Called to Serve : With Christmas just around the corner, what a wonderful time especially to be a follower of Christ

Welp, another crazy week in the blessed land of Ilford-Stan! Like really though, my life is crazy. In the past 10 days I have had MLC, Zone meeting, London P-day, and 4 exchanges, 3 of which I was the one leaving the area.... Yeah that doesn't leave too much time in my own area so it has been a challenge to get to know the ward and area and those we are teaching..., which is a little annoying but it will come with time! All is well in Israel:)

Last Monday we went to London for P-day and boy was that exciting! I felt like a real Londoner traveling on the tubes everywhere all day and basically running through London! It was great! We went with Elder Jensen and Elder Hessen from California and also Elder Wright and Elder Coon tagged along for a bit! We went to Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's cathedral which was crazy, Big Ben again but the pictures suck because it was dark, and then a bridge over the river Thames where you could see the Shard and London Bridge and lots of other cool stuff! It was so much fun:) yes you should all be jealous right now.

Yes, so as said, I went on two exchanges this week! One to the wonderful town of Chelmsford with Sister Andersen who went to Bingham high school. That was good:) I learned from her how to always be happy and smiling! She is fantastic:)

The second exchange I went on was................. GILLINGHAM!!!! WITH MY DAUGHTER SISTER HAYNIE!!! Ahh so yes that was the craziest 24 hours of my life. It was total de ja vu being there with Sister Haynie... My first companion in Gillingham.... I never thought I would be going back to Gillingham again and I definitely never thought I would be there with Sister Haynie! Seriously what are the chances of that. Pulling into the Sittingbourne train station felt really weird. I felt like I had just taken a 3 week holiday (vacation) in Ilford and was coming home. Ha! But I really loved the exchange though:) Sister Haynie is doing really well and has come so far since I was with her!

So proud of my baby girl!!! Elder Haysman and Elder Ramsay are still in Canterbury zone so that was really fun being able to talk to them again also!

We had a ward Christmas party on Saturday night and that was fun to get to know the ward better!

Bishop Onoalapo! He is great:)

Being in a very multi cultural ward sure is nothing short of an adventure. I think I will like it here:) It is weird being here for Christmas though... Definitely a very different feel than Christmas at home..... Not gonna lie. Lack of snow, lack of Christmas lights, it's just very different! There are Christmas lights around on houses but not as many! I am excited though for this special season and to be a missionary!

Buckingham Palace

If I could tell you one thing that I have learned over the past few weeks, well am working on, is how to completely forget myself and go to work. We have so much to be thinking about all the time and are constantly making calls to everyone and their dog, that we don't get much time at all for ourself. Like really, not any time except for in the morning. Like I said, my life is crazy! But I am really glad it is this way because I am excited to learn what it really means to completely forget myself and give everything I have to the Lord. Sister Fenu seems to already have mastered that and I am trying to catch up to her level! She is amazing!

With Christmas just around the corner, what a wonderful time especially to be a follower of Christ. Someone said something that struck me this week...... She said that at Christmas time nowadays we

celebrate a birthday for someone who isn't even invited anymore.

So my question for all of you is this... Have you invited Christ into your heart????