Week 74 December 7, 2015 "I am so excited that it is the Christmas season"

    Well folks I will be staying in Seocho for at least one more transfer with Elder Whitney. It is crazy that I only have 5 transfers left and that this will be my 12th transfer in country. Just gotta keep getting down to business to defeat the Huns (the adversary). I am hoping I stay in Seocho for a long time because this area is great. Maybe my comp will go ZL next transfer and then I can stay and be Papa Seocho. I am so excited that it is the Christmas season, Christmas is the best!! As a missionary Christmas is even better because all day every day you get to talk to others about Jesus Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. We got these cool new proselyting cards that have the new "A Savior is Born" video link so give to people as we proselyte. They work so much better than the normal I am a Mormon cards so I love using them. It especially helps me to think of Jesus more throughout the day which had made me so much more happier these days. You all have to go to the new christmas.mormon.org website, it is awesome!! Also I would request that you blow up social media with message of The Savior and Christmas this year. 

      My best Guatemalan buddy, Elder Monterozzo, goes home this week so it will be really sad to see him go because I would say that we have grown pretty close in the last 3 transfers of living together. He gave his farewell speech last week at Zone training and I got some really cool revelation/insight while he gave it. He spoke on how the mission has a lot of ups and downs and how you cant let the hard times get you down. I gotta just keeping trucking till the very end. The revelation or thought I received was this "I have to ride the mission roller-coaster with a smile on my face no matter how many times there are surprise flips and turns." Also the roller-coaster goes fast so even if I am scared, frustrated, whatever I can't scream but instead I gotta smile. This is the same for life too. Life is a roller-coaster. This life is something that shapes us into who Jesus Christ wants us to become. Being an optimist is hard. Always having a smile on your face is hard. Submitting your will and everything you want is hard don't get me wrong but we gotta do it. People need that happiness. Others need our help. I am going to try my best to be that optimist who is needed so much. It will be hard but I gotta be a happy positive boy not an angry negative one. 

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Love, 

Elder Picard 

Instead of pictures this week please go to christmas.mormon.org website and share the message of Christs birth on social media.