Merry Christmas!

So I am just writing a quick weekly

Alpine is so much fun we have had the privilege and opportunity to teach a lesson every day this last week it has been a real blessing. But here in Alpine a large portion of our work is working with returning members which is equally as gratifying. I love Christmas because it really has a special spirit to it. People are way more willing to talk on the street. But I don't think it is a coincidence that when we ask people "what are you most excited for about Christmas?'' they almost always say "being with my family"

It is because the family is ordained of God and though families are not perfect and vary in circumstances they are an eternal blessing and the family brings more joy to people than any other temporal pleasure. 

Doctrine and Covenants 130:2

"and that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, Which glory we do not now enjoy."

Being away from home this Christmas has really showed what brings me the most joy...presents the big the the better.

NO on a serious note it has really made me appreciate the importance of family I hope that you never take for granted the blessings that you have. 

Being in San Diego has really burst my small town boy bubble. Especially since San Diego has so many homeless people and right next them is a 5 million dollar beach house. We are also teaching a man that lives about an hour away in the middle of nowhere and to boot he is almost completely blind he can just see shapes and shadows. But it really makes me think about how truly grateful I am to have my eyesight and it is really humbling to see the diligence of people to follow God's commandments. Such as tithing, especially when it is the holidays and you are a young married couple with a new born kid and you are on cents left in your bank account and you have 2 more weeks until pay day. It is my hope and my prayer that you and I will strive to give as He gave serve as He did so that when the day comes we will be confident in God's presence. 

Merry Christmas 

Love Elder Palmer. 

P.S i would send pictures of the blue skies and sunshine but it is raining. 

Transferred to Alpine

Hey I have been transferred to Alpine! It is a small town out in the middle of nowhere...basically it is between El Centro and San Diego.  It is the largest English area in the mission. So pretty much I am serving in Raymond. 

I was sad to leave Del Sur but it was getting pretty tough being stuck in the apartment. 

  So this new area is very large and it is so big that we actually have to go camping because we go so far out. By camping I mean we go stay with some members way out.

   My new companion is Elder Grenier he is from Maryland and has been out for 18 months. He is a solid Elder and we are going to have a lot of fun together...because we have been banished from the mission. The area does have its challenges though it has no sidewalks so street contacting doesn't exist and everyone lives so far apart that you can't tract so...it will be interesting. 

But earlier this week I got to go on exchanges with the zone leaders and I got to go with Elder Matthews (the former AP) and he is my grandpa. But holy I learned so much and the one day we worked my area we got so much done! We visited so many people and all but one was home so we talked to so many people and shared the light the world videos. 

 I also go to go on exchanges with the district leaders and we went to a place called "Christmas card lane" and we walked around giving out light the world cards all evening which was so much fun. But you would be surprised at the amount of people that still reject a Christmas card on "Christmas card lane" and they use a pretty lame excuse " I'm busy"   like it takes more time to say you're busy then to take the card haha.

So as I was reading this last week I came across this scripture 

Matt 5:19

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

It really made me think how we have to live what we what we learn and teach. Because the only way that we really come to know of the truth is to apply it to our lives and live it.

So I will be calling you next Tuesday um probably around dinner time but I will get to you with specifics. Is there a time that works for you best. 

Love Elder Palmer 

P.s. some body was shot in our apartment complex last transfer just thought I would tell ya for fun. 

God doesn't expect perfection

So this last week was pretty slow once again because we can't get out of the apartment very often and when we do it is for a dinner appointment. But having said that these last few weeks have really allowed me to study A lot! like 4-5 hours a day which I take as a huge blessing because I have been learning so much. It has really made me develop a love for the scriptures. And the more i read them the more complicated and intricate they become.

So since I don't get out much I figured I would tell you my daily schedule 

6:30 wake up and work out

7:00 eat

7:30 shower and get dressed

8:30 study 

9:30study

10:30study

11:30study

12:00 lunch

1:00 study

2:00 stare out the window like I'm in some music video

3:00 play chess

4:00 ponder the true meaning of Christmas

5:00 dinner with with Elder Magner (and I can't cancel that again)

6:00 think about the kolob theorem 

7:00 brush my teeth

8:00 PJ time

9:00 do a puzzle

10:00 think about the purpose of life until i fall asleep

transfers are next week just thought i would remind you. also I don't want to leave because I want to be here for Christmas since I have come to love this area. 

one of my favorite scriptures is in Matt 25

23 His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

I love this scripture because God doesn't expect perfection (yet) but He does expect us to be Faithful throughout our lives and though we aren't perfect God understands. So He promises that if we do our best and are faithful over a few things we will be made rulers of many things.

Love Elder Palmer

Turn any conversation

This week was pretty uneventful as I predicted, because I have spent the majority of my time in out apartment...Elder Magner's leg still hurts too much to go out much and when we do it is just for a dinner appointment and maybe we visit one other person then we head home. so not much is happening here which is to be expected when you aren't out and about 

"the Lord does not bless those who do not hustle and move!" J. Golden Kimball

But we went to the Doctor and he said that Elder Magner needed some pain killers/pills. And they seem to be helping very very slowly. He basically had some inflammation that was pressing against a nerve. but it is getting better slowly but even when it heals we will still have to take it easy because he can't reaggravate it. So I think i am going to be in the apartment for the rest of the transfer sadly, but I have some exchanges with some other Elders this coming week so I be able to get out. 

Actually kinda a funny/cool story that happened I was in a gas station and was going through some withdraws of not talking to people on the street so I was kinda down but as I was talking to the clerk about how they had these massive chocolate bars that were a yard long and Reese peanut butter cups that weighed a pound each, I some how swayed the conversation from a yard of chocolate to the gospel and I honestly have no idea how it happened. It just goes to show that you can turn any conversation into a gospel conversation.  

We also had zone conference on Monday but we had like 3 zones so it was pretty big and it was awesome. One thing that really stuck out to me was from a departing missionary's testimony he talked about the missionary chapters in the Book of Mormon and how only a missionary could have written them because they are so relatable and any current or former missionary can testify of that. Joseph Smith also knew nothing about missionary work so to think he "wrote" those stories is pretty funny from my perspective.

I honestly am so excited for Christmas and Light the World! There are so many great ways that you can light the world and help make it a better place. ...so you should that!

Just remember the good news! 

it is in a song on the piano with 8 notes

Starting at the top of the C scale and going down.

1...2...34...5.6...7...8  (hopefully you can figure it out)

Love Elder Palmer