The Greatest Gift This World Has Ever Been Given

Friends and family, hi! Merry Christmas! Wow, do I have so much to talk about and so little time! I just want to apologize; I am so bad at responding to emails right now. Basically, p-days are ball, eat, repeat. But I appreciate them so much, and they mean so much to me. Just know I love you and will try to respond soon!!

The week started out on such a high when Elder Vetter landed in the splits while playing volleyball. Oh wait, it gets better; we then got into a muffin fight with our district, and honestly, you just had to be there. I didn't know I could love humans so much. My district means everything to me. I would do anything for them.

Such a highlight of this transfer so far is our relationship with the zone leaders too. They do so much for us, and they really feel like our best friends. It makes such a difference in the zone.

Okay, we are finding like crazy here in Waukee. The Lord is blessing us so much!!!

Here's a quick rundown on some of the people:

The Green family: We had a very powerful lesson with them this week. One I'll never ever forget. One I'm very grateful for. Maybe it wasn't even for them, and maybe it was for me. Something I love about being a missionary is that I get to teach and testify, and while the Spirit speaks to them, it's also speaking to me. They have so many questions. They explained how they need evidence, and so we went deeper into the restoration and talked a lot about Joseph Smith and how he retrieved the plates. This is a hard topic for a lot of people, and it was for them. We asked them if they believe Joseph Smith was a prophet, and they said no. It hurt. They asked us to bear our testimonies of what we believe. I felt like Nephi, or Moroni, or Mormon, and even Joseph Smith. I could never and will never deny that Joseph Smith is a prophet. I could never and will never deny the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness it contains. Although I haven't faced a lot of the things they faced, I can understand more fully why Joseph Smith went through all that he did. This family may not be ready, and that's okay. I know when we recited the First Vision, they felt something different, and one day they will be ready to accept the gospel.

Raymond: Had another super sick lesson with our boy Raymond. He is so sick. He's in 1 Nephi right now, and when we asked him how he feels, he said that he feels like something is urging him to keep reading. He said when he has questions, he keeps reading, and then his questions are answered. It reminds me of Moroni's promise that if we ask God with real intent, he will manifest the truth of it unto us. The evidence is that Raymond is faithfully seeking the truth, and God is manifesting it to him.

Komla: Komla was a referral. He is from Togo and speaks French and English. He is sooo sick. We did a church tour with him, and he is so excited about learning more and reading the Book of Mormon.

Selemani: Selemani was a referral from the Beaver Creek (Des Moines) shoutout!!! And he is so cool. Me and Sis Tremel Dawg called him on exchanges and taught him about the restoration. He also has a lot of really cool questions! He told us he would be interested in getting baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; he just wants to pray about it. We invited him to pray about what we taught, and he said he wants to pull up to church!!

Things are so good!!! I am so happy!!! I can't say how much I love being a missionary. This is the best thing I've ever done; I don't want it to end. I'm so sad.

As I finished the Book of Mormon on Christmas Eve as my gift to the Savior, I read Moroni 10:6, and it stuck out to me so hard:

"And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ but acknowledgeth that he is."

I was thinking of Raymond the whole time and how he said when he reads it, he feels good. Whatsoever thing is good is true. The Book of Mormon is good; actually, it's better than good, therefore it is true. I love how it says that nothing that is good denieth the Christ.

Jesus is the Christ, and he is all things good. The Book of Mormon teaches me time and time again that he lives and that he loves me. He loves you. So perfectly.

He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; his light will shine forever.

He is the greatest gift this world has ever been given.

I can't wait to hug him someday and thank him for everything he has done for me.

I love him more than words can describe. It is truly an honor wearing his name across my heart every single day.

I love you all; Jesus loves you.

But if you need me, I'll be in the corner #iykyk #bet.

Love, Sister Liljenquist