MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A CRABBY NEW YEAR‏

Well Merry Christmas everyone and I say crabby New Year because I have a pretty cool picture...yes I ate crab. It was pretty good, but my companion told me there are better crab out there so I have hope for the future in my business with crab. It was just a little weird to mess around with and break and all that but I'm sure with more experience I can become an expert. That is my goal for the new year!! haha.

Okay I am so excited for this Christmas Day. Well right now it has just become more important for me to celebrate it by thinking of others, but especially Jesus Christ and all that he has done for me.  I think I might be a little excited for it to be over so that all the people come back from their vacations and we can talk and visit all the people that we need to talk to. Here in Baños for the Christmas Season is crazy and everyone is working and doing things and so my hope is that everything calms down after these holidays. haha. I truly do love the Christmas season, but I like working and so I want to help everyone haha.

This last week I have truly been blessed by God my new companion is Hermana Morales...let's all take a guess from where she is....yes Peru. hahaha but it is truly amazing because she has been able to help me so much in this little time that we have been together. 

I realized a few things in this last week that I would like to share with you all. 

Firstly we are not perfect and we never will be. So stop being so hard on yourself....that was really just intended for me. But I think we all want this as people and especially in the Christmas season.

Secondly I would like to share a scripture that has strengthened me in this week.

  1 Corinthians:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I love this scripture a lot it has helped me to realize that not only with temptations, but we can also substitue the word temptations with words like trials or fears. I have been able to understand from this scripture that God will give me trials and temptations not to pull me down, but that it will become the means by which I can change and become able to bear these burdens that are placed upon me. 

When I think of burdens I remember Christ especially in this season of Christmas or Navidad.  We celebrate his birth and through celebrating this time we need to apply his atonement all the much more in our lives. We need to remember all that he has done for us and have the desire to make the changes that we need to do.  I am so grateful for all that he has done for me each and every day. I hope that all of you out there whether you are mormon or from whatever type of religious background or not religious at all, that you can feel the love of Christ in your lives in this Christmas season.  Something my companion said yesterday that drew my attention was that we all have so much to be grateful for and we MUST show that to God through our prayers. If you could pray a little bit more in this season if only to show your gratitude I know it will be able to make a difference in your life in the way that you see the things you  have been given, whether you like them or not, that they have been blessings for you in your lives.

Happy Birth of Jesus Christ in this beautiful season and just a little note in Spanish.

 ¡Feliz Navidad! Recuerdan del Señor y todo lo que Él hace por ustedes en este Navidad.  Esfuércese para ayudar lo demás especialmente en ese temporada de navidad. 

Con Mucho Amor de Baños 

Hermana Dunkley

this is my crab. her name is cangrejo