It's the Season of Giving.

Hi everybody!

Thanks for your emails! And, Thanks for the advent calendar/letter surprise! Wow, it has been really neat to hear from my extended family and to be reminded that there are so many people praying for me right now. It helps strengthens me and reminds me to work hard! And Gabe! Thanks for all of your letters! I loved reading all of them – you are getting so good at writing. I love it!

But thanks everyone for all that you do and for all of your prayers and support! I love you all so so much. Dad, thank you for your suggestion about the 3 week family thing. I really want to try it. The families in our ward are really awesome and I know that they can be great missionaries.
Also, I got the Christmas tree in the mail from the ward! It was really fun to hear from the people in the ward!

Well, this week has been a good one. There aren’t any really amazing amazing stories or anything but we have two baptisms coming up on December 20th. I don’t know if I have told you about Melvin and Diana before but Diana is the mom (about 50) and Melvin is the son. They live in the same house with Melvin’s daughter. Anyway, we are really excited about their baptism. We found them in our consecrated finding time and its been neat to see their testimonies grow and their understanding deepen. Melvin even wants to share it with other people that he knows are suffering. He knows the peace that it brings.

It has been neat to see them grow and learn more. It is just like in Alma’s comparison to the seed and with our faith and works. It grows little by little and starts to flourish. The gospel enlightens our minds and our souls when we just give it the nutrients (or the faith) that it needs. Wow, I’ve seen it especially in my own missionary life. The more I read the more I enjoy reading and the more I learn the more I am filled with the spirit. I’m so grateful that Heavenly Father restored His gospel again on the earth and that we have the opportunity to learn and to also share of its goodness.

Melvin has stopped drinking coffee which was really awesome but Diana has been a little bit more difficult. I’m praying that she will understand the true meaning of the word of wisdom.
Anyway, I’m out of time for right now but I love you all so much and I hope that you are having an awesome, amazing Christmas season. I am so lucky to have you as a family.

Last night in the Christmas devotional they talked a lot about service in the Christmas season and I was so grateful for family that has always been such a good example to me of giving selfless service. I love you all! Tell everyone in the family that I love them and am thankful for their prayers and support!

Love,
Hermana Neff

P.S. Moment of Puerto Rican Christmas enchantment – A ton of Christmas lights and blow up decorations. Sponge Bob and Winnie the Pooh with Santa hats are especially popular. Also there are quite a few people that have their Christmas trees outside on the porch rather than inside! Gotta love it!