MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Elders I am serving with, we all stay in the same apartment.

Dear Family,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was amazing, much better than I expected. I can definitely say that the Lord has blessed me and the missionaries here in India and we are grateful. I just got done speaking to my family and reading all the letters and seeing the videos and pictures from you back home. Thank you for your prayers and your love, I feel it every day of my mission. I hope your families are well and that there is lots of snow. Everything here in India is going well and I don't have much time to write so today's letter will probably be a little shorter. 

I hope that you all got as good of gifts as I received from the Elders serving with me. I got funny clothes and pictures and candy and a lot of laughs. I also had packages sent from home that were amazing to get. And when we were sitting around talking about our favorite Christmas gifts I just thought of so many Christmases in the past that were just awesome. 

The one that stuck into my mind the most was I remember when I was like 7 or 8. And I can remember that on that Christmas Eve night I could not sleep to save my life. I woke up like 20 times and finally I just gave up and sat at the top of my stairs looking at the presents under the tree. There were so many of them and it was all lit up and I was so excited. I wanted to open the gifts so bad, but it was still like 5 in the morning and my dad would have killed me if I would have woken him up. So I just sat there waiting for the next two hours to open up the gifts. And I can now see since being in India that I was a very privileged kid, and I had many blessings that I didn't know I had. But even to kids in India who don't get any gifts or even to kids in America, there are so many gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us. So many blessings are there for us just like they were there under my tree. Heavenly Father has given us gifts that Santa Claus could never have his elves make in any toy shop. All of us have gifts and in Doctrine Covenants 46:11 it says:  

"For all  have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God." 

We all have gifts, we are all good at something.  We all have something to offer those around us.  Some can sing, some give good advice, some can cook, some are good listeners.  But as gifts are intended to bring joy and happiness to the lives of others, and bring them closer to Christ, you can change people's lives by looking to share your gifts and talents with those around you.  I hope you appreciate your gifts, both spiritual and temporal.  I promise other people need you and you need other people.  If we all keep trying to light the world I know that the gifts we have received will help us accomplish those goals to help others come unto Christ.  

I hope you all had a wonderful, white, Christmas.  I love you!

Love Elder Armstrong 

Me and Elder Openshaw displaying some of our $1.50 Christmas gifts
and white elephant gifts the Elders in our apartment gave to each other.

Poverty in India:  Be grateful for your home

Street in India