Çorbada Tuzlumuz Olsun
So, I made a promise that I would write one of these emails once a week and I realized this morning that I have not written since the beginning of this transfer. So...sorry for breaking that promise and I promise that I will no longer make promises that I cannot keep. It's been a really great transfer and I have been really lucky to have such great missionaries around me, especially my trainee Sister Clinch.
We had the special opportunity to travel to Ankara this past weekend and meet our friends and members faceto-face! It was my first time in Ankara and it was so special to see my area. We had a lot of spiritual experiences but one of the most special of them was putting two of our friends on date. They are the most prepared people I have ever met and I feel so lucky to be teaching them, even though it is more likely that they are teaching me. We also did not have service in Türkiye, which was super great. I think the fact that I am still alive is just another testament that God takes care of His missionaries. We ended up finding ways to get where needed to go without service, which is super cool. Anyway, I feel so lucky to have been able to visit Ankara and I am looking forward to our next trip!
My brother's Declan and Grant had their birthdays last week which was super special. It's crazy to see how much they have grown and I am so impressed at how much they have grown. I am so grateful that I get to be their sister and I am so excited to see Declan get the priesthood soon and to see Grant prepare for a year of college!
It's been fun seeing Germany during this Christmas Season! We have been to the Frankfurt Christmas Market and been able to see Germany occasionally change it's gray and rainy streets into a white blanket of crisp snow. We were able to make a snowbear a couple weeks ago! Anyway, it's been a beautiful Christmas season and I am so thankful to be reminded of the reason we celebrate this season, which is our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the greatest gift of all and I am so thankful for His example, love, and His sacrifice.
I was able to give a training a couple weeks ago in our District Council about Charity. This Christlike Attribute is such an interesting one to study and I found that as I studied it I was able to have more charity in my own life. I was thinking what I could do I order to have an activity to get everyone involved in the training and was reminded of some of my favorite Calder Family Christmas Traditions. Every December my Mom pulls out a bunch of stories and songs that we read and sing before we go to bed. She got the stories from her family and they each are centered on the Savior and bring such a special spirit into our home. One of my favorite stories is called "The Last Straw", which is about a family whose kids are struggling to get along. The mom has an idea to bring the Christmas spirit into their home by having them do service for each other in secret. For each secret act of service, they put a straw in a little crib, which is for the little baby Jesus for the Christmas season. It is a beautiful story, and I definitely did not do it justice so I recommend reading it. Anyway, in my family we actually do this tradition and I was able to still participate in the tradition this year with my district and I invited them to serve people in our district before Christmas (without straw or a crib, so just the service part).
I am reminded of all the family traditions we have in our home. My parents are so good are bringing the Christmas Spirit into our home and I am so thankful for that because I have been trying to do the same thing with my companion and roommates. I am glad to report it has been a really merry Christmas season.
Yesterday, we were able to gather together and have a sort of Christmas Zone Conference. Our Zone was combined with two others and it was so fun to do a gift exchange and to eat so much sugar and learn about the Savior. We sang a lot of hymns, some in German, some in Turkish, some in English. I am so thankful that we were able to do something like that together as a zone!
Anyway, this email is already getting long and I know that because I trying to cover multiple weeks but I want to share a quote really quick. It is from the Christmas Devotional from a talk by Tracy Y. Browning. She said, "God gives us the gift of remembrance so we do not forget the Giver, so that we come to feel His limitless love for us and learn to love Him in return. The ancient prophet Moroni exhorts us to remember that 'every good gift cometh of Christ.' Our Savior gives gifts not as the world offers—temporary, partial, and prone to erosion over time...And as we reflect over the length of a lifetime on big and small 'good gifts' that have come into our lives, can we see the hand of the Lord rescuing us, reinforcing us, and providing us with relief? While at times our minds and hearts may wander and wane from Him, His constancy assures us that the Lord does not forget us—at Christmas or any other time. The Lord has proclaimed that we are engraved on the palms of His hands. His promises are always kept." I love my Savior and I know that He has constantly been with me as I have stumbled through this life. I know he has also been with me to help me when I have fallen, and will forever be grateful for that. I know that He loves each of us enough to suffer for us individually, and that he did this with joy knowing that we would able to return to Him and our Heavenly Parents. I would invite each of you to remember Him, through act of service and love and also striving to follow His example. I promise that as you do this, the joy in your life will increase and your capability to show love will increase.
I love you all and I am so thankful for your Christmas cards and emails! I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas from Germany (and sometimes Türkiye)!
Sincerely,
Sister Peyton Calder
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