Hello all,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

This past week has been great!

Monday the 23 we had a zone conference with missionaries from Kielce, Krakow, Katowice and Wroclaw. President Edgren and the APs talked about some new focuses and gave training. We had lunch, a white elephant gift exchange, and watched the Christmas Devotional. It's always fun to get together  as a group of missionaries but this time especailly was strenghtening because it was Christ centered, the Spirit was so strong. 

The next day was Christmas Eve, sadly Sister Bown and I got really sick so we couldn't do much (all the missionaries in our district eventually caught the bug this week but we are all better now.) On Christmas most of us were feeling decent at least so we got together and made breakfast. We then watched LDS Bible videos and I'm a Mormon videos. Next we went to the Lloyds where we ate and played games. It was a lot of fun and laughs, it was nice to be in a group on Christmas. Tamara, the recent convert who was baptized a couple of weeks ago, joined the fesitivities the 24th and 25th. She is incredible. Her testimony is progressing and she is solid. Her family in Azerbaijan is opening up more and more as well. They now say that in a year they will support Tamara if she would like to serve a mission (yes she already wants to serve a mission!) They say they have seen a positive change in Tamara since she's met the church. Tamara says that as she has prayed her family has also become more open and accepting. Heavenly Father blesses us all specifically and intimately. His love is personal and present in our lives. 

I was lucky enough to end the day with a phone call home. Us missionaries all were able to talk and sing Polish carols to our families. I love my family. Families are such a vital gift from God and I am grateful for my own. Missions are helpful to reallign priorities and remind us of the importances in life. I know that families can and are supposed to be together forever. I feel so blessed to have the loving examples I do in my family.

I would like to focus today on an answer to a prayer I recieved this past week. At the end of the zone conference President Edgren invited all of the senior companions to share a short scripture and testimony about Christ. They were all heart felt and I love learning how others view Christ and to see the relationships they have built with Him. Sister Bown's words in particular brought peace to me. (she's in Wroclaw with me - our district is the best, I am so blessed to have them) Sister Bown talked about how she has never felt so effective as she does on her mission. She said that as we center our lives on Christ we will feel fulfilled. I often stress about how to sustain and remember all that I've learned and changed. I worry to know whether I am doing enough or how I need to improve. The simple answer is that as we focus our lives on the Savior we will be fulfilled. Through Christ comes peace, happiness, and light. I know that as we learn of Christ and build a relationship with him we will find answers. We will be happy. We will recieve everything that we need and even things that we want. We are fulfilled in Christ. As a missionary we don't get all the usual traditions of Christmas but what we do get is a clear focus of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. I recently was studying the titles of Christ, there are too many to mention but they show his role to us. Christ is there is uplift us, to help us, perfect us, and to love us. I love Jesus Christ and I promise that anyone who sincerely seeks to know him will find more joy and fulfillment than by any other means. 

I love you all and wish you a very Happy New Year

Starszy Kimball