Almost Christmas!

 Sunday, December 18, 2011 

Kio Ora Family!!

I can't believe its almost Christmas!! The month of December is almost over! Transfers is actually next week! I'll most likely stay here in Otahuhu. I'm glad to hear from you all!

Thats to bad Brian's dad passed away.But from what it sounds like it was probably his time. I like what you said dad about tender mercies. I have really come to know the

lords tender mercies out here in the field, and their are many as a missionary, and i try and thank Heavenly Father as much as possible for them.

I hope you all are pumped for Christmas! The family is going to be all together is sounds like! Thats awesome, well except me haha, but its all good! I'm looking forward to talking

to you on Sunday! Me and my companion have decided we are going to call around 3:00 p.m. New Zealand time(it will be sunday for us, saturday for you i guess). I have no idea

what time that is there but i'll leave that for youto figure out! Hopefully i will be able to talk for an hour but i'm not sure, i'll find out soon. I hope you have been sending my mail and

stuff to the right address because since being out i havent got any letters or anything, i guess it could just be really slow and take a long time, so hopefully i will get your package

and stuff before sunday. I bet i will, i have faith it will all work out.

This past week was good! Sister Whetu(Erica) got baptized! And so did one of her sons and niece! It was a miracle! Things happened this week and we were afraid it wasnt going to

work out, but it did! It was a good servie and a whole bunch of her family showed up, and a lot are nonmembers so that is good. It will be a great blessing for the family. They come

to church all the time, and things are going really well. Its so amazing! I mean how much she has changed since i first met her. Like i said in earlier emails, the Lord can change hearts,

thats the miracle of conversion.

We also had a Christmas conference on Saturday for the mission. We got together with a few other zones and had it at a nearby chapel. One of the Seventies, Elder Watson, came and spoke to us.

It was really good, i learned so much. He really talked about how god is our father, and truly does know us and help us. That this is all His plan, and he came up with it. I think the problem

is that sometimes we dont teach enough about god the father, or the godhead as missionaires, and people just think God and jesus are the same, when as we know they are different beings, and also

that we pray to Heavenly Father, not Jeus. It was a really good training. For me, what i do know is just try and make people realize that they are a son or daughter of God, he is their father, knows

them and truly loves them a lot, and that they can speak with him through prayer, as one man speaketh to another. I know our purpose as missionaries is to baptize, but lately i feel like we've just been

trying to get numbers, instead of truly saving people. So i just need to remind myself that people are real and not a number. I see that can happen very easily is to get lost in trying to accomplish numbers

instead of truly helping people.

But anyways, its been a good week and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!! Talk to you on Sunday!!!

Love,

Elder Rawlinson