Back From the Dead!

Dear family,

Whew! Today was the first day since getting sick that I really felt "back to normal". What a relief! After almost 2 weeks of either lying in bed all day or severely adapted work schedules, it is great to get out and work!! Well, actually today is p-day so we went shopping!!! We just got a new investigator- she's a good friend of a member and called us for an appt. She is 22 and super awesome! She's a great investigator and is also a great friend. She came shopping with us and showed us all of the places to get the clothes we need to stay warm this winter. I used the generous gifts of money from my grandparents to buy a really cute hat and some warm scarves today. This California girl is FINALLY learning how to stay warm!! We won’t have any cold heads this season! I'm hoping it will help a lot- last winter I kept getting a cold, but I'm determined to avoid getting sick this season.

I sent your Christmas package today. It is full of fun Dutch Christmas things... actually, I think it’s completely food- hey, that’s Dutch for ya- but unfortunately, because of my sickness, it will probably be very late. Know that I was totally planning on having it on time :) This will probably be the last package that I send. It’s really expensive. But I really wanted everyone to get a taste of my mission experience!

We have seen amazing success considering our lack of work for 2 weeks. The Lord has blessed us with new investigators such as JoAnne, who called us to set up an appointment, or another referral from a member who wants to meet with us tomorrow and learn about the plan of salvation. It is so amazing to me that when we try our best, the Lord sends us success even in our weakest of moments.

I love you all and hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas season. It is such a wonderful time when we all get to think extra about the Savior and all that He has done for us. I loved President Monson's talk at the Christmas Devotional about helping others feel God's love through our kind acts of service and expressions of love. That is something that we can all do this season to show the others around us how much they are loved by their Heavenly Father. The sweetest moments on my mission have been moments where I have talked with someone and after our conversation thought "God sent me here to this moment to make sure I was here to help this person". That is a feeling we can each have in our regular lives if we are constantly willing to follow the Spirit. Each of us can become a tool in the master's hands as we go about our everyday activities- even more so in this season. I love the Lord and I am so glad that I can be here in the Netherlands serving Him this year.

Ik hou van jullie!

Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver