Christmas Day

Hello. I've been told this isn't really supposed to be a social email, so I leave most of everything for Thursday (P-day).  Needless to say I am still alive, they beat us pretty hard in here and sometimes the dungeons and chains get a little old and I always smell like mildew but other than that it’s not too bad. Christmas has been great though, usually they have us in class for about 9 or 10 hours a day, yesterday was only about 4 hours and a fireside and movie in the evening. The movie was A Christmas Carol; great movie. And we had a movie and fireside on Sunday night.  Today we had two firesides, with "It’s A Wonderful Life" tonight.  It is the best time to be in the MTC. And wherever you are, some one’s caroling since everyone basically just sings in the halls and well into their sleep too. It’s really cool. So almost no class, and lots of Christmas music and movies and eating and listening to old people talk.  Fireside this morning was Elder Nelson. So that went well. 

So much for not a social email… But anyway I'm supposed to be bearing my testimony of Christmas and Christ and my time here at the MTC (probably so that mothers don't riot in the future years when they're children continue to be called in six days before Christmas). And since my life up to this point has been kind of scroogeish, this is a bit difficult. But in all honesty I am learning a ton up here.  They have us teaching a bunch, and there is no way of feeling the spirit better than trying to explain the atonement to someone and get them to understand the love Christ has for them. I love using the scriptures, and one of the challenges for me has been not to show off too much when I teach since it seems like most of the Elders I work with have to search for an hour to find a scripture to apply to what they're teaching when it’s not given to them beforehand. But the Church is true, God lives, and it is He whose is sending me to Australia.  Christ born over two thousand years ago lived and died for us, and I'm going to have a blast trying to tell as many people about him as I can. I've been counting down the days I have left here in the MTC (13 and a halfish) and I can't wait to get to Australia and start dropping some spiritual knowledge on the people there. I expect everything to go pretty fast though. And I know that as I do this the Lord will take care of me and keep me where I need to be so that I can help the people around me most.

I'm not sure how much time I have here so I'm gonna wrap this up pretty quick.  Merry Christmas family and thank you for all the gifts, I just finished the Lego helicopter and I'm about to dig into the banana bread in a bit. (So thank you to Grandma as well). And the Rubik Cube is fantastic. I'll be emailing again in a couple of days, so until then Wesley, goodnight, sleep well, I'll probably kill you in the morning.

Also keep me updated with some current event stuff…rioting over 2012 and anyone getting shot in Egypt or the Gaza strip and such as.