Week 20: Feliz Natal #1

I'm ready for my first christmas on the mission! Luckily, we were invited to have lunch with a member on Christmas and dinner on Christmas Eve. Both should be very fun.

Also guys, you're not gonna believe this.. We actually had people at church this week, 3 people! It is especially amazing because the work continues to get harder and harder as no one can meet with us because they're all out of town for the holidays. Not surprisingly, no one wants to spend the season in Planaltina GO.

Crazy RM (in a good way) -- The stereotype of the returned missionary that still acts like they're serving a mission is a common one at BYU. And this week, one of them, Ruan, came home from his mission to our branch this week.

Within a day, he sent a message saying he wants to participate in lessons with people. And in the next few days, he solicited us to buy sock ties from him and tell all of the other elders in the mission to as well, and he gave the two of us the summary of all of the training he gave as Assistent to the President in his mission.

He is a great help, and his training as well, but one thing I've learned about missionary work is that it's incredibly different all around the world, and even within Brazil. Having served in a much more rural and accepting area, some of the methods and numbers he describes just boggles our minds and couldn't be put in practice very well here.

Favorite Hymn -- No, it's not a Christmas hymn. Because, this week, we went to the Brasilia temple for the first time in my mission! And, it was amazing.

For those who don't know, the temple is a place to make additional covenants with God beyond baptism and come to closer to Him. It really is the house of God and the most sacred places on earth. Going through for the first time in a few months, I felt the most at home that I have in a long time, even since a time before my mission, here in Brasilia, Brazil.

And so, this week, my hymn was Welcome Home, #1027. It's a sweet little hymn, written by mother from Utah, who we got to meet in person when BYU Men's Chorus recorded the hymn (which recording is on Youtube!). And, the second verse specifically talks about the temple:

I know that this is true. In the temple, we can feel closer to God's presence and make covenants that last for eternity. But now, I didn't always know this. I want to point this out because a lot of people have their fair share of doubts about the temple, and I did as well. Maybe in the future I'll write more about my experience with doubts and truth, with relation to the temple and other things in the gospel. But for now, I want to focus on why I know, or more realistically, why I have faith now. It can be summarized a little bit by the chorus of Welcome Home:

As I have experimented with faith in Jesus Christ, His church, and His covenants, I have found that I am most at home with Him, more than anything else in my life, and that's all I need to know it's right.

That's it for this week,

Till next time,

Elder Haroldsen

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