It's a Christmas Miracle!

email 22 Dec 2015

It's a Christmas miracle!

Man oh man. This week ... so many Christmas miracles. Just wonderful things that have been happening.

First news: I got my iPad back! YAAAAY! Also I got Facebook back! There's only about 10 of us with Facebook right now to test it out. But I'm back on so please add me (link) if you haven't yet!

Well Dani got baptized this last Sunday!!! It was such a beautiful baptismal service. She was so ready. And we had 4 investigators able to come to her baptism! It was amazing. Also her family that weren't members came to support her at her baptism. We always share the first lesson while they get dressed. This time it was Sister West's last time to do this. And her last baptism. It was pretty sad but also very moving. She's not a crier. But I could hear her voice quiver here and there as if she were about to. But don't tell her I said that. ;)

I think for parts of my mission, I've had moments where I've thought to Heavenly Father, "I'm on a mission, you're welcome." As if it were a favor to Him. And looking back on it, those parts were the hardest parts of my mission. The parts where I think, "I'm on a mission, thank you!" are the parts that have brought me happiness and peace.

This week had a lot of ups and downs with everything going on, the musical fireside, Sister West leaving, being a STL (Sister Training Leader), more musical fireside. And I know it's from looking inward instead of outward. I've been humbled a lot this week and I've had quite a bit of "you're welcome" moments. But after all the miracles and wonderful events that have happened this week, I can't help but say, "I'm on a mission, thank you!" I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. :)

The musical fireside was yesterday. BOY, AM I POOPED. I felt like a zombie. But it was just wonderful. The spirit was there. And so were angels. We have some recordings of it, and I promise you, IT WAS NOT US. It sounded nothing like us in rehearsals. Heavenly Father is so good to us. I'm so so sooooooo eternally grateful for the opportunities I've had to participate in the musical firesides that our mission does. I've felt my testimony grow each time. The whole thing was just great. I wish EVERYONE could've been there.

[Listen to Sister Sarlls' performance of Who Would Imagine A King at this link. - Ed]

Who Would Imagine A King

Mommies and daddies always believeThat their little angels are special indeedAnd you could grow up to be anythingBut who would imagine a king?

A shepherd or teacher is what you could beOr maybe a fisherman out on the seaOr maybe a carpenter building thingsBut who would imagine a king?

It was so clear when the wise men arrivedAnd the angels were singing your nameThat the world would be different 'cause you were aliveThat's why heaven stood still to proclaim

One day an angel said quietlyThat soon he would bring something special to meAnd of all of the wonderful gifts he could bring

Who would imagine?Who could imagine?Who would imagine a king? 

Well Sister West is gone now. I'm sad to see her go. She's taught me so much! But I'm happy I have Sister Law here with me to help me through this time:)

This last Wednesday and Thursday we got together as a mission and read the Book of Mormon in 24 hours!  We spent Wednesday reading from 8 am to 9 pm. And then on Thursday we read from 7:30 am to 5 pm. We had a few musical numbers in between and we had different people come and read for us like the office staff, President and Sister Jaggi, and even a member of the quorum of the 70! (Dani wanted to come with us, too! Gosh, that girl's testimony is amazing. It just radiates out of her.)

It was a really fun experience and it just furthered my testimony of the Book of Mormon and the guidance it gives to us. I love the very end of the Book of Mormon the most. When Moroni is bidding us farewell. I love the promises he give us and the very last thing he wants us to do, his last words, are to come unto Christ. (link) That's what our purpose is as missionaries is to invite others to come unto Christ. There are a lot of people that I meet and only come in contact with once. I want my final and last words with these people to be inviting them to come unto Christ. If I do this, I have fulfilled my purpose, as Moroni fulfilled his. I love the Book of Mormon. I draw closer to my Savior and know Him more every time I open it.

Of course, I need to share my Christmas Miracles!

1. We had to cut down the fireside to an hour and it was EXACTLY AN HOUR TO THE MINUTE. 
2. We sounded good at the fireside! 
3. Dani got baptized! 
4. I'm pretty sure our fireside "saved Christmas" just like any good Christmas Story does. 
5. The biggest miracle of all, A Savior is Born. He was born so we could be saved, redeemed, and set free.

We were teaching a little kid and we were teaching that Christ's name was in Christmas. He responded with, "All that's left is Mas! And that means MORE in Spanish! So Christmas means More Christ!" I loved having this simple lesson from this amazing child of God. That's truly what Christmas is all about is having more Christ in our lives. Just like in 2 Nephi 25:26 when it says:

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Let's talk MORE of Christ. Let's rejoice MORE of Christ. Let's preach MORE of Christ. And when we do that, we will become MORE LIKE Christ.

I love you all and I love this time of year! HAVE A MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Love, Sister Sarlls