Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I sure missed you guys last night and this morning, but I have had the most wonderful time here. I hope you are enjoying your presents from me and I hope the dogs are too! I hope you all had a great evening and morning together, and that you enjoyed Christmas on the Sabbath. I know I did! But I'll get to that in a second.

Anyway, I thought that today we would just be writing normal letters, but surprise! They let us email! :) So that's what I'm doing right now. However I will still mail off my SD Card tomorrow so you can have all my Provo MTC pictures. They're pretty good!

I don't know when my next preparation day will be, so I don't quite know when the next time will be that I can email, but once I get the chance, I will be sure to let you know how the Domincan Republic is and how I'm doing. Also, please keep an eye on my debit card money as I may have to use some while traveling, so… yeah, if you could just do that, that would be wonderful!!

Anyway, getting back to last night and today. It was amazing!! Last night we had a Christmas Eve Fireside where the Relief Society presidency (the MTC Presidency's wives) and some missionaries put together the Nativity Scene, and we all sang along some of the Christmas Hymns. It was really great and I could really feel the Spirit testifying to us that Jesus is the Christ and that He came to Earth to Atone for us. Also, last night I read from chapter 8 in "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage, which was great. It's the chapter about His birth, and it was wonderful. This morning we had the opportunity to watch the special Music and the Spoken Word by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and then we had the MTC-wide Sacrament Meeting.

Oh, and who should appear to speak to us? None other than ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR!! It was absolutely incredible. The whole time I was just scribbling down notes and impressions and listening to him. He gave a magnificent talk on how we aren't here for ourselves, and that we're here to do the Lord's work and for Jesus Christ. He also talked about how our testimonies aren't enough to keep us active, and that we need become truly converted to the Lord. It was amazing. And when he bore his Apostolic Witness that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet, I was almost paralyzed. It was spectacular! His talk really was just great, and I absolutely loved hearing an Apostle of the Lord speak. It was something else. Being in the same room as him was amazing, and feeling of his spirit was great. You would have loved it, and I hope you can get kind of a sense of what I felt with him there.
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We then had a good Christmas lunch and got our sack meals for tonight. Don't worry about that, the meals will be good. And honestly I'm glad that nobody has to work tonight, so they can be with their families. It will be good, because I think our district is planning on eating together.
Anyway, after lunch, we went on a temple walk (my last one!) and that brings us to now!
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Anyway, I can see that you've replied to some emails so I'm going to send this one off and then email you back, but just know that I love you so much, and that I really have missed you last night and today. Christmas means family to me, so not being with you has been kinda hard these last few days. But I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. I know that the Lord will watch over me and protect me as well as you. I hope you're all doing well and that the Lord is blessing you. I love you all so much and I hope you have had a truly wonderful Christmas!!
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Love,

Elder Gardner

P.S. Thank you for the presents, I opened them this morning :) You know me well!!