Hello Family! This week was a very different, but great week for me.  When I thought about serving in Arizona, I expected the desert heat most of the time. Little did I know I would be in the mountains of Northern Arizona during Christmas time. ❄ ⛄ My dream of a White Christmas came true!

This is the first time I have been away from home during Christmas time, and it helped me realize how much I love home, family and traditions. Calling home for Christmas warmed my heart! During my call I was able to participate in a family tradition that I love “The Christmas Train”. 🚂 This tradition has been practiced in the Baldwin family for over 50 years and my Grandpa Richard has been the train engineer most of all those years, but this year my father was the engineer. On Christmas morning, the Choo-Choo train runs early in the morning picking up each member of the family in their rooms and guiding them to the Christmas tree. To be able to join the train, you must wear a hat—it can be any hat– silly hat, funny hat, cute hat, or out of this world hat! This special tradition has unified my family throughout the years and continues to be a strong sticky glue and a highlight of our family Christmas celebrations.

I am grateful that as missionaries we can learn about different family traditions as we serve and visit members and non-members alike. This Christmas we had dinners with various families, and I learned what wonderful and tasty food they eat to celebrate the season. I am grateful for their generosity and love for the missionaries, the Savior, and the Gospel. My companion and I received gifts that made our season away from home meaningful: acceptance, love, and many carefully thought-out items. Thank you!

An important day of missionary life is preparation day or better known as P-Day. In this day we take care of all our personal needs such as shopping, cleaning our quarters, writing emails and letters, doing laundry, and something I totally love is enjoying relaxing moments with my fellow missionaries.  This week I was playing volleyball with my Mission Zone, and I got smacked in the face with the ball because I wasn’t paying much attention. This incident got me thinking about how important it is we pay attention in life.  Being a missionary has helped me realize how important time is and how important paying attention is because I will be here only for two years, and it can go by fast.

Above is a picture of my first days as a missionary. In order to be able to pay attention more fully to my new responsibilities, I relocated to the home of my Uncle Dana and Aunt Victoria where I was offered a quiet space to do my online missionary training. I want to thank them for opening their home to me and helping me with this transition because it allowed me to focus, pay attention, and give myself to missionary work. The lessons I am learning and will learn along the way will be very important as I continue to learn and grow.

In 2019 Sister Becky Craven shared a powerful message during General Conference titled “Careful versus Casual” in which she discusses how being careful or casual can make a difference in our lives.  I invite you to read it! Every day I read the scriptures, I feel edified in doing so. I also feel the Lord is fulfilling his promise when He says: “For it shall be given unto you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say” D&C 100:6.  I have felt the Lord helping me in sharing the gospel, serving, and practicing a new language.  Paying attention to the scriptures has helped me realize the answers to our questions are there and all we must do is ask and look for the answer.  In 2nd Nephi 26:27 it says:

“Hath He commanded any that they should not partake of His salvation? Behold I say unto you nay; but He hath given it free for all men; and He hath commanded His people that they should persuade all men to repentance.”

This scripture talks about missionary work and the importance we—all of us—have to serve and teach those whom may have never heard of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the time the Lord has given me to come out and serve the people of Arizona. Thanks again for the love and support I have received and continue to receive. I miss you! Good Luck and talk soon! ❤😀😁

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