GLAD TIDINGS

Dear Family,

You guessed it! I get to stay and celebrate Christmas and my birthday right here in Horseheads, NY!! YAY!!!!!!!! I am so excited!!! We have members feeding us every meal both Christmas Eve, and Christmas day! They also coordinated to have all six missionaries at the same houses. So we will just be hangin with the elders all day. I also know that I will be calling for 30 min, and then skyping for 30 min again just like mother's day. But I dont know what time, or where I will be for that yet. I am not sure if it has to be at a members house, or if I could use the laptop at the church. I find out soon.

Things got kind of hard this past week. We had a little bit of a set back.  Sister Howard and I were supposed to have a baptism this past Saturday... Things didn't go quite the way we were hoping. Our investigator didnt pass his interview with our district leader. He is worthy for it, but there was just a very strong feeling that he was not ready to be baptized. We came to see that he needs to gain a stronger testimony first before he makes the decision to be baptized. We just know that if we give him a little bit more time, he will come to want this baptism for himself and it will mean a lot more for him. He will know WHY he is doing it. It's not just another baptism to join another religion. It is a saving ordinance that will lead him to eternal life and exaltation! It's kind of a big deal! We also lost a couple more investigators.

We have just had the most difficult time trying to get in contact with anyone! We haven't been successful with finding new investigators. Our teaching pool just went down to 2 people. To top it all off, we were going to the Christmas Devotional at the church and found the elders rubbing it in that they had investigators taking up a 3rd of the congregation pews. I just went down hill last night.. had a little bit of a melt down and felt as though I was failing. I felt I wasn't doing good enough or that I wasn't working hard enough and that is why we haven't been blessed to be trusted with more of God's children. But was it really so? Am I sitting at home all day? No. Are we knocking on doors everywhere we go in between appointments? Yes. Are we TRYING? YES! These points were inspired by my companion to help me realize that we are not failing. We are trying and that is what counts. We are doing great things with less active memebrs right now. We are building trust and friendship, and excitment to COME BACK to church! We also received lists and lists of more people that need to see us. Part member families especially! So we've got lots of work to do! We also received a phone call from one of the elders wanting to appoligize for rubbing it in our face that they had so many investigators at the devotional. "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." Doctrine and Covenants 64:10

Dont worry though! No homesickness, no more saddness, just glad tidings of great joy! The church is true!

Love, Sister Keller