Christmas was awesome!! We had a tree decorated with water balloons, Mountain Dew cans, and what I hear are now valuable Twinkies, with a picture of the Savior in the middle. I don't have an SD card reader at the moment (I used Elder Nichol's last week) so, maybe I'll try and send some pictures later when I can get a hold of his. Thank you so much for the gifts you sent! Those pajama pants are SO soft! And I liked your Christmas story mom. I was confused at the beginning until I remembered the idea you'd mentioned earlier and suddenly it made sense. I bet it's even better when you have no idea what's going to happen. :)
After opening presents we went and had breakfast, and then there was the Devotional with Elder Nelson. The choir was supposed to meet at 9:00am to practice, and even though I was there on time, apparently there were way to many people going in and they closed the doors right before I got in. So instead of singing with the choir, I got to be stuck at the packed crowd of missionaries waiting to get in. I was pretty disappointed at first. I went to every rehearsal and I wasn't going to be let in! But then we ended up getting really great seats and it was all okay. In the devotional we heard from two convert missionaries, President Brown (the MTC Mission President) and Elder and Sister Nelson. Elder Nelson talked about being careful in the field, being a rumor-stopper, not a rumor-monger, and working with the ward mission leader and ward Family History assistant to find success. As I listened to all of the talks I felt that there are people being prepared to hear the gospel all over the world. Sometimes I think I expect everyone to reject the gospel, to think it ridiculous, and then few people who are found are surprised that they ended up joining the church. But I keep hearing stories about people who were looking for the truth or who were clearly prepared to receive it. This work is hastening, and the gospel is going to roll forth faster than ever in the coming years! I'm so excited to be a part of that beginning!
After the devotional, we had lunch, went on a temple walk, and then had a talent show. After the talent show, Greg Olsen spoke to us. He talked about not distancing ourselves from the Savior because He was the perfect Son of God. Yes, He was, and He is, but he was also an ordinary man. That was part of the advice Elder Packer gave him when Greg Olsen first attempted to do a portrait of the Savior; He should be depicted as manly, and ordinary. That's why Greg Olsen's paintings are so beautiful I think.
After that, we had dinner and then watched, "It's a Wonderful Life." I love that movie! All around, I had a very, very good Christmas here at the MTC. I hope all of you had a fantastic Christmas as well!
Until next time!
-Elder Ryan Lofthouse-
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