Elder Tanner Rogers: A Christmas Miracle!!!🎄🎁 (week old sorry)

Well, first of all, I'd like to apologize for not wishing anyone merry Christmas last week.... but, because I'm in Germany for Christmas and they celebrate Christmas the 24th, 25th, and 26th, I can still wish you guys Merry Christmas!! So merry freaking Christmas!!! Sorry if you're in a place that doesn't celebrate it today, but that doesn't mean you can't celebrate it still!!
Haha anyways, this week was so awesome!! I felt like I was waiting so long for the Skype call home, and it went soooo fast! This was definitely the fastest Christmas of my life, and I think it's because so much happened this year. But I'm so grateful for the blessings I have been given! Especially for the blessing of eternal life with my family! I will forever be in debt to Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I am insanely grateful for His birth and the perfect example He set while he was on the Earth. I love Him and am so honored to be one of his many representatives.
But yeah about the week, I think the week of Christmas is always one of the best weeks of the year, especially if Christmas in on the weekend. This weekend was way cool!!! I will admit, Christmas is definitely not the same on the mission. It sounds really depressing, but it was actually really cool to be at a families Christmas party on Christmas Eve and to be able to see how happy they are. It made me see the true spirit of Christmas. It was almost like I was just a fly on the wall just watching a family enjoy laughing, giving, and showing their love for each other. It was honestly amazing and I'm so grateful to have been able to go over to their house to be a part of their Christmas!
So yesterday on Christmas Day, it was honestly a Christmas miracle!! Just some background, to get around the city here, if you don't have a car, you have to take the bus or the street trams. During the week they come pretty often so getting places isn't too bad, depending on the time of day. On the weekends it's a lot harder. Instead of coming every 10 minutes like in the middle of the week, they come every 30 minutes. So if you miss it you're there for a while. Well yesterday since it was a Sunday and Christmas Day, the first tram didn't come until 10:00 in the morning. And our church meeting started at 10:30. Elder Moon and i weren't too worried. We caught the train at 10 and headed up to the church. We were worried a little bit about our investigator Michael! He lives a little further from the church and we had no idea when he needed to catch a tram. We doubted that he wouldn't be there but we had a little bit of hope. Well the meeting started and no Michael. We were bummed, but about 15 minutes into the meeting he walked in!! Hahaha he came in and sat down and said, "hello my brotha!" Haha he didn't yell it, but it was definitely loud enough for the whole ward to hear it. We were so happy he was there. He is progressing soooo well and he is excited for his baptism in just 2
weeks!!! We are so happy for him and the faith that he has. He also told us this Saturday he was going to make us some fufu, so we are pumped outta our minds!!
Anyways, I'd like to bear my testimony on families. I absolutely love my family with all of my heart, I know they will always be there for me and I will always be there for each one of them. Whether we are going through a rough time or happy together about something. I am forever grateful for the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ so that we are all able to be with our families for eternal life. Not seeing my family for 8 months was way tough, but I can only imagine what it would be like if I never saw them in the eternities. I testify to you that I know we can have eternal life with our families and loved ones, our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave His perfect Son for us so that would be possible. He wants us to achieve it and His Son has made that possible. I know this church is true and I am so happy to have been born in it and to be able to tell other people about it. I hope everyone knows how much our Heavenly Father loves us and that you always turn to Him in prayer!! I hope everyone was one fetchin sweet week and doesn't party too hard for the new year!!
Elder Rogers