From the Mission Field
Finding Christmas on My Mission
I missed the Christmas celebrations from home. But then I realized that my mission was all about Christmas.
The Philippines is well-known for having the longest Christmas season in the world. We start as early as September and end in January. We love Christmastime. And so, when I left for my mission, I was excited to be able to celebrate Christmas in a foreign land—Ghana.
I entered the missionary training center in July 2017 and arrived in the mission field in August. But I was a little disappointed when September came and there were no Christmas lights, Christmas decorations, or Christmas songs—no one was even talking about Christmas yet. I missed home. I missed my family and the familiar things of where I came from. And I definitely missed Christmas. I wanted to go home.
The Joy of Christmas Is the Joy of Christ
This was still my mindset a few weeks later as my trainer and I headed to a member’s house to return the keys to the chapel after our district meeting. The member’s house was on the top of a hill, and that hill was in the middle of the city.
Now, I had only just learned how to bike. And let me tell you, if you don’t know how to change gears and you are biking up a hill, you’ll have a challenging ride. I felt like my legs were falling apart, my internal organs were bleeding, and my lungs were about to burst. But I pressed on. I kept pedaling until I reached the top of that hill.
There, at the top, I looked out over the city and saw the most beautiful Christmas lights I had ever seen in my entire life. I saw green, yellow, red, and white lights. I thought to myself, “It’s my area—that’s where my Christmas lights are.”
That experience taught me at least one thing: I had been looking for something I already had. My mission was my Christmas.
What is Christmas all about?
Is it about Christmas lights or decorations? Is it about the Christmas songs, the wonderful food, or the gifts you give and receive?
No, Christmas is all about Jesus Christ. And what did I have in those two years? A full-time calling to serve Jesus Christ.
I preached His restored gospel, testified of Him, invited others to come closer to Him, and tried to be a little better and to love as He did.
What a privilege and blessing!
I had a glorious two years full of Christmas.
Press On
I’ll miss Ghana and the good people there. And although my full-time missionary service is over, my discipleship continues.
I testify of the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the reality of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Those who honestly seek Him will come to know, as I know, the truth if they will only “come and see” (John 1:39) for themselves.
Things in life might not always be easy, but I promise that even if there are times when you feel like your legs are falling apart, your internal organs are bleeding, and your lungs are about to burst—whether literally or metaphorically—you’ll reach the top of the hill as you keep pressing on. You’ll see things with a new perspective.
As Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “I testify that in the eternities, as we look back upon our little span of existence here on this earth, we will lift our voices and rejoice that, in spite of the difficulties we encountered, we had the wisdom, the faith, and the courage to endure and press on.”1 And when you do press on despite the challenges or the setbacks, you’ll witness those “Christmas lights” that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have in store for you. Don’t give up. It’s worth the effort.