A Susquehanna Holiday

Dear family and friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! The past week has gone by in such a blur, I can't believe that December is almost over and a new year is just around the corner! This past week has been all about CHRISTMAS!

Decorating for Christmas

Making cookies at a member's house for Christmas deliveries

We had our Christmas conference for the Scranton zone and two others on Tuesday and it was so much fun!  And get this, the conference was in Nazareth, PA and we had to stay the night in Bethlehem, PA!!

A "Sisters Sleepover" in Bethlehem

It was the coolest thing!  At the conference we learned about and discussed our new mission theme and scripture for the year, (stay tuned and read more next week), had A Christmas Dress for Ellen read to us, watched "Ephraim's Rescue," (which is all about the priesthood, exact obedience, acting on the Spirit, all sorts of awesome missionary lessons!) and had a talent show which was so much fun!  Sister Walker and I played "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and all the Visitor Center sisters who were at the conference with us sang "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul." I've learned more here on my mission about how music can invite the Spirit than I previously recognized.

On Christmas Eve we had a little get-together with the Priesthood Restoration Site senior couples... Our little adopted family! I love them all to pieces and am grateful to have spent part of the holiday with such great examples of Christlike love and service.  After that we went to the Slocum's house for Christmas Eve dinner and had an Italian feast!! Along with stuffing our faces with homemade sausages and manicotti we sang Christmas carols, watched a Christmas Mormon message ("The Reason Behind Christmas"), and talked about why Christ is so central to our lives. It was a great evening!

With the Slocum Family - 12/24/15

Christmas Day I got to FaceTime my AMAZING family! Highlight of the day!! But the rest of the day we visited people in our branch, went to a dinner appointment and even taught a lesson to our neighbors! At our lesson we taught about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it is such a gift to have a perfect example, the example of Jesus Christ, to follow.

The birth, life, sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ is such a gift to each of us, to every person who ever did and ever will live on this earth. But like any other gift we have received, we need to open and use what we've been given! This past Christmas season has been very different from any other I've had, because while I have always remembered and reflected on the birth of our Savior, this Christmas it is all I thought about, and my relationship with Him. It has been a wonderful way to bring the year to a close and begin to think about the upcoming year and how I will carry the "spirit of Christmas," this spirit of Christ with me all year round!

Have a wonderful week and remember to keep that spirit of Christ in your heart always! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,
Sister Larsen