December 23rd, 2013

Familia!
      Feliz Navidad esta semana! Espero que ustedes esten teniendo una buena Navidad juntos. Estoy muy contenta para poder hablar con ustedes esta semana. 
      We have seen miracles this week! The Lord truly is blessing us more than we can explain. I talked about Elgin last week i think, the little city just outside of Austin.. Well we have received countless referrals and have had members offering their homes to us to hold family night with their non member neighbors! It has been amazing. 
      We had Christmas Conference this week, so we all headed to San Antonio. We had an amazing conference with President Slaughter and learned so many things as we studied Luke 2 and how great of a woman Mary truly was. We then moved into the gym for a few hours as missionaries sang, played instruments, did skits, and other talents. President Slaughter came up to Hermana King and I and asked if we were still doing our "TSAM Rap"? It wasn't on the program.. so we said we would love to, and as soon as the program was done, they announced that they had one more special act. We closed the day with our TSAM Rap that we had written about the mission.. everyone loved it!
     We have two investigators with baptismal dates right now. Desmond, he's a ten year old, that lives in Elgin (His grandpa is the second counselor in the bishopbric) will be baptized January 4th. We also have been teaching Luis. He lives with a family that was baptized a few weeks before I came to this area. La Familia Banda. They are incredible! Hermano Banda's friend, Luis, moved in with them right after they were baptized and the Banda's have been fellowshipping him like crazy. We asked Luis to give the closing prayer on Wednesday and in it he said.. "Heavenly Father.. i'm starting to know this church is true. I can feel it in my heart. Thank you for sending these angels to my house. I know i need to be baptized." The Spirit was so strong in that moment! He is going to be baptized on the 4th of January tambien. 
   We had an activity with the ward Saturday night that went really well. Our bishop is incredible. He is a great example of humility. We all dressed up like the times of Jesus' Birth, ate food from those times and ate on the ground as we sang Christmas songs. Our bishop was dressed up like a wiseman and talked to every person as he went around from blanket to blanket as the families sat on the ground. It really got me thinking in the joy of Christmas. As I serve others, I know I am only serving my Father in Heaven. What a better way to serve than to bring the joyous message of the Restoration to those who don't know. I am so grateful to be a missionary! 
   As I played the organ in sacrament meeting yesterday, I thought of Dad's stories on his mission.. playing hymns in catholic cathedrals. The spirit was very present in the meeting yesterday and I am continually thankful for this time of year to celebrate our Savior's birth. Without Christ's birth, we would have no Savior, no Atonement, no way to return to live with our Father in Heaven and our families forever.. Por eso estoy bien agradecida por esta oportunidad para compartir este mensaje con las personas aqui. Se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador. Estoy agradecida que yo puedo vivir con ustedes para siempre. Los quiero mucho!! Tangan una buena Navidad.. y nos hablamos el Miercoles. 
   Con Amor,
Hermana Egbert

P.S. thanks for all the packages and letters! Ya'll are the best.

Luis, Hermana King, y Yo

Hermana King and I at Christmas Conference, yes.. we were the only ones dressed up :) We got so many weird looks

thanks for the packages!! i'm going to die. 

Hermana Brooks - ward activity

haha 

we went to an old folks home on exchanges this week.. i cried cause i thought of grandma. it made me happy though to be able to cheer them up :)

Welcome to Elgin.. haha

Brown Business (Desmond's family's donkey)

Desmond's little sister Evi.. she's so cute! (my eyelids broke out in a rash from my eyeshadow.. so they're peeling and i look disgusting- hence the glasses)