A Christmas Letter

ShengDan KuaiLe, Everyone!

Merry Christmas to you all! This is the best time of the year! In addition to being apart of all the hustle and bustle, we have had a week full of miracles!

Tracting has continued as usual, but this week has helped us to yield some great concrete results. We tracted into a young man named Gilbert last week, as he said we could return to teach him a little more. We did so Saturday morning, and managed to share with him a little more about God as our Heavenly Father. We also left him with a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he seemed pretty intrigued by the idea of developing a personal relationship with God through prayer. He is a YSA, so will be passed to the English Elders should he become a new investigator, but Elder McKean and I both loved the fact that we got to teach a little.

The real miracle comes from one of the referrals we received a few weeks ago! Kai Wang visited the Salt Lake City Visitors Center a few weeks ago, and gave the sister missionaries there his contact information. Due to finals and being busy as a college student, he was unable to meet with us recently.Friday night, we invited him to our Branch Christmas Party in a hop e to get to know him a little in a fun environment. He CAME! Our members talked to him throughout the night, and loved being with him. We learned a little more about his recent graduation as a Hospitality Management Major, and his love of video games and sports. Having some other missionaries there to fellowship him really helped as well. Anyway, the miracle of it all is that while there, we managed to teach him a little basic doctrine, and were able to solidify a return appointment upon his return from travelling a few weeks from now! We FINALLY have a new investigator, and both Elder McKean and I are thrilled. It was a true blessing to meet Kai, and we are really looking forward to teaching him. 

I've also had some great studies this week. I've been in the chapters of Alma where Alma is sharing his departing counsel to his three sons. I loved Alma 37:38-47, encouraging all of us to "look unto God and live!" What a miraculous promise! I also found a lot of insight into the missionary purpose by reading Alma 39:16: we are to help God's children to receive the word He has to offer them by the time of His Secomd Coming. We prepare their hearts, and that is all we can do. I hope to continue to try hard to prepare people's hearts. 

Christmas has been fun! We've had countless events and dinners aside from the Branch Christmas Party, which has helped to make this a very memorable Christmas for me. We had a District Gift Exschange, and everyone likes to capitalize on the fact that my last name is "Butters..." I got three tubs of Body Butter from Elder Smith...clever. We also had a great traditional missionary Christmas Zone Conference at the temple. Elder McKean and I have been having a blast in our apartment lately, talking adn shoting each other with NERF guns (He's shot me about six times in the face and head today already...the welts I got were fun!) This year is a very different Christmas to the one I experienced last year in the MTC. I am SO grateful that I get to spend my second and final Christmas as a missionary in San Francisco. I love this city! I love teaching people about my Savior and His Life and Birth! He LIVES!!!

I love you all! Thanks to all of those who remembered me all throughout the holiday season. We have so much sugar and warm clothes in our home, its great! I hope not to gain weight over the next few days.....

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Wo Ai NiMen!

Elder Butters/Bao ZhangLao