December 22nd Email

Hi

It has been another great week with lots to tell you all. Christmas is fast approaching. There are so many festivities going on that it is fun!!! I am still loving my area and my companion. We learn a lot from each other. I love her so much!
On Thursday we went to Christmas Zone Conference. It was wonderful. It went on all day but it was so good. We had missionaries from 3 stakes there. The stake presidents came and talked to us. One of them mentioned the scripture D&C 88:84. He said "I don't know how often we miss the angels." I know that there are angels all around us that we do not recognize. The same man told us that this life/mission is our change to be on the Lord's finest team.

Our stake president is actually from our ward, so I know him from church. He has a very strong testimony. He told us that our purpose was not to help people but to turn them to someone that could help them eternally.

The last stake president stake president said some really great things as well. The one I liked the best was "D&C:4 Not just a memory test but a way of living"
Sister Colton, the presidents wife, gave a great talk on the Touch of the Master's hand. She talked about the carpenter from Galilee and then gave all of us an ornament from the Holy Land. The ornament is made out of olive wood and is of the nativity! She also said "we are always changing, the test is to change for the better."

President Colton talked to us about reading the Book Of Mormon. The most touching part of his talk was the end. Every Christmas Eve he would play his harmonica for his children so that they would go to sleep. So once again for his children, his missionaries, he pulled out his harmonica and played for us Silent Night. I cried though the whole thing.

We then had the opportunity to bear our testimonies. I wanted to go up but there were so many missionaries that I couldn't get up. Here are some of the things that were said. One Elder talked about when people come home from war they are asked who they were fighting for? When we get home we want to be able to say we were fighting for the man next to us so that he might be able to return home to His Savior. Our Savior is also fighting for us because the worth of one soul is so great. Someone else said "To have a fullness of joy, we need to have a fullness of life." One elder recounted a story of seeing his brother come home from his mission. The first thing the brother did was say a prayer with his family. This elder was impressed that his brothers prayers had changed while on his mission. His brother said "my prayers haven't changed, I just realized who I was talking too."
An elder recited a poem about a mirror and then referred it to our own lives. We all have light in our lives. We need to be a mirror and reflect that light into dark places.

Another elder told us that he was a product of the BOM. I want the BOM to change my life and become the product of it as well.

The computer keeps kicking me off and I haven't know written this email three or four times. So I am going to hurry and pray that it doesn't do it again. Yesterday's church service was wonderful. I sang with the choir. They sang the Silent Night Cantata that my home ward has sung for years. Someone said in the meeting "Be someones Christmas gift by being Christlike." I really liked that.
We visited with a recent convert yesterday. She is having a lot of health problems. She said to us "Strength comes from experience." This is why we go through trials; so that we can have strength when the end of days come.

One of my dear friends in the North Port ward died yesterday night. She joined the church in June and soon there after was re diagnosed with breast cancer. This was her second time with the disease. She was a sweet dear lady and she will defiantly be missed. It is amazing to know that she had the gospel in her last months of life and this changed her whole outlook. She wasn't afraid to die because she knew the plan.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! Have a very merry Christmas. Let us all remember the true meaning of this Holiday Season!

Love
Sister Comte

P.S. We went to a boat parade this weekend. This is defiantly a Florida thing. People decorated their boats with lights and then go along the coast line with them. It was neat to see the palm trees, dolphins jumping over the boat, and Santa Shark. They don't have lights like these in Utah!