Week 86

What stood out to me this year at Christmas is how relevant the Christmas message is year-round. With most of the pageantry and usual festive trappings stripped away, I was privileged with a lot more time to think about what exactly Christ came to earth to do and the love He exhibited always (even when it wasn't frosty and festive outside). I didn't ask for as many presents this year, frankly I don't really need much as a missionary besides new clothes (and I got those). But I felt joy as I tried to prayerfully find opportunities to serve others and help them feel uplifted today. 

We made cinnamon rolls and gave them to some people who were not having a happy holiday. Our upstairs neighbor just got laid off after many years at his job. We gave him some cinnamon rolls and when we got home this evening he had propped the Tupperware we gave him up against our door, full of treats he got for us. Another man knocked on our door last night looking for a package Amazon was suppose to deliver with his son' Christmas present. He couldn't find it so his son had no present for Christmas. We left them some cinnamon rolls and a note confidently assuring them Santa would get the package there soon, signed "From your very well-dressed neigbors in A106." We got a text from the sister missionaries in our complex saying that our other neighbor just lost his mom this morning, Christmas Day, after a long battle with cancer. We found him standing outside his apartment with a bunch of family members, very distraught. We gave him some cinnamon rolls and some hugs and he said he really appreciated it. 

It's a common motif in the Christmas movies I've seen that you should try to "keep the spirit of Christmas with you all year." I understand better now what that actually means. Our mission president promised us that if we find Christ in our lives we can have the spirit of Christmas with us always. It's a lot easier to be kind at Christmastime but as I seek Jesus Christ every day I hope to be able to feel like I did today always.

This Christmas was a lot better than the one I had last year, because my companion tried to make it special for us and because I tried to focus on serving others and making them feel happy instead of just on myself. 

Yours Faithfully, 
Elder C. Calder

We sang at the Stake Choir Christmas concert on the 22nd. I snapped a sneaky picture, you're not supposed to take pictures in the chapel but I figure I had to record history being made. I don't know much about technical singing, I figured I'm a tenor but sadly I have lost my ability to read music so I could only really follow through voices of others. I felt bad for Br Alldredge because he had to carry the whole tenor section (being the only one with real choir experience).

The better you know me, the more skeptical you will be that this is true, but I got an award at our last zone conference for being a good driver. You get the Golden Cactus if you avoid any preventable accidents and get a green in your TIWI driving report for 10 consecutive transfers or something like that. Now that I finally have the award, what little incentive I had to drive safely is now totally gone. 

Our beautiful makeshift Christmas tree. I was pretty proud of it until Äldste Calder over in Sweden made the comment that it looks like the "Charlie Brown Tree." Harsh but true. I guess it was an acceptable offering though because as you can see around the tree, Santa clearly thought it good enough to come leave presents under.

After the Christmas Choir concert Brother Davis in the Buckeye 2nd Bishopric came up to congratulate the performers. He was wearing his luxurious Christmas suit, the same one he wore at the Christmas Party a few weeks ago. He said "I have a Christmas present for you, Elder Calder."  He then proceeded to strip off his coat and tie right there in the rostrum of the stand and handed it to me. Apparently he'd been debating whether he should give it to me because I filled it out so incredibly well when I tried it on at the party. He'd asked his wife earlier in the evening and she said "yes, please give it away" (which might be related to the way he got it dirt cheap at a thrift shop and wore it contrary to the wishes of respectable men and women everywhere). It was truly one of the greatest Christmas gifts I've ever received.  Probably the highlight of my Christmas was how after I'd opened my presents during my video call with my family I said "wait. Now I have a present for YOU." I left the phone in the main room while I went to go change out of my pajamas and into the suit. When I came back in the reactions of my parents and siblings were priceless. Needless to say, Brother Aaron Davis is now my hero. And I will be wearing his vibrant, silky-smooth thrift shop Christmas suit every Christmas for the rest of my natural life. 

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