Belize Navidad Y'all

Belize Navidad y'all! (Credit to that clever one goes to the one and only Sistah Patt--"Hermana" now.....)

So.....where to begin is always the question. To explain the photos.....Sister Montes wanted to paint my face last night. So....with all of the photos of face painted children coming from Kels every week, I decided to give in and be the victim. I think it's because I'm missing my besty too much. ;) Well....she made me a "tiger." I thought she did pretty good after admitted that I'm the very first person she has ever face painted before. Unfortunately that confession came after we took the photo. She has room for improvement, but I think I'm done offering my face to anyone here in Corozal.... If I want anything done to my face, I'm headin' up to Colbert! ;) #ShoutoutToBelsieKarnes

The Sweet Corozal branch had a Christmas activity last Friday and let me tell ya (without bragging....), the sistah missionaries stole the show! I wish I could load the video I took, but I'll do my best to explain and include the photos. Us sistahs painted our chins to look like frogs and then laid upside down on a table to sing Christmas carols. It was great! And the members were not expecting such a crazy thing! :) hehehe But we won their hearts and the hearts of our investigators. :) Anyway..... Only in Corozal.....

We've been having a good week. We ended up having A LOT of investigators at church this week. Let me tell ya--it's the Christmas Spirit. I hope you're all showing "He is the Gift" as often as you can. You only have.....three more days to do it. Well....you can continue to do so after, but people probably won't be as willing to see videos about Christmas after the 25th. So.....APROVECHEN EL TIEMPO QUE TENGAN! There's my Spanish for the day. I'm afraid that it has gotten worse during my stay here in Corozal. I hope to get an area with less English and Kriol soon in order to save my Spanish grammar!

Anywho. I have one more little tidbit I'd like to share about this week. Yesterday marked my one year of going to the temple. What an incredible day that was! And as I sat and thought this morning of what I wanted to share and email everyone, I decided it was that.

I remember the day very well. I didn't go to bed until....12:30ish because Grace would not stop talking! And then Dad and I woke up at five to go pick up Katie. It was a blizzard all the way from Fountain Green to Provo and then back again. I almost thought that we'd have to turn around.....without my dear Katie. But we made it. Dad is an AMAZING driver in the snow. And extra kudos to him because it was a stick shift! (We all know how much I am in love with a manual transmission.)

So. We're driving to Provo and back. I hurry and change when we stop at home to pick up Mom and the older siblings and then hit the road for Manti. I am.....completely sick to my stomach. I didn't tell anyone about it, but oh man! I wasvery nervous about having to spend two hours in the temple in my condition. Believe me. Diarrhea and nausea and my upset stomach--not a good combo. But I was too embarrassed to say anything, so we continued on the snow-filled journey, me praying the entire way there.

As soon as I entered the temple doors, my stomach was calm--I was entirely at peace and so....excited and happy. I don't know how to express my feelings of that day. But I had been waiting my whole life for that day--to be surrounded by friends and family in the holy house of the Lord. And it was everything I hoped it would be. Best. Christmas present. Ever.

After the session, we walked back out to the car and the falling snow, only to find that the front axel of our sweet little Ford Focus had gone out. What a miracle! Our beloved Focus was able to last so long! Why did it not die earlier in the day? Especially that morning in the blizzard on the way up to Provo? I needed to go to the temple. The Lord wanted me there as well--as He does with all of His children. That is my testimony that I want to share with all of you this Christmas.

Jesus Christ is the first and best gift of Christmas. And because of His birth, suffering, death, and resurrection, the covenants we make in the temple allow us to have an eternal family. Recently Elder Bednar has asked all of us missionaries to teach with the end in mind--meaning the temple. Baptism is only the start. Our goal as missionaries is to create eternal families and eternal families can only be obtained through faithfulness to covenants made in the temple. I am so grateful for my father and the way he honored his covenants. I know that as we all continue to endure to the end, we will live together again. Forever.

Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy that snow! Remember the true Gift! He is Christ! He is Christmas.

I love you all and I pray for you often.

Love Always,

Sistah M