Boom!
Dear Santa,
I know that my Christmas letter is late this year but I figured you would understand since I am in a foreign country. Good!
Santa, my life is fantastic. I have everything that I need and almost everything that I could want. Really, my mission has been the best present that I could have received this year. HOWEVER, that does not leave you off the hook! (hehe) There are a million people I know who could really use your help. So what I want from you this Christmas Santa, is for you to give someone else something that they need. If you need some ideas, I know plenty of people that need food, money for bills, a hug, a good laugh, and I know millions that do not understand WHY we have Christmas. So for all those people, please give them the gospel of Christ. It has brought me endless hope and joy this year.
Thank you very much, you are the best. If you feel like it you can share some of your cookies and milk with me. (hehe)
Elder Asa Laws
Hello everyone! My week was a a very good week. Lots of growth and new adventures.
I played soccer again today! Two weeks in a row I have played with the local young men. Last week I served up pain with 8 goals!!! However, this week I was not feeling it so I spent the time as goalie! For about 30 minutes I got trashed. But with time I found the tricks of the trade and got pretty good for only one day on the job. Then, after the game we had a kid climb the mango tree that shades the field. He grabbed a ton of mangos for us and we sat and chilled, eating the freshest, most delicious mango of ALL TIME!! I felt like it was a picture perfect moment.
There is a member here who will be serving a mission here on the 7th of January and he has decided that every Thursday and Friday he is going to spend ALL day with us. He did that this week and it was great to just joke around with him in the street. We actually had a really successful week because of him. We were supposed to baptize Rener, a 14 year old kid of a part member family. However, on the date of the baptism, his grandpa died! So we moved it to this coming Saturday, the 24TH!! How cool is that, to be baptized on Christmas Eve!! So I am excited for that.
So we are teaching this lady named Marisete. She is awesome, and has gone to church twice now. She loves the feeling she has at church and she often tells us how much better her day is when we pass by. But on Sunday it was different. We were going home after a good, hard day when my companion decided we should stop to say hi. So we passed by her house and as my companion was talking with the family, I grabbed a chair and sat down out front of the small house (there was a nice breeze). She then said something that I will never forget. She looked down at me and said "You know, you people are different. I just feel something different with you guys. You guys are so smart, you study, and you know so much. But this one *pointing at me* is dedicated."
Maybe it is a bit prideful of me but I was so glad she had said that. I am really trying to make a difference and sometimes it is just so hard. Sometimes I just want to sit and cry because it all seems so big and me so small. Sometimes I feel everything is against me. Really, some days my only comfort is what I have from my packages, my scriptures, and long, hard prayers. So when someone tells me " hey, I can see you are actually trying," I just feel a little better and that all I do is not in vain. She validated all my efforts. Very cool!
Dedication. Commitment. 100%. These are rules to me. As far as I can tell in my studies they are rules laid down by God himself to mankind. Dedication in the Home. Commitment to our neighbor. 100% in all things, all the time. "Never quit" is not just a good catch phrase on the ball field or in a war film. It is an eternal truth. Perseverance until the very last moment. No, I am not perfect and I have definitely given up on a million things. But I can repent, recommit, and rededicate.
The blessings of heaven are predicated on the laws that dictate them, and the powers of heaven are controlled only by the principles of righteousness.
Happy Holidays Everyone!!
Eu amo voçês,
Elder Asa Laws
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