Becoming a Southern Bell: Oh Come All Ye Failful

Hey Y'all!

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem."

These last couple of weeks have been filled with service, gratitude, and miracles. :D First, I'll give y'all a health update. Last Tuesday I had an MRI of my jaw, the results came back the next day showing no sign of current infections. This seems to be a good sign! If the infection does not come back by January I can head back out on my mission. :D

"Come and behold Him,

Born the King of Angels;"

My Thanksgiving was amazing! Not only was all my family able to come, but we also got to have my grandparents over from their nursing home. They are both suffering from dementia and other issues, however it was lovely to have them with us. My dad brought out their old camera and screen to show pictures of back when they were all younger. It was a great Thanksgiving. One that I am particularly grateful to be here for. :) And of course, I got to help my mom by making pies and rolls by scratch. Yum yum!

"Sing, Choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation;

Sing all ye citizens of heav'n above!

Glory to God, Glory in the highest;"

The Saturday after Thanksgiving my parents took the family to dinner and to see the Temple Square lights! :D I was particularly excited since last year I missed it and I thought I was going to miss it this year because of my mission. The night wasn't too cold, so instead of turning into walking popsicles we actually enjoyed the lights. One of my favorite things was how they had different nativities from different countries. They were all different and unique, but having all those nativities really brought a unity. No matter where you are, we can all celebrate the birth of our savior who was born for us all.

"Yea, Lord, we greet thee,

Born this happy morning;

Jesus to thee be all glory giv'n.

Son of the Father, Now in flesh appearing;"

On Monday last week, I got to help my mom again with the festival of trees. :D This time it involved standing in a freezing conference center, in front of a giant semi-truck sized door which opened and closed frequently, selling tree stands and other last-minute items for people setting up their trees to be auctioned off. Even though it was ridiculously cold at times, it was very fun. Apparently it's a requirement for all tree builders to buy a festival of trees stand to use. That would make sense since these stands are made pretty sturdy to withstand the weight of the trees they have to hold up. "Tree Doctors" walked around inspecting trees and helping especially the new people. It was lots of fun! I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to help out for this event. :D

"Oh, come, let us adore him;

Oh, Come, let us adore him;

Oh, come, let us adore him,

Christ, the Lord!"

The rest of the week went a little less eventfully. Lots of shopping and spending time with my family, which is what the holiday season is really all about. :D

As this Christmas season flows into full swing, I am increasingly reminded of how much we have to be thankful for our savior. Born this Christmas to save us, and to set an example to us. He served his whole life. In fact, service was his whole reason for being born! How grateful I am for our selfless savior, Jesus Christ. The reason I chose this song was to also to remind us to gather together, in memory of that wonderful night over 2000 years ago. Come all ye faithful. The joyful, and the triumphant. Come, let us adore him, Christ our Lord! This season, as we try to perform acts of service inspired by #Lighttheworld, lets all remember that the more we show christ-like charity and love to our fellow man that we ourselves are drawing closer to the savior. His whole life was service, and the best way we can show our gratitude, and our willingness to draw closer to Him is to also serve. :) What a wonderful season it is!

Y'all's Southern Bell,

Sister Welch

Thanksgiving Pies and Table!