I sent something really special to you in the mail!

 12/21/09

Hey thanks for all of the great words guys i sent something really special in the mail today i hope you guys like it its not that exciting but its from the heart and i hope you like it. You might not get it in time for Christmas but pretend you did. I sent My SD card with the letter so you can get to see some of the pictures and stuff that have 

been going on. So I don't want to spoil a whole lot this week for you guys soi won't say anything more about that. 

So Christams is allready here this week we have 4 devotionals this week. we were able to listen to the head of the missionary department yesterday and he was an amazing speaker. And then its been rumored that we are going to get to hear from a general authority on Chritmas eve or Christmas Day. 

Last Sunday for a devotional i dont know if i told you this allready but we were able to listen to the BYU mens chorus sing. That is always such an awesome concert and hopefully they are going to sing again. Oh the hutchisons sent me a christmas package in the mail and i got that on satuday. 

Hannah said that she thought it was really cute and sis hutchison hinted at the same ... so now im a little hesitant to open it. Because knowing sis hutchison its something hilarious. 

Anyway but thats all thats been going on this week. We are trying to speak spanish almost all of the time now because we are more than half way through now (its kind of hard to imagine). But it' II help everyone out alot. And then from now on all of our lessons will be taught in spanish now so that will really help our confidence. As for me though i am ready to go NOW!  We've just been getting a taste of the experience here and its amazing. In just teaching mock investigators-for example we have this investigator named JUAN who is actually a teacher on our floor -but even so we can really feel the saviors love for that person because when we are teaching the investigator we are still able to feel that same spirit, and its addictivel I can't even imagine how its going to feel when i get out there. 

I got a email from the stake presidency and they shared a really good message that we can really apply to this Christmas time: 

In Numbers 11, Israel is being prepared for its final journey into the Promised Land. As was often the case, the majority of the Israelites were murmuring and complaining to Moses. In these particular verses they were reminiscing about the good-ol' days in Egypt. 

4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a alusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 

5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: They are longing for the food, of all things. The melons, the leeks, the pizza, mom's pie and the wonderful things left behind. So engaged in this reminiscing, they were distracted from what was really important, from what was really happening... miracles.

6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. 

Oh, the great times they had, but now, nothing "beside this manna", besides the divine gifts of God, the blessings, the miracles. How often we fail to recognize the "manna" in our own lives ... or at least from where it came. 

I think that can really apply to all of us not just the missionaries that are out on our missions right now. As we celebrate this Christmas we dont need to worry about the gifts or anything like that lets focus on the miracles in our lives Especially the birth and atonement of Jesus Christ. But i know that you will all have an especially wonderful Christmas! Don't worry about me like i said last week the only thing i need for Christmas is to know that you are having a good one celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. 

I love you all so much and i hope to here how it all went this week. Look forward to my letter and if it doesnt get there on Christmas its the thought that counts right? 

Love, 

Elder Bever