Have a mentioned how much I love Nampa!

Oh my goodness. I LOVE NAMPA! It is seriously just the place to be...but don’t actually move here because too many people are moving here and it’s making the campsites rather upset. When people find out I came out from Arkansas they usually say "oh I’ve never seen Arkansas" and I typically respond "yeah it’s the hidden gem of the south"... because #arkansaspride. But let me tell you Idaho's treasure valley is a hidden gem that has just been found! Did you know it is one of the top growing places in the country? Little crazy. And to top it off Nampa's city logo is "the heart of the treasure valley". So yes, Nampa’s gone crazy Martha. But I LOVE IT! 

This week was jammed packed with teaching lessons, finding others, and inviting people to our special Christmas sacrament meeting. So many people open their doors here! It’s amazing. Also, our bishops and wards are just wonderful and very missionary minded.

We received two very solid referrals this week and we are so hopeful for both of them. We also got a car this week... to share... but still we are so grateful. This area really needed that car. Unlike my other areas, although still crummy in winter, were designed to be walking areas, this area NOT. Like this area is huge... like two hours to walk to from one end to the other. The mission is really short on cars though so we are all just sacrificing what we can. 

Christmas sacrament meeting was amazing! We invited so many people this week and so many people came. The mission usually has about 110 people not of our faith come to church, and so for Christmas this year, we were hoping to get 200 mission-wide – almost double what we normally get. Everyone was a little skeptical, but promised to pray for it and work really hard. You know what God does when you have a bunch of kids working hard and praying? He provides miracles. As a mission we had OVER 500 PEOPLE COME! What the what?!?! It was so crazy. God is so good. Everyone is ecstatic and so excited to work with these amazing souls who decided to come and worship with us. 

Well, my friends, I want to thank you all for keeping the missionaries in your prayers and taking care of the missionaries in your home wards. Christmas is hard sometimes as a missionary but it also tends to be the most rewarding part of the year. God really showers blessing down on those who sacrifice their time for Him. He truly does love all of His children and wants them to return to Him someday. That is why He gave us His son. That is why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus Christ truly did come to the earth. He talked to the outcast. He healed the sick. He established God's church. He felt our pain. He carried our sorrows. He bore our sins. He died for us and rose again. He is our reason for the season. I love Him and I love my Heavenly Father. I know them and I know they know me. I am so grateful to be a missionary and have an opportunity to serve them and be an instrument in Their hands every day. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. 

Sister Aase