The Glow Within

As Christmas Eve drew nearer, my missionary companion and I seemed in a world apart. I was not looking forward to Christmas. I was afraid that I would be homesick—my family was so far away.

Around us, busy people thronged the streets, buying gifts and greeting friends. Each home we approached, no matter how humble, opened to festive music, shining lights, and the scent of pine. Ward members welcomed students home for the holidays and packed boxes to send away.

Our rooms, however, were cool and quiet. We had no cards to send and only a few simple gifts to wrap. Our Christmas music consisted of a few familiar hymns sung or hummed as we walked home each night. And as families everywhere gathered together, my companion and I had only each other and the gospel to cheer us.

And yet, on Christmas morning, I discovered I was neither alone nor lonely. As we sat in a very poor home and taught a man about eternal progression, the glow within me was much brighter than any decoration. My heart was filled as the Spirit bore witness to me that the greatest Christmas gift was Christ and the opportunity to become like him. His birth and life had never meant as much to me as they did on that snowy Christmas day. Margaret A. Scoresby, Fargo, North Dakota