Sister Bailey Anne Harrison: Christmas is now over, and the work goes forward!

This week a lot has happened and I feel like Sister Heaton and I have not had one second to stop and take a breather. But it has been so awesome to be able to serve during the Christmas season, and according to my return date, I will be able to do it all again next year for Christmas. I am so grateful for all the people that I was able to talk to this last week. President Russell gave us a challenge to invite as many people as possible to church for Christmas. Sister Heaton and I made it a goal to invite everyone that we talked to and we only got 1 person to church on Christmas. But we were able to get quite a few less actives there who hadn't been to church in a long time. So that was good. I think we should always try to think of every Sunday as a Christmas Sunday. Every Sunday we go to church to be able to worship Jesus Christ and to be able to learn more about him, isn't that the reason that we celebrate Christmas too? I think so! I think as people we should strive to remember Christ more and more in our lives every single day.

This last Monday Sister Heaton and I were able to go and check out the Christmas lights that are at Azalea park here in Brookings, it wasn't ANYTHING like Temple Square (for example there was a light fixture of a wine glass pour wine into the bottle...) but it was a lot of fun to go out and be able to talk to people at the light show. It was a lot of fun too because we were able to run into so many people that we know there. So we were able to wish everyone that we saw a very Merry Christmas. I love the lights at Christmas time and I thought it was very special to do it that way to remind us to Light the World (:

On Tuesday we were able to go to Barbara house and do some service. And you know when you hear service most of the time you think like yard work or shoveling snow or things like that. Well this service was even harder. You aren't going to believe this. Barbara made us.... make Christmas cookies! It was seriously a blast. I think we made over 100 cookies and it was so much fun. I loved it because being on a mission you don't really get to cook all that often. But doing that service for her I think was more of a treat for Sister Heaton and I!

On Wednesday we were able to have Zone Conference in Coos Bay with President Russell and his wife. I seriously love that Zone Conferences are now going to be every 6 weeks because I love receiving the counsel we do from our Mission President every time we see him. This Zone Conference we were asked to prepare a 15-20 minute talk about Coming to Know Christ in our Hearts. And we knew that President Russell was going to call on some of us to speak. Well, I talked during our last Zone Conference, so I was CONVINCED that I was not going to speak this time. Well guess what. I was the last speaker. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Just kidding, although I am really glad that I prepared because all the time people get up there and say " I should have prepared more " or " If I would have known that I was speaking... ". While writing my talk I felt like there was so many different things that I could talk about because you can do so many different things to Come to know Christ in your heart. Well I talked about how I have been reading the Book of Mormon for the last 6 months, and I just finished on Christmas Eve. There was a quote from Jeffery R. Holland when he is talking about the Book of Mormon that states, “The principal and commanding figure in the Book of Mormon, from first chapter to last, is the Lord Jesus Christ. … The book centers upon that which scriptural testaments have always centered since the days of Adam and Eve--the declaration to all that through the atonement of the Son of God, ‘as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will’ [Moses 5:9]… The Book of Mormon is the preeminent statement of God’s covenant with and his love for his children here on earth. It is his definitive latter-day declaration regarding the atoning sacrifice of his Son”

And then I shared 1 Nephi 13:40, when Nephi receives revelation about the gospel here in the Americas, and it says:

40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.

Instead of talking 15-20 minutes we only have to talk for about 2-4, just sharing our testimonies. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to study the life of the Savior these last couple of weeks to see how I could come to know him in my heart. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the fact that it testifies of Christ on every single page. The Book of Mormon testifies on average of Christ every 1.7 verses. While the New Testament testifies of him every 2.1. I love love love the Book of Mormon. And I know that it is true with all of my heart. I am so grateful for my Savior this time of the year especially and I am striving to be grateful for him every time of the year!

After Zone Conference, I had to leave Sister Heaton in Coos Bay to go on exchanges with one of our Sister Training Leaders while Sister Hepworth and I drove all the way back to Brookings. Did I mention that day we had to wake up at 5 to be able to be in Coos Bay by 8? Seriously. We didn't get back to Brookings until closer to 7. Such a long day. But that drive from Brookings to Coos Bay is all on the coast and you see the ocean the entire way, so we can't complain too much (: But exchanges with Sister Hepworth were really good. We were able to teach a couple of lessons and she was able to give me some advice on training. Funny story though, before Sister Hepworth got transferred to the coast she was companions with Sister Nowell in Eugene. So the entire exchange she kept making comments about how I am a mini Sister Nowell, you know, mother like daughter!

On Friday Sister Heaton and I had quite a bit of time to tract and Sister Heaton had a thought to go try and talk to this guy that we tracted into last week. So we went over there and when we knocked on his door he wasn't home. She was a little discouraged because she was certain that thought came from the Holy Ghost. But we just kept going and decided as a companionship to go and tract an apartment building that was across the street. Just when it felt like we were having no luck we knocked on one door and a lady answered and said, "Oh your missionaries! Come on in!" We got talking and shared with her Light the World and she told us that she lived in Utah once, I then asked her if she has any relation to anyone in the church and she told us that she herself is a member she just hasn't gone to church in years, but recently has felt like she may want to go back! This taught Sister Heaton and I an important lesson, sometimes when we feel the spirit about one person it isn't always what it was going for. We are excited to go back and meet with Leanore!

On Christmas Eve we were able to have dinner at our Ward Mission Leaders home, they fed us Filet Minon. It was delicious. And then we were able to come to the church for a mission wide conference call where we were able to sing a couple of Christmas songs and hear our Mission PResident bear testimony of the Savior. And then we were able to skype in for a zone testimony meeting, and let me tell you it was a little weird to skype into a testimony meeting. But it was pretty cool to be able to feel the spirit even though we were 100 miles away form the rest of our zone. We were then able to go home and sleep, I tried to convince Sister Heaton to open our presents at midnight but she wasn't having it!

Christmas Morning we were able to wake up and open presents then go to the Rushtons and eat breakfast with them which was super awesome. Then we were able to go to church which I think was one of the best parts of the day. Then we were able to skype home which was probably the BEST part of the day. I love my family so much and I am so grateful for opportunity that I had to talk to them and share my testimony with them. I am so grateful to be in Oregon at this time sharing the gospel to all these people. Seriously it is the best and I can't imagine myself anywhere else in the world. Now I have to explain to you a time that was not the best part of our day yesterday. Sister Heaton and I were making a dessert for dinner at the Sheffels and we hadn't checked the phone because it was on silent, but Sister Sheffel told us between 5 and 6. Well we decided to go over there at 5. So we went to go leave and Sister Heaton was trying to back us and our car wouldn't go back. She finally came beside me and asked what was wrong and all of these different warning things on the car started coming up. The first thought that came to my head was call Elder Mabey (our vehicle coordinator) but then I thought, well what is he going to do, he is hundreds of miles away and it is CHristmas. So we called the Elders and they said they would be right over. So they came with Brother Sheffel (who works at les schwab here in town) and they start checking our car over and can't seem to see whats wrong. So they get a flash light and realize that our car is JACKED UP WITH WOODEN BLOCKS! I start freaking out trying to figure out why someone would do this to us and started thinking the worst. I literally kept saying out loud "I just don't feel safe any more..." So they fix the car and we finally get to the Sheffels and Spring sees me and gives me a hug and I tell her that I am not feeling safe about all of this. She then looks at the Elders and Wayne and says. They are messing with you Sister, they did this to your car. I thought I was going to kill them right then and there. So my dear fan club if you could think up some revenge for Sister Heaton and I, that would be great!

Other then that Christmas was freaking awesome (:

I just wanted to Thank everyone for all of the notes or gifts that were sent to me this Christmas Season. I think Sister Rushton was getting sick of Sister Heaton and I the last two weeks because between the two of us we were at her house almost every day. I am going to try and write thank you notes to everyone but if I don't have the time to get to that I want to say thank you for the love and support that you showed to me (: Everything was so great, truly an amazing Christmas!

I love you all so much and I hope that you all have a wonderful week. And don't forget about Christ, even though his birthday already passed (:

--Remember who you are and who God expects you to become-- Thomas S Monson

Love, Your Favorite Sister Missionary,

Sister Harrison