WEEK 25: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Hello!! This week was all over the place. It was absolutely wild! A lot has happened since last week's email.

The most exciting thing is that our friend Sara is on date!!! She is truly the most elect lady in the world. She's been prepared her entire life, and she's finally ready. Sara is truly one of the most Christlike people I know. She has so much humility and compassion. She's searching so desperately to find rest, and she knows she's finally found it. Sister Welch and I adore her with our whole hearts!! She and Vance had their baptism interviews last night. We are waiting to hear the results from President Denis and President Rodarte. If we get the green light to move forward as planned for their original date this weekend, we're gonna need lots of prayers to pull the baptism program together on kind of short notice. But it will all be worth it, no matter if it happens this week or we need to wait. We had a one-on-one lesson with Sara, which is rare, but it went so smoothly. She's a quiet lady and every word she speaks is deliberate. When she said, "I know this church is true, I always have!" The Spirit in the room was so strong! We are so excited for her.

MONDAY AFTERNOON EDITION: Vance and Sara were approved for baptism!!!! We were told that it would take about 3 days to hear from President Denis on the final decision, but he got back to us so quickly! We are SO excited! Vance and Sara are so prepared, and they want this so badly. It's going to a great weekend!

This week was a bit tough. Thursday was a stressful day and Sister Welch and I had a hard time together. Friday we were still trying to handle it, but we saw a lot of improvement and miracles on Saturday. This transfer has been really really hard, but this weekend gave me a lot of humbling experiences and I gained a lot of perspective on a couple things. We've been studying the doctrine of grace this week. Sister Welch had a breakthrough regarding the topic and we discussed it for a long time Tuesday evening. I was reminded this week of the difference between the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement that Christ performed was an event--an act that began in Gethsemane and ended on Calvary. We can't access an event or a moment in history, but we can access the power from the Atonement. That power is grace! Jesus Christ had to be exactly obedient to the Father's will to obtain that gift. He desires to give us that gift, but we have to reach out and recieve it--through obedience to the Father's will, too! Grace is all of God's strength and love and mercy and goodness. Because of God's grace we can repent--we can change--and recieve forgiveness. We can recieve strenth. We have a glorious past and a glorious future. It's all through Jesus Christ and the grace that He gives us. I can't even explain everything that I learned about grace this week.

John 3:16-17 has become one of my favorite scriptures this Christmas season. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." Heavenly Father gave us Jesus Christ as a gift--the Ultimate Gift. His life and sacrifice allows us to become clean of the stains of sin and return to stand comfortably--if we choose--in the presence of our Father in Heaven. Christmas is such a special time to remember the Gift we've all been given. All He asks if that we let Him prevail in our lives, giving our hearts and wills to Him. As I've been trying to focus on that on my mission I've learned that we recieve more than we ever give up. God is so good and merciful and kind! I hope you all can feeel His love for YOU, especially this week of Christmas!

I hope you have the merriest Christmas EVER!! I'm sending so much love and joy and Christmas cheer!

- Sister Malmstrom

231 W Horizon Ridge Pkwy #2226, Las Vegas, NV 89012

Pictures!

- Railroad Pass Zone Conference picture!

- Saw my old roomie Hermana Madsen for a hot second at the mission office and I almost cried!! I love her!

- Sister Bates!!!! Aka my favorite person EVER.

- City Hall Christmas tree

- Sara jumped a fence to give us some oranges from an orange tree she was pruning.

- A Vegas classic: The Chapel on the Corner.

- Our little Christmas set up:) Shoutout to the Pond family for bringing packages from home to us!!

- The poor hymnbook fell apart when we picked it up in sacrament meeting...