Elder and Sister Prater in Newport Beach, California Mission

  The last day of 2023, after attending our sacrament meeting, we attend visited the Young Single Adult Ward and shared our knowledge of family history during the second hour of church.  And where there are young adults, there always seem to be food. Our week started out on Christmas day which we spent with our children.  We enjoyed stealing white elephant gifts from each other, eating delicious food and Face timing with the family members who couldn't join us in person.  So much to be grateful for.  After everyone went home, we went back to missionary work and had some pretty busy days.  Our evening meal one night was at our favorite taco place. A couple that came out two weeks before us is going home next week.  They taught us pickleball and all things missionary:  they are our mentors and we just love them.   So we had celebrated them on Saturday with a tri-tip dinner at our apartment complex with two other senior couples.  ...

 It is such a pleasure to be serving a mission during the Christmas Season.  We seek to celebrate our Savior in higher holier ways.   We had so many uplifting activities this week as we prepared for Christmas.  Our Zone Conference this week was a bit different as we had some Christmas activities besides mission training.  Our mission president taught us about Joy and Jesus and during this Christmas Joy to the World is the same as Jesus to the World.  Our joy is full when we are obedient and spiritual obedience is doing God's will.  I have learned so much in the past year and have felt so much joy despite what may be going on around me because of my striving to do God's will and keeping my focus on Him.  We had some wonderful musical numbers during our Zone Conference and a lovely lunch. We love all our fellow missionaries- young and old! The same day as Zone Conference, Joe cooked 23 tri-tips for the Christmas Party held in our apartment buil...

  We started out our week by attending a devotional featuring Elder Stevenson for members age 18-30 years old.  This devotional was sponsored by San Marcos Institute and we learned that there was an increase of 57,000 students enrolled in institute.  Hearing this and knowing that there was an increase from 56,000 missionaries in the end of the year 2021 to more than 72,000 missionaries in 2023 gives us some much hope for our rising generation.   Elder Stevenson and his wife talked.  He told the story about meeting his wife at institute.  He also talked about having a relationship with Jesus Christ.  He showed the following pictures and talked about these different ways that we can become closer to Christ.  It was such a privilege to listen to an apostle of Jesus Christ and especially to hear bear his testimony of our living Savior.  On Monday we celebrated Elder Prater's Birthday.  We had an early dinner with two other Senior missio...

During our weekly mission wide zoom on Sunday nights, I love hearing the messages from our departing missionaries.  It seems like every missionary has that pivotal point in their mission when they turn to their Savior and experience that joy that comes from truly depending on him and doing his will.   One sister missionary told how she struggled at the beginning of her mission.  She had a calendar her family had given her with all eighteen months of her mission and she had been marking off each day.  As she came to her pivotal point in her mission instead of crossing off each day, she started writing down the miracles she had experienced that day. Even though things hadn't changed and became easier, she had changed and the mission became a joy to her.  I am trying to follow her example in writing down each day the miracles that come my way.  We have two wonderful sisters leaving to go home from our zone this transfer- Sister Reece and Sister Luker....