Christmasmonth/December begins!

Hey, everyone!

So, I would like to first off wish all of you a wonderful start to the Christmas season! Snow has actually come down and stayed last Sunday, so we are already off to a much better start than last year! It honestly is just not quite the holiday season without snow. And so, with the holiday season are coming all of the seasonal goods - Temple Square is decorated for the event (I have already sent photographic evidence of this in a recent E-mail), stores are putting out their holiday special deals which may or may not be actual discounts, Christmas music is playing from every speaker - all in all, it's beginning to look like Christmas!

Luckily for me, I have already gotten a bit of an early Christmas present, as the zone has finally made the big move over to the JSMB! This took up the bulk of our day last Thursday, but actually getting set up did not take nearly as long as it did last time - this is probably, in part, due to the fact that we actually had real office space to move in rather than a re-purposed room in the Family History Library. And it is great! It is almost just how it was in the old contact center - we have a window giving us a view of the Salt Lake Temple! We are also right next to the mission office, making our daily mail runs a ton more convenient (which will be helpful for this time of the year)! There are plenty of other things which I am excited for about this move, but in short, having moved over here has been a great thing for us!

You may know that the young elders of the mission attend classes one night every week. This week was no exception, though it was quite a special occasion - our teacher was Elder Dale, who is currently a professor of religion at the University of Michigan (I think that he is on break to be able to serve here). He also has quite a bit of other impressive credentials - to put it simply, he is a learned man. Now, the young elders classes are divided up into four parts attending four classes at different times during the week, as to be able to keep the zones well staffed during the nighttime, though some are at night classes. Usually, the same lessons are given at each class; however, Elder Dale actually had prepared four different lectures for the different classes! The one which we got had to do with the relationship between science, cosmology, and the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! It is interesting how each subject relates one to another; it is also important to note that, though temporal knowledge is important and wonderful to have, it can never replace revelation from God; it also kind of emphasizes that science, as described with temporal knowledge, never defines completely set-in-stone answers to things. In short, the class was a great testimony-building experience for us all!

Another notable happening in regards to a normally routine happening was a major change to the mission's exercise program. Elder Parks, the current senior missionary in charge of coordinating this with the young elder coordinators of the program, had made some major changes to the program so that activities are only done on the last exercise day of the week, and the rest are a bit shorter than we had been having these days, but are entirely devoted to exercise and physical fitness. And I am loving it! I had been feeling for the longest time that, though I had tried my best to maintain this when I was a coordinator, the exercise program was a bit lacking in how much missionaries had gotten out of it. I could write much on this subject, but all I shall include here is that there was room for improvement; and improve it did! I actually look forward to exercise more than I had previously done, because I know that I am going to be getting some good out of it! It is very true that I go home feeling exhausted and worn out, though for exercise, that is what we want!

Aside from this, we were also invited to attend a special devotional and luncheon for the family history department, being put on by the heads of the department, including Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They all had good, inspiring messages to share in regards to the work which we are doing here, as well as a few special bits in regards to the Christmas season. I feel that there is nothing that can bring the spirit of the season quite like such an event like this. I was even able to shake Elder Stevenson's hand afterward! The luncheon was also nice - it was a good lunch with ham, salads, meatballs, and other such foods! The Church knows what it is doing when such an event is being put on! I will miss these events when I return home from the mission.

However, this was not the only devotional which I was able to attend this week; as some of you may know, last Sunday was the First Presidency Christmas Devotional! The mission was able to get all its young elders tickets to the event, so I was able to attend this myself! To be honest, I would have found some way to attend, or at least view, the event had I not gotten tickets this way; it is still nice to not have had to worry it about it though. As mentioned earlier, such devotionals are probably the best way to kick off the season! I feel that there will be a few such special happenings for the mission during the season; therefore, though I cannot celebrate it in the traditional way, there will be no forgetting that "'tis the season"! (You can watch a recording of the event here.)

There is my week. There has been quite a bit of business to keep my busy, but there have also been some good things going on as well. Now, it is on to a great holiday season! I hope that all of you back home enjoy it as well! Have a good one!



From,

Elder Bryce Petersen



Challenge: The challenge which I have selected for this week is the same as that which has been put out by the Church. You may have heard of the "Light the World" campaign which the Church has been doing to help us make the season that much more meaningful, for it truly more meaningful to give than to simply receive. This is being done with a four-week program, starting from the outside in. Week One is "Light the World," which is about assisting with worldwide relief efforts, for not all enjoy the same levels of abundance as we do here in America; even some living in this very country need help getting back on their feet. The second is "Light your Community," which relates to helping those who live near you. Next is "Light your Family," which is also self-explanatory. The fourth and final week is "Light your Faith," which is all about remembering the true purpose behind the season. I feel that there is no better time to take the opportunity to serve others, on both a global and a very local scale, than during the season in which we get to take some time to remember our Savior, who devoted his lifetime to service to those around him, helping both those right around him in simple yet marvelous ways, as well as helping all men to ever live in a miraculous way, even His great Atonement. I would like to challenge you to participate in this event. Spend the season finding ways to serve others around you. This need not be formal or organized, though such efforts are also welcome and needed; one can, however, also serve those around him in a personal, informal way. For those who can take such a glorious opportunity to do so, Christmas will be a truly magical time of the year, which will feel more than the commercialized money-grab which, to some, the season can sometimes seem like. This is because the magic of the season is not in simply the getting of things, but by following the lead of our Savior, and giving as much as - if not more than - that which is received. (For more ideas on how to do this, click this link: https://www.mormon.org/christmas)

I had asked Bryce to send me a list of picture of what was available to purchase in the vending machines this year in SLC... this is what he said:

I don't remember everything - I would have to get a picture of the vending machines - but I can send you a couple of prices from the top of my head:

• Water - $2, $5, $10, $20, and $50 (this machine even dispenses a water bottle for the donor)
• English-learning dictionary for kids - $5?
• Soccer/Volley ball - $20?
• Polio treatment - $19 (I bought one of these)
• Malaria treatment - $39
• 2 chickens - $25
• Sewing machine - $60
• Goat - $75
• Cow - $150
• School in a box (supplies for a teacher and 40 students) - $210

Then he was able to send me this picture... but you can't see a lot of the prices...