christmas Y'all 🎄

Merry Christmas y'all!!!

It's been a wonderful week. On Wednesday we got to go to North Little

Rock for our Christmas zone conference. We had a Christmas program and

were able to hear from Elder Bahesti of the seventy. He gave us

missionaries five ways to change the world in 2017. He invited us to

make our beds every single morning, teach repentance, increase our

faith, baptize converts, and endure to the end (or get over the fact

that life isn't fair sometimes). We had our talent show, where we

performed our Filipino dance, and played games with all of the

missionaries on the Arkansas side of the mission. It was such a good

day! I really love big meetings like that because it reminds me that

I'm not alone in this work that can be tough sometimes ("we're all in

this together" from high school musical starts playing in the

background).

This week we had a couple of really good lessons with Billy, Chastity,

and their daughter Hayden (the wonderful family we are teaching). You

can really feel the difference in a lesson when the spirit is strong

and when it's not. It's easy to tell when it's not because you feel

like you're running into a brick wall for 45 minutes. We've taught

Billy and Chastity most of the lessons and they just feel like they

need some time to make sure it's right before they dive into "Mormon".

Hahaha they are so cute. I feel like that is totally a valid concern.

It would be silly to devote your life to something you don't believe.

BUT, I am so confident that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and

RESTORED and that anyone who reads the Book of Mormon will come to

know that for themselves. I know that sooner or later they will figure

it out and I am so looking forward to that day. I've been blessed to

have grown up in the true church of Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for

my great, great, great grandma who accepted the gospel in Denmark, was

baptized and immigrated to America. I'm so thankful for the other

pioneers in my family who made unimaginable sacrifices to bless the

lives of their posterity. I'm so thankful for goodly parents who

didn't give up on their rebellious teenage daughter!!

This week I started reading in 3 Nephi. In chapter 1 we read about the

righteous people who are waiting for the signs foretold by prophets of

Christ's birth. The wicked threaten the righteous that if the signs

don't come before a certain date, they would be put to death.

The verses following read, "10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi,

the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was

exceedingly sorrowful. 11 And it came to pass that he went out and

bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in

behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed

because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. 12 And it

came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and

behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: 13 Lift up your

head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on

this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the

world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have

caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. 14 Behold, I

come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto

the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the

will, both of the Father and of the Son-of the Father because of me,

and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand,

and this night shall the sign be given."

As I read verses 13 and 14 during my studies and as I read them now my

eyes are filled with tears and the Holy Ghost gives me the strongest

feelings of peace, comfort and joy. Our savior Jesus Christ lives. He

loves us. He came into the world to redeem us. He lives and reigns

today. He came two thousand years ago and He will come again. I know

this with all of my heart. I will never doubt it. I will never

question it.

I pray that we will all remember The Reason for the season! 

Merry Christmas y'all and so much love.

Sister Bailey Guthrie

Get asked if we are sisters three times daily on average

Typical Arkansas porch