It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! - Email Dated: 12/28/14

This week was so great. (: Christmas in the mission field has got to be the best one ever! We had a really really busy day on Christmas. I'll go through it and tell you about it!

9:00-Headed out to a less active member's house. She feeds us every Tuesday night, but she decided to do a big Christmas breakfast this week. We got there and her daughters were there. That was not a very good environment for us to be in. We definitely sacrificed the Spirit to be there. Her daughter was saying really crude and rude things about missionaries and such. So, we left that environment as soon as politely and humanly possible. 

10-Drove to the Tamati's house. Sister Tamati is a recent convert of like 2 weeks and Sheridan, their son, just got baptised this past Saturday. They are seriously the coolest family! They fed all six of us missionaries on Christmas Day. We had such a great time. We just sat around and chatted. Elder Lyes skyped his family, so we got to meet them! Same with Elder Mitchell. It's really cool to meet the other missionaries families! So, we really just hung out there until lunch which we ate at 12:30 and it was amazing. Kiwi Feed's are the greatest in the whole world! (: 

After lunch we had some down time before our dinner appointment so we went to the beach! We just sat up top to avoid all the people below, but as we were sitting on the ledge Elder Manoa (who is from Hawaii and an avid surfer) says, "Look! There's a seal!" And sure enough, down below in the water was a seal just swimming around. #OnlyInNewZealand (: Then after we had all pondered our lives and finished goggling over the ocean, we headed over to Elder and Sister Cardall's house. They are the senior couple in our area and they had pretty much an open house for us missionaries. (: It was fun to chill there for just a few minutes. They are the most amazing senior couple that I have ever met. We fell in love with them from the moment that they moved into New Plymouth! 

At 6 we went to our dinner appointment and that..was an interesting experience. (: But it was good. 

The day after Christmas is Boxing Day, which is pretty much like Black Friday. So, we didn't get a whole heap accomplished, but it was still a pretty good day! 

I have learned so much the past couple of days. My personal studies have been so powerful the past little while and I feel that I am finally learning how the Spirit of the Lord speaks to me. Elder Jenson told Sister Baird and I about something called the 40-day Fast. It's not a fast from food and water, but a fast from things that keep you from constantly having the companionship of the Holy Ghost. And so Sister Baird and I and a couple of the Elders are going to do this for the next 40 days. I am so excited to work on this an become more like my Saviour. 

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am so grateful to be here in New Zealand. I am so grateful to be so close to the Lord at this time in my life. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now or doing anything different. I love being a full-time servant of the Lord. And even though missions end and people go home, we can still always and forever be servants of the Lord. A mission simply teaches us to be better members, better friends, better mothers and fathers, better examples, more devoted, more loyal, more obedient, more righteous. Overall more like Jesus Christ. It's beautiful!! 

I love you all. I don't have any photos this week due to laziness and a lack of time. (: I will get better, I promise. (: 

Love you all!! 

Sister Rachel Lyn Pearce