Merry Merry Merry

Merry Christmas Season!
I wish all of you could come feel the Christmas joy that is in the Visitors' Center. This week we had a total of about 8 hours in our area. The rest of the time we are at the VC & various missionary meetings and trainings. So this short time we have in San Leandro really helps us to treasure the time we DO have. It's sacred time! It requires us to prayerfully prioritize who we need to teach, because we can only teach a few lessons! But, what is so beautiful about this is watching Heavenly Father's hand in all of it. If we had all of our investigators progressing, we wouldn't be able to keep up with them!! So Heavenly Father, working in mysterious ways to complete His plan for each of His children, let
Roslyn break her foot
Lucia get sick
Paradize be forbidden to get baptized
Sarada's financial needs be taken care of and
None of our potential investigators answer the phones because we wouldn't be able to keep up with all of these people if they were all progressing and doing well (that sounds so mean). So He was like, "PAUSE!" (for December) Then in January, we will pick up right where we left off: Rosyln, Lucia, and Paradize's baptisms. And TONS of new investigators :) God works in mysterious ways, but He has a plan for each of His children!
General Authority, Elder Larry. R. Lawrence, coming to visit us this Friday and I have to, I mean get to, say the opening prayer at his devotional..AAHH!
The Visitors' Center is busy, busy, busy and full, full, full!! It is so happy. Everything and everyone is happy, especially me. We have different stations and my FAVORITE two stations are (1) the front because I get to greet everyone!! I love it. I love introducing myself and finding more about them and asking questions and bearing my testimony that they will feel the Spirit here and OF COURSE wishing them a Merry Christmas and (2) presenting the Christmas video "A Savior Is Born"christmas.mormon.org and watching people cry and feel the Spirit and testifying of Jesus Christ with a HUGE smile on my face that makes them smile back :) I love it. I love everything about it. I am so happy. Christmas time is so happy!! Sometimes I think people outside the Visitors' Center come inside because its GLOWING its so happy and full of the Spirit.
There are so many people coming that we actually had to recruit some of the elders to be Visitors' Center Elders.. It's hilarious and so cute how excited they get about it. Although its not stereotypical door-knocking people think of when they think of missionary work, it is beautiful missionary work that is changing lives, especially this Christmas Season. I am so happy. I love every second of it.
While studying the New Testament, I have been AMAZED at the amount of times it says that the Savior was overcome with compassion on the people! In Matthew 14, John was beheaded, so the disciples ran to tell Jesus. Jesus went to a quiet place to be alone, to mourn for the loss of His cousin, but when He saw the multitude had followed Him,

"He was moved with compassion toward them and He healed their sick."

He wanted to be alone and was probably really sad about John, probably missed him. MULTITUDES of people followed Him (I would be SO annoyed) and He was moved with COMPASSION toward them, and not only that, He HEALED them. He didn't complain and think about Himself and whine and try to be alone. He forgot Himself in this time of suffering and healed OTHERS. In Luke 22, Jesus had just finished performing the Atonement, suffering for every sin, sorrow, heartache, loss, and trial every single human had ever faced and would ever face. He walked out of the garden to His disciples and Judas brought the Roman Soldiers to take Him be crucified. Peter cuts off one of the soliders ears and what does the Savior do? HE HEALS HIM. He heals the ear of the man who is about to crucify Him. He heals the ear of a man who HATES Him. He heals the ear of a man He just suffered in the Garden for. He didn't complain and say, "Well you better be grateful I just suffered for your sins" or "I'm tired. Can we not do this right now?" No. He forgets Himself, after performing the most beautiful, powerful act & manifestation of His love, His PURE love for His children, and heals His enemy. I am so grateful for the Savior and His perfect example of compassion. I am grateful for the compassion He has on me. I am grateful for the compassion I can have on other people through the Atonement. I know this love I have for these people is not my love, it's not possible, but through Jesus Christ it is.
May we all strive to have more compassion, especially this Christmas season. Let us follow Jesus Christ's example. Let us celebrate HIM! I love Him. I love Christmas! I love being a missionary and accepting the challenge every single morning to try to align my life and will with His. Its the greatest, but most rewarding challenge there is in this life! He is the reason it's even possible to conquer this challenge. We can't do it without Him. I've tried and believe me, it's no fun. It's so much easier and happier to follow Him. How happy are we when we realize our lives a little bit more in line with His!!
Bask in the Christmas spirit, we only have 18 more days of it!!! But who's counting?
XOXO
Sister Brinton