The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to everyone who sent cards and gifts and such I very much appreciated it.

This week I gained a testimony of the power of Christmas hymns and caroling. I already had a deep love and appreciation for the Christmas hymns in fact I really feel that we should sing them all year long and Sister Kalahiki agrees with me but I digress. On Tuesday we went caroling with President Wakolo and his family, the Otter Creek sisters, and a girl from our ward. It was so much fun! We went all around the Wakolo's neighborhood and it was amazing the powerful spirit that could be felt as we sang Christmas hymns to people. We were able to hand out many "He is the Gift" cards and help others to really feel the spirit. We even sang to a Catholic Priest though he didn't take a card from us :) The next day was Christmas eve and we had some appointment fall through and so we didn't have any plans for the evening. Since caroling had gone so well the night before we called the ASL sisters and went again this time in our neighborhood. Once again we were able to really bring the spirit to people and share our testimonies with them. It is amazing how the hymns can so quickly bring the spirit. I think that Buddy the Elf had it right when he said "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

I am so grateful that the spirit of Christmas isn't just felt during this season but it can be felt all year long if we continue to keep the Savior in our hearts and minds the way we do at Christmas. We do this by continuing to "Talk of Christ and rejoice in Christ and preach of Christ" and serve one another. One of the very best parts of my Christmas this year was getting to deliver the gifts from the angel tree. We delivered gifts to one family whose situation is very humble. We were met with tears of gratitude from the Mom and squeals of delight from her five children. It was amazing! I am so grateful that the feeling of love and joy that comes from serving and giving to others isn't exclusive to Christmas time but can be felt throughout the year.

As always thank you for all that you do. 

Happy New Year!

Love

Sister Aase

Christmas Came Early!

Dear Friends and Family,

First of all Merry Christmas! 

We had a wonderful week full of Christmas Cheer! 

On Wednesday half the mission gathered together to celebrate Christmas a little early. We were instructed and we sang Christmas songs. We were given gifts that the five stakes in our mission organized- which included lots of random things from toothbrushes to ear warmers. I got to see past companions for most likely the last time before they go home. It was a wonderful day and so much fun!

But the very best part of the week was this past Saturday when Trina was baptized! Oh my goodness it was such an amazing baptism. She is so awesome and was so excited to get baptized! Right after she got baptized she burst into tears and started saying "Thank you Jesus!" Afterward she bore a super sweet testimony about how before she was baptized she felt really heavy but as soon as she came up out of the water she felt light. I am so happy for her and so grateful that I was able to play a small part in helping her come unto Christ. She was confirmed by our mission President himself yesterday in church and she is now officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

I am so grateful to be a missionary! I love getting to talk about Christ every single day and help others to build their relationship with him. It's like Christmas everyday!

This year for Christmas I am giving my time and my family and my friends and my life to the Lord and in return I am receiving a better understanding of my Savior and all that he has done for each of us. I am gaining a relationship with Him and helping others to come unto Christ. And I couldn't think of a better Christmas gift!

I wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!

Love

Sister Aase

PS:  I cannot believe I forgot this. At the Christmas Specialized I performed! We do a talent show and Sister Mecham and her two companions and I sang a song while doing the cup song. It sounds lame but it was really cool :)

Another wonderful week of walking!

Dear Friends and Family,

We survived another walk week! Luckily the weather was pretty mild all week and so we weren't freezing like last time. We had a pretty good week. We were able to talk to many people and do lots of service which always makes for a good week.

Trina is getting baptized this Saturday!!! I think the only person more excited than Sister Kalahiki and me is Trina. She cannot wait to be baptized. It has been an amazing experience to get to teach her. She has just fallen in love with the Book of Mormon and the gospel. I love getting to see the change and the light that comes into people's lives as they begin to embrace the gospel. It makes walking for a whole week totally worth it!

On Monday we taught Trina in our mission President's home. We found out at the last minute that the Otter Creek Sisters were also coming and bringing a recent convert. We were a little nervous about how five sister missionaries were going to be able to teach two lessons combine into one altogether in a unified manner. But it ended up being so good. The Spirit guided the lesson from the beginning and everything just went so smoothly and perfectly you would have thought the five of us had been teaching together for months! I am so grateful for the Spirit that takes over when I don't know how I am suppose to teach or what I suppose to say. I'm so grateful for the promise that if I will just open my mouth I will be given the words. I have seen this happen time and time again.

We had our Christmas Sacrament meeting a little early. It was so great. I absolutely love this time of  year. I love Christmas decorations and music and cheesy Christmas movies. I love spending time with family and friends. I love Christmas traditions. Because I'm a missionary for Christmas this year I am giving up all that. But the thing I love most about Christmas is that everyone' s thoughts are turned to the Savior a little more this time of year. And that I don't have to give up. In fact this year more than any other Christmas I am focusing on Christ. I am out representing Him everyday this holiday season. And it is the best Christmas present ever!

I love this work and I love this gospel!

As always thank you for all that you do for me.

Love

Sister Aase

 

 

I Believe in Miracles!

Dear Friends and Family,

The Christmas season has officially started! Tis the season for miracles and we saw many this week!

On Tuesday our mission sent home 21 missionaries who had just completed their missions. We got to spend the day with Hermana Smith whose parents were picking her up that night. There is power in three and we were able to meet lots of new people and have a really great day. WE also got to meet the 14 new missionaries when we dropped off Hermana Smith back at the mission home.

On Wednesday we were all invited to the transfer meeting where President announced what the final baptism count was for the month of November. If you will remember the mission had a goal to baptize 100 new converts in the month of November as well as have 100 reactivations. Throughout November we all sacrificed half of our p-day and fasted and prayed and worked and worked to achieve this goal. The final results were......drum roll.........92 baptisms and 231 reactivations!!! Have miracles ceased? I say unto you NAY! We are so excited and we hope to continue this momentum into the new year!

We continued to see miracles and tender mercies throughout the week. The biggest miracle happened last night though. We have been working with an investigator named Trina who is just amazing in so many ways. Throughout the whole week we have been trying to see her and we kept missing her. We could not get a hold of her. Sister Kalahiki and I prayed and prayed that we would be able to get back in contact with her. She didn't come to church and so we invited her to come to watch the Christmas devotional with us at a member's home. 

 

We also have a recent convert who is just as amazing who we also have not been able to see because she has been out of town and super busy. We invited her to come to the devotional too.And finally we have another investigator that we just love who we have invited to church many time but hasn't been able to come. At the very last minute yesterday we invited her to the devotional as well.

The miracle....every single one of these amazing women were able to come to the devotional and feel the spirit as apostles and others bore their testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ. The spirit was so strong and I was so grateful for a Heavenly Father who heard our prayers throughout the week and made it possible for all to be there.

We also were able to watch the new video that the church released for Christmas called He is the Gift. If you have not seen it take two and a half minutes and watch it. It is powerful! The church is inviting everyone to share this video and message with others. The best way to bring the spirit of Christ into Christmas is by sharing it with others.

As always thank you for all that y'all do. Have a great week! 

Love

Sister Aase

It is Good to Give Thanks

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There were many things to be grateful for this week. These are just a few 

1. Our wonderful ward members! Not only did they make sure that we had some place to go on Thanksgiving but we had three back to back to back Thanksgiving meals on Thursday :) Though by the end I thought I might die of a food overdose, I was very grateful for the love of our ward members

2. Trina. This girl is on fire! She has already read the first two books of the Book of Mormon and she came to church this Sunday. Her baptismal date was set for the 20th but at her request has been moved to the 13th. She is amazing and everytime we teach her the Spirit is so strong. She has such a love for our Savior and I love getting to share my testimony of Him with her.

3. Christmas Decorations. We were able to help decorate three homes this week including the mission home. It was so much fun! One member even gave us an extra Elf on the Shelf to decorate our study. We have started decorating our study and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Until you go outside and it is 60 degrees, another thing to be thankful for!

4. Sister Kalahiki and I are staying together in Pinnacle Mountain for one more transfer! YAY! 

Most of all I am so grateful to be here serving a mission. I truly love getting to represent my Savior everyday. Missions are not easy. They are not always fun. But they are one of the best things you will ever get to to do and I am so so so grateful to be serving the Lord in Little Rock. I am also so grateful for the person I represent each day. My Savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Atonement that He performed for me and for each of us. I am grateful for this time of year when our hearts and minds are turned a little more toward Him as we celebrate His birth. And as always I am so grateful for all the love and support that I receive from all my friends and family.

Love,

Sister Aase

If you haven't seen this short video, it's really good.  He is the Gift.  Go to christmas.mormon.org