Christmas letter to the ward

Dear Grandrigde Ward!

I am so excited for Christmas! I can't believe that I'll be away from for the first time in my life during the holiday seasons but I am confident that the Lord wants me to be here! There is nothing like being a missionary. I get to share my testimony every day of our Saviour Jesus Christ and the hope that He offers us! As I've shared my testimony with more and more people, I've come to feel the reality and the meaningfulness of the gospel that God has given us. 

One of the greatest mercies in our lives is that we can change. Throught the power of Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven of past mistakes and move forward to a better self and a better world. This is wonderful to me! I know that our Heavenly Father gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us in our weakness and strengthen us in our trials. I was recently struggling in my mission. I felt discouraged with how I was doing, my relationship with my companion, and a lot of other little things. I had a thought turning over and over in my mind, "I want to do better but how many times have I said that? How many times have I tried to be the best missionary that I can? How many times have I told God that I would do better and then I didn't?" With the help of some wise counsel from my parents and the scriptures, I realized that I needed to allow a little grace into my life. Christ suffered and died not just to save the crazy motor thieves of José León Suarez or the drug dealers on the corner of Santa Brigida. Nope, He payed the price of sin for all of us. We are all children of God and can all be recipients of the grace and forgiveness of Christ. 

So for this Christmas, let a little grace into your life. Spend some time on you knees and talk with God about how the mercy and power of Christ can heal you. I know that God will show you that forgiveness is a gift that we all need. I know that Christ is our Saviour and is our Lord.

With love,

Elder Cameron Smith