Dear Friends and Family,
This week has been
quite the week for sure :) Christmas was awesome! Being able to talk
with family reminds me of the happiness that they always have brought
me. Lets just say I'm glad they are my family and
that I will have them forever and all eternity :) I also love my grandpa
more than the world! For those of you whom are unaware, my grandfather
is deaf. I have never been able to communicate directly with him the way
others communicate with their grandparents,
but one thing is for sure, and that is we have a strong connection. My
grandfather is very talented. He can read lips, and has such a great
spirit. Sister Smith, President Smiths wife, shared during our last
zone conference how she came to find out one of
her spiritual gifts that she had been given was her smile. All I could
think of while she was talking about that was my grandfathers wonderful
smile :) I have never seen him ever not happy! And Its amazing. So that
whole story just shows how much I love my
grandpa and was able to talk with him on Christmas :)
The rest of the week
was a bit hard for missionary work due to everyone being busy with
Christmas and the holidays, though one thing is for sure that we have
had a lot of experiences to share the video the church
put out for the Christmas season. It was amazing to be able to see how
many people are willing to remember Christ and do their best to serve
others and share the light of Christ. All of the missionaries in our
zone decided that they would all go Christmas caroling
at the Hospital. We showed up in the morning, but since we weren't
allowed to go into anyone’s room and sing, we decided to walk through
the halls and go through the hymn book singing. At first it felt a bit
awkward because we are a bunch of missionaries who
don't know how to sing, though as we went through the halls singing, our
talents somehow got way better!!! And there was someone in their room
who heard us and stopped us. She invited all of us in and then we sang
her favorite hymn. But what made that memory
so special was that when we were about to leave, one of the missionaries
asked her if there was anything we could do to help her, and she
started to cry, and told us, “no. you've already done it.” I started to
think of how it was such a joy that we were able
to bring Christmas into her trip to the hospital. And how she felt the
love that the Lord has for her. It was an amazing experience that's for
sure!!!!
Elder Leandro and I are
doing great! He is adjusting to missionary life pretty well and I am
enjoying having the opportunity to show him around and teach him the
ways of missionary life. He has only lived in
the United states for about a year and so it almost feels like I'm with a
foreigner who doesn't know the United States very well. HAHA Lets just
say that it has been enjoyable :) Well to all my BOSS family and friends
out there, the church is true! The gospel
is real! Keep on in the path of righteousness and you'll be blessed :) I
love you all so much and wish you a happy New Year!
Much Love,
Elder Stonely
My new companion, Elder Leandro. |
Senior missionaries in our area. |
Me and former companion, Elder Sturdevant. |
Christmas package from my awesome family. |
Gift from Santa! |
Yes, a Tallahassee Florida Mission t-shirt! I've been jealous of all the other Elders who have been wearing them. |