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| Christmas party with Rosemay and Santa Claus! |
- It snowed!! And I realized that I am severely underprepared for the winter!
- I saw/played with the new iPhone X! Man, technology is crazy!
- I had the opportunity to guard a homeless man's sandwich. It was exciting!
- I tried the butter pecan blondie at Applebees and it changed my life!
- Oh yeah, I am done with training and leaving Maplewood and getting transferred to Stafford and getting a new companion and I am just kinda sorta freaking out. I probably should have begun with that life update first.....
So, that's what is going on in my life right now! In all honesty, I am really sad to leave Maplewood....it has quickly become one of my favorite places. All the bizarre people, all the weird experiences, all the funny stories, I truly just love this place. But I know (at least I hope) that I will love Stafford just as much. However, it may take some time to adjust and feel comfortable, so please pray for me lots. I might need it.
Besides all of that exciting news, this week was so fun!! Not nearly as stressful as last week, which I guess is good?
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| Table stand with the Elders |
The highlight of the week was the table stand that we did on Springfield Avenue, the main road that connects Maplewood and Irvington. We set up a table for "#LightTheWorld" and had people write notes on the back of the pass-along cards for children who are spending the holidays in the hospital. Then on the 9th, when the theme was "I was sick, and ye visited me", we dropped them off at a childrens hospital. Both of these were such a cool experience to be a part of. At the table stand, so many people wrote such sweet things, even though the notes were going to people they didn't even know. One woman I talked to said that she was feeling so stressed out about getting presents and having everything ready for Christmas, and writing that note made her realize that she has so much to be thankful for. Another man told me that growing up, he had a lot of health problems, and had once spent Christmas in the hospital. He said that he can't even imagine what it would have been like for him to have received notes of encouragement while he was in that situation, and he was so happy that we had decided to ask people to do this.
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| #lighttheworld |
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| The notes that people wrote |
If you aren't familiar with the LightTheWorld initive, look it up at mormon.org!! It is a fantastic way to do service for others and really feel like you are making a difference in this holiday season. Other things that I have been able to do for LightTheWorld include donating water bottles, donating old clothes, making dinner for someone, cleaning the church building, and writing an appreciation post for my parents. It has been so fun, and a great way to get in the holiday spirit, and remember the true meaning of Christmas!
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| The missionaries with Jamie!!! Fun fact: she is the literal first person I met on my first day in New Jersey. She is HILARIOUS and calls herself my "Jersey Mama". We were so excited that she came to the party! |
This email is going to be shorter than usual (you're welcome everyone), but I just wanted to take the time to write about how much I love my Savior. I am amazed to think that He willingly took upon himself my sins, my weaknesses, my imperfections -- He did all of this so that I would be able to turn to Him to receive his help and grace. His love and Atonement is infinite and intimate, and I cannot even put into words how thankful I am for it. As President Uchdorf so beautifully stated, "I marvel to think that the Son of God would condescend to save us, as imperfect, impure, mistake-prone, and ungrateful as we often are. I have tried to understand the Savior’s Atonement with my finite mind, and the only explanation I can come up with is this: God loves us deeply, perfectly, and everlastingly. I cannot even begin to estimate “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height … [of] the love of Christ.” I love my Savior, and I love this Holiday season where I get to share that love with others.
Life it good, God is great.
I love you all,
Sister Yocum
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