Merry Christmas!

Before I write anything else, let me wish each you a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2015! We love you and think of you often even though we have very little contact with most of you these days.

It was a crazy, busy, Christmas-prep week. We had 8 new missionaries arrive on Monday, which meant Elder driving the transfer van and trailer to the airport to pick up luggage and then to the train station to pick up bright-eyed missionaries after their train ride from the airport to downtown, seeing a few sights of the city and a train ride out of the city toward the mission home. The Abbotts did their training on Monday night because the new arrivals are pretty beat that first night. And since their training doesn't involve that is life or death physically and spiritually, we changed the order of the training.

So Tuesday morning, the Taggarts were at the church building bright and early to be prepared to pack 1 1/2 hours with training on referrals, baptisms, supplies, name tags, mail, packages, car safety, iPad set-up, policies/procedures, cell phones and just a good old pep talk before they head to their areas. We hurry back to the office to make sure that lunch, packages and mail plus a warm welcome await them as they stop by the office.

Tuesday night, we leave the office and head straight to the mission home to enjoy dinner and a testimony meeting with the 11 missionaries who would be returning home. That is always a wonderful evening but it is also difficult to say farewell to missionaries we have grown to love and whom we have served our whole mission with. They are like grandkids and we know we will miss them so, just like we miss our grandchildren we left behind.

Wednesday we make sure that all of the sub for Santa boxes (49) are sealed, labeled and ready for delivery. The Taggarts and Abbotts worked very well together to make sure all of this happened. That night we went to dinner with the Abbotts, Gripmanns and 4 Elders. The Chinese food was wonderful and the conversation enjoyable.

Every day packages and mailed arrived for missionaries from family and friends. I sorted the packages and typed labels for the mail most of the week so that Claudia could work on other pressing responsibilities. We had almost 250 packages arrive and close to 400 letters and cards. I must say, my typing skills have been sharpened. In between, I replaced a few iPads, prepared others to be used again, handled 4 more accident claims, replaced 3 cell phones and sold a car.

On Thursday and Friday, Elder Abbott and I held the office down while our wives helped prepare and serve lunch for 4 zones who were having the special Christmas lunch, meeting and trip to the temple.

Thursday afternoon I started to feel a bit under the weather. Since then, I have been fighting the grundge that has been going around; fever, chills, sinus issues and coughing. I. Laughed so hard Thursday night, my back and ribs just hurt on Friday. But DayQuil and NyQuil have come to the rescue. And today, I was able to sing with the ward choir for the Christmas program.

We look forward this week to being able to talk or Skype with kids and their families. The Eakins family will also arrive for a 5 day visit on Christmas Day. We do realize that we are greatly blessed in so many ways and count among those blessings our friendship with each of you. We are blessed with family, both immediate and extended, with the richness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with our love and companionship and the privilege of being here.

We live in a world of chaos and many challenges. But amid all of that there is hope because of Him whose birth we celebrate this week. The message to this song we sung is calming in a troubled world. The name of the song is "All is Well", written by Michael W Smith and Wayne Kirkpatrick and arranged by John Leavitt.

All is well, all is well, Angels and men rejoice.
For tonight darkness fell into the dawn of Love's light.
Sing al-le, sing alleluia.
All is well, all is well. Let there be peace on earth.
Christ is come, go and tell, that He is in the manger.
Sing alleluia.
All is well, all is well. Lift up your voice and sing,
Born is now Emmanuel, born is our Lord and Savior.
Sing alleluia, all is well.

Challenges and struggles come into every life, heartache and sorry too. But "because of Him" there is light in a world filled with darkness; there is hope in a world of despair. "He is The Gift"! As we strive to know Him, we desire to serve others. As we serve others, we grow to know Him. Because we know Him, we love others and desire to be more like him and to help others to know Him through who we are becoming. May your hearts and homes be filled with the spirit of Christ this Christmas. I know that He lives and loves each one of us. He is the way to joy and happiness in this life and in the next to come.



Elder Taggart