I don't know where Ryan's pictures are - I guess floating around in cyberspace - but sadly they never got to me. I decided to post a few of our last Christmas together (in '09) for the next 4 years. Blake started his papers this week and as excited as I am to have another son serving a mission, it has made me start dreaming about what Christmas 2014 will be like with all my kids home...they are, no doubt, the best presents that I've ever received. May the infinite love of our Savior abide within our hearts and homes this Christmas season and always...
Feliz Navidad!!
Well I love my new area and all the new people I get to work with! Today we are going to eat lunch at La Casa Latina, it's the traditional Christmas lunch made for the Spanish Zone by the Menjivar family at their restaurant so I'm looking forward to a feast!
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season and I am SO excited to talk to you all this Sunday! The time has gone by so fast since the May phone call. So Christmas Eve we will be with the Jaramillo family...they are Colombian and they got baptized this past March. It is a single mother and her two teenage daughters. Our district of 6 missionaries will be there. Then Christmas morning I am going to make a big breakfast for Elder Brandon and I. I'm thinking either a more traditional one, like banana pancakes with eggs and Canadian bacon (ha) or a latin theme like huevos rancheros and arepas. We'll see what I buy today at the store. Then yes we will be calling!! Elder Brandon's family is calling at 10 Cali time and you are up at 11...yesss! Then hopefully after we will have the baptism of Luisa (she is having a ton of opposition right now, mostly fear, so keep praying that she makes her date!) then after we will go to the Morales family, who are from Mexico. They are a family of like 6 or 7 so it'll be a blast being around so many people.
I didn't know that the NBA started up again!!! Dang too bad about Kobe...don't know what to say! Another Tiger woods?? Quien sabe. So this week was pretty slow as I was just trying to get to know the area. But we did have our branch Christmas dinner and I had a lot of fun there. I will have to explain all the ward and stake stuff again to you on the phone. I didn't switch branches or stakes. It is the same, but I cover a different part of the city that's all. I'll explain it all Sunday. I am going to be sending a package in a few weeks. It is just going to have stuff I want to send home, keepsakes from the mission basically. I didn't have time to get anybody anything this year so I apologize! I still love you the same :)
I love my new apartment oh my gosh! Such an upgrade...I am sending pictures today (*no pictures ever showed up in my inbox from him). I don't have the address, but we live on Canfield Rd SW. It's like 11743 or something. But hopefully on Sunday I can report on some investigator lessons we have lined up right now for this upcoming week. I thought that as the mission goes on, it would get easier because of all the knowledge and more experience I've gained. But, the Lord puts more on your plate and expects more faith, so that is what I have been noticing lately. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, and throughout our lives we have to continue to make more (and bigger) sacrifices to receive the blessings. I'm grateful I've been able to learn that principle. I have learned how it all works...I know that right now I am building up the kingdom of God and that is the only thing I really care about right now...as I put that first, everything will happen the way God wants to. Anyways I will save some of this to talk about Sunday. Have an amazing week!!! I hope that it goes well for you and that you have opportunities to ponder about Christ and share His love with others.
Merry Christmas!!!
Elder Draper
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