You'll be surprised to hear that the weather has been better here in England than it is in Utah! Haven't seen a flake of snow and it's not too cold right now. The weather is so weird here. If you've ever thought God is confusing, wait until you see England! It's so unpredictable.
Since it's Christmas time, everybody is SO busy! We are having a hard time talking to people on the street because they're always rushing around. The funny thing is that most people we do talk to say they hate Christmas! Witney is pretty much full of Scrooges right now. We've been taking advantage of the holiday season by knocking every house with Christmas decorations on it. Even some of those people say they hate Christmas! What?!
Our district devised a cunning plan...a Christmas stand in the middle of Oxford! So on Saturday we all went to city center and set up camp. We were playing the new Christmas video on a big speaker for everybody to hear. I had one job: bring every person in Oxford to the Christmas stand (see pictures). I've never spoken to so many people in my whole life! It was crazy. Although there were some Scrooges, there was some success. We gave out 30 copies of the Book of Mormon in total! I invited one dude to the ward Christmas Party that night, and he came! He really enjoyed the food, but I'm sure he felt the spirit as well. Santa made an appearance as well, and I managed to get a picture with him. Never too old for Santa!
Weekly update on the Rathbone family! We had a killer lesson with them on Friday evening. We decided to start off with The Coat: a video from the Mormon Channel. It's my favorite video because I feel the Spirit every time I watch it. It really set the tone, and the Spirit was there. We also showed "Dare to Stand Alone" to introduce them to the prophet. They love the prophet! Simon said that Thomas S. Monson looked familiar to him. We also taught the Ten Commandments and the Law of Chastity. Somehow the lesson shifted to the topic of the Holy Ghost. We showed them the Pattern of Light videos by Elder Bednar, and again the Spirit was there. I stopped the lesson and asked them if they felt that. Simon said he felt good, and I testified that it was from the Spirit. Imm said she had been feeling that every time she read the Book of Mormon. She also said that she has noticed a change in herself for the better. Again, I testified of the reality of the Spirit. She was so happy to hear that! We invited them to be baptized, but we won't let them answer until they have pondered and prayed about January 2nd as a date. They are so happy and so ready! They also came to church on Sunday.
This week, remember what Christmas is all about. As I've been working in Witney, I have seen a bunch of signs that say "X-mas." Think of what you can do to put the "Christ" back in Christmas. What can you give to Him? Maybe it's your time. Maybe it's your actions. Maybe it's your heart. The Savior of the world was born in such a humble setting because he had no other place to go. Nobody made room for him, but you can! Be sure to make room for Christ this year, because he is Christmas. He was born over 2000 years ago, and I know that he still lives today. Have a great week and Merry Christmas from England!
Love,
Elder Thomas
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| District contacting in Oxford |
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| Oxford at Christmas-time |
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| Swindord Bridge |
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| Santa! |
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