It's going to be a white Christmas in Douliu--and one Christmas from now, it will be even whiter when the Lin family goes to the temple to be sealed for time and all eternity!!
Brother Lin is going to be baptized on Christmas day! We are really excited for him. It's going to be a day to remember! His story has been pretty epic--It involves twenty plus years of his wife fasting, praying, and believing. It involves his son going on a mission. It involves an Area 70 president. It involves the Taiwan Temple president. It also involves a caring mission president and about 5 elders who know him, pray and fast for him, and helped pave the way. It involves family back home praying and believing and encouraging. I am so excited for him and his family. He has one less active son who was invited to attend. My companion and I fasted and prayed that he will come.
I love saying "Merry Christmas!" to everyone on the street. It always gets a good reaction since the holiday is not celebrated nationally. My companion and I have organized a small activity on Dec 24. We are going Christmas caroling with ward members and investigators at the train station. The ward is really excited about it--I am too! The ward is having an activity on Christmas morning--grilling sweet potatoes and playing with each other.
Right now we are teaching a Bro. Yuan, he is a teenager who has a really big testimony. His dad came to church with him this past Sunday. His parents want him to wait to be baptized, but we are praying and planning to help them work through this so he can be baptized as quickly as possible.
Thank you to everyone who sent me a Christmas card, letter, or gift. The Ward/stake has sent 3-4 things that have brightened my day. Grandparents have each sent Christmas greetings that we are very grateful for!!
This past week I learned 50 characters each day. It is a goal that is making me stretch, but I've found that in one week doing this I feel that I've unlocked a little bit of the language. I don't feel so much like I live in a box. I can start to read things a little. I can definitely find my way to the chapter and verse of scripture I want to use without referring to the English version (at least most of the time.)
I love each of you so much. I'm so grateful that Jesus Christ, the Creator of our universe was willing to condescend below us all to be born in a stable. I'm so grateful that he allowed his entire life to be used for the purpose of Preaching the Gospel and preparing the way for everyone else to follow. I'm grateful that he took upon himself our pains, weaknesses, and sin so that we could be healed and reconciled to the father. I know he is lives. I know his restored gospel is true.
Love, Elder Spencer Harris
