Constitucion, Pachuca -December 22

Hey Mom,

My week has been good!! its been a really hard week, not a lot of people at home to receive us...Yesterday the server for myldsmail wasn't working so president gave us permission to write today. I don't have lots of time, but I wrote up something special for you and the family and all the friends and.. well for everyone!! Alicia wrote me and asked for a spiritual thought for the Christmas activity so I shared it with her as well.

I will be skyping at like 6 to 8 in pachuca mexico time, and i will call you and dad for an hour each .  For christmas we will be doing a service activity again. we will go out handing out donations of clothing and blanket for the cold, to people who need them. Its gonna be great!! well, I dont have much time because i spent most my time typing up this message that I wrote for everyone, Hope you like it!! I love you tons Mom!!! Feliz Navidad!! Te amo mucho!!

Elder Paynter

Dear Family and Friends,

First of all, I would like to thank each of you for the support, help and love you have all shared with me. I feel so grateful to have so many loved ones who are always there for me. You all have helped me in one way or another, and for that I thank you. I have now been out in the mission field for over a year, and I have felt so loved by so many of you throughout each and every minute, hour, day and month. The mission has been such a great experience, the greatest experience I have had yet. It´s a lot of work and a bit stressful at times, but the blessings that I have received here have been blessings that have helped me in my eternal progress. I feel closer to my Heavenly Father each and every day. I have felt God´s love so much during my mission. At times I think I comprehend his love, but later realize that the feeling grows stronger and stronger in my heart as I strive to obey his commandments and repent when I make mistakes.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) As Christmas approaches this week, I hope that all of us may understand more fully the love that our Heavenly Father showed for us when he sent his son to suffer in such a great form that he was able to save us from physical and spiritual death. As we all know, Christ saved us all from physical death, due to His own death and resurrection. He too had to suffer physical death in order to bring resurrection to all the children of God. And in order to give us the opportunity to repent and overcome spiritual death, He too had to suffer and triumph over the spiritual death that we all suffer when we sin. As we know, spiritual death is the separation from God´s presence that we suffer when we sin. Only repentance and other principles and ordinances of Christ´s Gospel can save us from this death. Christ, being filled with charity and love for each one of us, was willing to take upon himself the consequence of our sins, which is, spiritual death, or the separation from God´s presence. At times maybe we don’t completely understand or comprehend why Christ had to cry out on the cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) What I have come to learn is that in this moment as Christ suffered for our sins, He was abandoned by the Father. In order to experience spiritual death, Christ had to be separated from the presence of our father, more parted from his presence than any other born child of god has and ever will be parted. He had to suffer it all in order to bring us all home to our Father. Christ knows and understands what it feels like to be separated from God´s presence, and that is the reason why He strives to help us so that we may overcome this spiritual death. I hope that we may all continue keeping his commandments, repenting, and honoring our covenants so that this Christmas and New Year season, we may all come closer to Him and remember Him. I know that He lives. I know that He loves us. He is our SAVIOR, our MEDIADOR, The Prince of Peace, our WONDERFUL, LOVING LORD, our ONE and only MESIAS. I testify that these things are true. I love you all so very much and I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Les Amo Mucho!!

Con amor,

Elder Paynter

Pictures from the Christmas Devotional and of my companion watching the Fridge...um...okay!