We can all think back to the time or the Christmas were things changed for us. I, like most people out there always got so caught up on the buying of gifts and the hustle & bustle that the Season always brought. But the Christmas of 2000 it all changed for me. In December 2000 I was in the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo Utah. It was my 1st Christmas away from home and I was not sure what it was going to be like to be honest.
My view and the way I saw Christmas changed completely. I was taught the real meaning of Christmas. I realized that it wasn't about the gifts or even about the people you spend it with. I was so filled by the Spirit of the Season and I came to realize that because a babe was born in a manger my life was blessed and transformed. Elder Dalling H. Oaks came to speak to us on Christmas day. I still remember just being so excited to be able to hear an Apostle of the Lord, that in it self was the best gift. He told us that because we were there at the MTC someones Christmas would be brighter next year.That thought always stuck with me, I think because little did he know that the people I met on my mission would change my life. My life has been made brighter because I met them.
The next year I was in Kendall, Fl and my companion was Hermana Richins. The Elders were Elder Valladares (who was in my MTC District) & Elder Mendez. We were invited to spend the holiday with Familia Serrano. Just thinking of that day brings a smile to my face. The Serrano family is a family who opened their home to us and I wish I had the toughe of angels to be able to express the love I feel for them and the love they felt for us missionaries. They had recently moved to the US so things were sparse but the love that filled that home made me feel as if I was always in a mansion and I was the guest of honor.
Why these stories you ask? Well those Christmas have been amazing memories for me and not a Christmas goes by that I don't think of them. I don't know if I made the Serrano's Christmas brighter that year but I do know they have made my Christmases very merry indeed.
So as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, whether we are near or away from our loved ones may we take the time to think of the true meaning of Christmas, our Savior. I am always humbled when I read about the shepherds in the field and I can only imagine what they must have felt when the angel announced to the the birth of the Savior. That same Savior that had been prophesied by the Prophets was here. He was here to deliver them. The most amazing thing about it is that he still continues to deliver us today.
May the Spirit of Christmas be with you and your loved ones not only during the Christmas Season but throughout all the year. Sending you all my love and wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
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