Christmas Blessings

Hello Friends!

As we approach the New Year, I have been reflecting on many things. I have been thinking about my Spiritual life and how over the past few months I have come closer to Christ than ever before. I have always been a loving person and considered that a strength of mine but on a mission I have had to really work on Charity to love the people of Laredo as Christ would love them.

I often think about what would Christ say to this family. I remember sitting in a lesson with a family this past week and just remember thinking I am not sure what I am going to say to this family. I remember thinking I need to teach them about faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, but I not sure quit how. As I said a little prayer to myself, I remember just feeling peace and just been given the words to say.

There are so many times on my mission that I have been so focused on what Heavenly Father wants for each one of his children that I have felt this overwhelming since of peace. While there are other moments on my mission that I feel so anxious, more anxious than I have ever felt in my life before like my heart is going to close up. But those feelings of anxiety eventually leave and then come and then leave again.

This is how my days have been recently. Needless to say I have been tired this week. I do however, always have joy the joy the gospel brings.

Much love,

Hermana Zani

Christmas

Hello Friends,

I cannot believe that in five days we will celebrate the Birth of our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the rock and the foundation of everything in our lives and it is through him that we can have eternal life and everlasting happiness’s.

As I approach my first of two Christmas' in the mission field. I want to pause and take a moment to express my gratitude, to all those that have helped me to get to this point in my life where I am serving a mission. I am thankful for all those I have meet and worked with me on my mission. I am grateful for the many lessons that I am learning on my mission even though they may be hard and tough at times. I am learning and growing lots even when I cannot always see it. I know that the Lord is molding me into the person I need to become.

I have been thinking about the process of "unconditional surrender" where we surrender everything that we want, desire, or need over to the Lord and that by doing that we allow ourselves to become like the Savior. His desires become our desires, his wants becomes our wants, his needs, become our needs. Yesterday, while standing outside in the cold and in the rain. I thought about this as my feet felt numb and my hands were freezing. I felt the urgency to talk with more people, to work harder to find more people to teach. To care more about bringing a family unto Christ than listening to my own voice of tiredness.

 I know that when I can surrender my all to the Savior and become more like him then I will be on track to becoming the missionary that the Lord needs me to become. I knew that I would be pushed and tried on my mission but I did not know how personal these challenges would be. I think that is how a mission works, we are placed in situations and with people that cause us to grow and to progress.

I encourage you all to take time and think about how the Lord has blessed you through your challenges this year. How have you grown personally because you were faced with a difficult task.

I wish you all a safe and warm Christmas. Remember to read Luke 2 and reflect on the Saviors birth during this Christmas season.

Con Amor,

Hermana Zani

Weekly Report for December 12

Hola Mis Amigos!

This week I have been thinking a lot about asking the right questions. How many times in life do we think about a question but then do not ask the question? Or the question is not even understood as being a question at all?  How many times have we asked the right question at the wrong time? Or on the other hand how many times have we asked the wrong question at the right time? 

Timing on a mission is so critical. For instance we are told by the First Presidency from our Church that we need to invite everyone to be baptized on the first lesson. The thing is you cannot just go up to someone and invite them to be baptized and expect real conversion. Real conversion comes when a person understands how the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is needed for them personally in their life. This comes through us as missionaries asking the right questions, mixed with scripture and testimony. So, the Holy Ghost can move upon the person we are teaching and truly touch their hearts and help them to remember what they have always known but have not remembered. This is critical in helping people to understand that Gods know them and loves them individually. 

Questions are important. Keeping lessons focused, logical and sequential is so important to someone really understanding what you are teaching. Which seems easy enough but in reality is probably the toughest thing I have ever encountered.

Questions! Questions! I have often been thinking about the Savior and what questions he would ask every person that I have meet? I have often wondered how he would make great logical connections and analogies from their life to the Gospel. Pray that I can ask some inspired questions this week that help one person come unto Christ. :)

I love you all! I pray for you all and your happiness.

Con Amor,

Hermana Zani

Hello December !

Hola Mis Amigos!!

Como estan a hoy? I hope this letter finds you all well. I feel the Savior's love for each of you during this holiday season!

I cannot believe that we are already in the last month of the year. These last almost five months since I entered the Missionary Training Center have just flown. In the mission, I feel like the days are long sometimes but the weeks are short. Every Monday I stand amazed that I have arrived at another week.

This week I would like to spend some time devoted to Christmas. Here in Laredo it does not feel like Christmas. There is no snow, the sun is shining and the coldest that it has been is 57 degrees. Needless to say at 57 degrees we get out our sweaters and turn on the heat!

Every year on the first Sunday of December the Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his two counselors give a Christmas address. This address reminds us that past the commercialism of Christmas with its beautiful trees, perfect presents, and ugly-sweater eggnog parties lies the true and real meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a day that we put aside to remember the Savior to think about his humble birth in a stable more than 2000 years ago.

Christmas is a time to remember the prophecies of old that spoke of Christ. People faithfully waited for the coming of Christ. I think of their faithfulness to know without a doubt that Christ would come and redeem them. That even though they might never know Christ or be able to read of Christ's life here on earth, these believers remained faithful. I wonder would my faith have remained before the coming of Christ? A question that I will never find out because that prophecy was fulfilled when Christ was born.

As each of you prepare for this Christmas season, I encourage you to do something different to remember the Savior and the true meaning behind Christmas. For some of you that may mean dusting off those old Scriptures and reading of his birth in the Gospels. For some it might mean praying for the first time in a long time. To others, it might mean talking with a friend who does not know of Christ or somewhere along the way has lost faith in Christ.

What ever it may be, make a change this year during the Christmas season to put the Christ back in Christmas.

Con Amor,

Hermana Zani