Me Elijah Malachi and Hutchins
Bro Stanbury, the Boys, Nicola (mum), Me, Hutchins
Hello, Merry Christmas!
This weekend, our town young friends Malachi and Elijah were baptised and confirmed into the Church. It was wonderful. I am so happy about it and it has made this Christmas experience all the more sacred. We set out with a vision at the start of this transfer to bring a family into the Gospel, and with the Lord's guidance we have done just that. Their mother bore a powerful testimony at the service and has become fully active again. The blessings they were given at their confirmation were quite moving, direct and confirmed to us the reason why the Lord reached out to this family at this time. This has been the best ending to my only ever whole year of being a missionary, this is the type of missionary work that I have wanted to do my whole mission and the Lord has blessed me with it. 'Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you', this truth has been confirmed to me time and time again this year. It's a promise that it applies to everything, it affects every aspect of our lives, temporal and spiritual. My mum always taught me the power of doing your part in order for the Lord to bless you and finally I have come to understand just how true that is. However, he thing is you never really do enough to deserve the blessings or at least feel that you have. 'Surely, the greatest joy of God is to bless is children when they do not feel worthy of those blessings'.
This week, we have been driving around the mission and performing at different Christmas devotionals, we have been to Hyde Park, Watford, St. Albans and Canterbury. What a privilege ey? I never thought I would sing a solo in front of hundreds of people in a suit and tie! It's been a little surreal. People seem to love the Missionary Choir though, I think the Spirit makes up for our many shortcomings and also we have Elder Hein my trainer who is quite honestly incredible when it comes to singing. Before the Canterbury devotional started, we followed the elders of the ward with President to a Sister's house close to the chapel. We found her bedridden, almost motionless but she welcomed us with a smile which told us just how grateful she was we had come. We sang to her, 12 or so missionaries crammed into her little bedsit, all of us feeling the Spirit of Christmas and gazing into her eyes as she slowly scanned around the group. It was magical, we left feeling edified and to be honest I would have happily driven all the way back to Watford in the knowledge that we had done what the Lord really needed us to do.
I feel very humbled and thankful to be serving my Saviour at this sacred time in which we celebrate his birth. It is clear from the accounts in the scriptures that at the time of his birth the world did not make much of a deal of it. It is however crystal clear that Heaven did, how did we react to the birth of our Saviour before we had taken on our mortal frame? How did we react to it last year? How will we react to it this year? How will we #SharetheGift?
I love you all,
Good Tidings of Great Joy Bid I Unto You,
Hugs and Handshakes
Elder Nolan
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