Merry Christmas everyone! I love you all! It has only been a couple of days since my last email home but wow a LOT has happened! We started visitors center training on Wednesday. SO cool. (All my VC training has been awesome. I have been going around all week saying that everything "rocks") :) I feel very blessed to be one of the 600 missionaries worldwide who work in the Lord's visitors centers. It is such a great experience to touch the hearts of so many. As part of our training, we went up to Temple Square last night to do splits. It was awesome! I spent most of my time at the foot of the Christus ramp in the North VC, talking to people about Christ while the recording was playing upstairs. What a great experience!
Part of our training also included working in the referral center a couple of days ago. Basically as VC missionaries we have some time to open an online chat room between a companionship and a person who wants to chat through mormon.org. Sister Brown and I spent maybe half and hour chatting with a woman named Kathie. She wants to join the church with her two sons! We got her hooked up with a local chapel and some missionaries to teach her. The best part is that I still get to work with her, even though she has now been referred to the local missionaries in Florida. I am contacting her again next week to set up a time to talk about the Atonement, at her request. It is amazing to me how many people there really are who are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." The gospel provides so much hope! I love it. :) It is really great how quickly the Church is jumping on board with technology. Kathie is now in my online area book. It is looking like in the not-too-distant future, missionaries are going to go paperless! I will continue to have a hard copy area book for people I contact in NY, but referrals and online contacts get put in online now. Super cool. Even with chatting, there were technologies being used by the Church that I have never seen before! It's amazing what we can do.
Quick Christmas thought. We had L. Whitney Clayton (in a 70 Presidency) and his wife come talk to us for our Tuesday devotional this week. One of the things he talked about really hit me. You may remember that last week, Kenny talked about how missionaries today are like the angel in Luke 2, testifying of Christ and inviting others to come and see. (You can keep up with Kenny's mission experiences on elderschank.blogspot.com) I love that the angel told the shepherds "unto YOU is born this day a Savior." When I read "you" in the scriptures, I often like to substitute my name. Christ was born to be MY Savior. He was born to save President Monson, and Sister Cox, and the woman on the square who told me that Joseph Smith was a con man last night, and every investigator I will ever meet. And you. He knows us and sacrificed for us on a very personal level. I love MY Savior. At this Christmastime, I hope that each of us are coming to know and be more like our Savior. We can do this as we develop charity, the pure love of Christ. I have especially loved 1 Jn 3:1-3 this week, which talks a little bit about becoming like the Savior through His love.
Well, my time is up today. Next time I'll be sending from New York! I love you all! Merry Christmas. <3
Sister Schank
Alma 7:7,10
