Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Christmas Letter to our Elders- written by Joanna & I

Dear Elder Hicken and Angulo,

The semester is over, and this last week was a great one for missionary work, sowing seeds. I met a guy that I have had a couple classes with his name is Jordyn. I have not hung out with him until the week before finals. He is a Christian man, so I had to give him a copy of The Book of Mormon. I could have given it to him last Thursday before finals, but I did not seize the opportunity. Finals day was my last opportunity. During the final I prayed the whole time, asking to meet with him. God granted my prayer, for he left moments before I finished my final. I finished the last few questions quickly in hopes to catch him. As I left in haste to catch him, I saw that he was talking with a friend, so I went to talk with them. It was perfect because Jordyn was with Alex, the guy had a skin disease, making him react to the sun's light. Since they couldn't hang out together, I was able to hang out with him and I get to know each other. I gave him The Book of Mormon, became friends on Facebook, and offered my fellowship. We even hope to go out surfing. 
Another missionary experience happened in Friday. I don't know if I told you about Melissa, we met at Cabrillo, now we are really good friends. She was led to ask me, if I would want to go shopping with her for Christmas. She got out of work just in time for the temple trip. I tried to invite her to come. This evening was the only day that she was able to shop, so we chose to go shopping instead. The Capitola Ward was having a Christmas dinner, so I sought to bring her along. Since she did not want to go at first, I was hoping and praying that she would join us for the Christmas Dinner. I am grateful that God answers prayers. After shopping she needed to come to my house to wrap a present. This situation lead her to be able to come to the dinner. I asked her at the dinner, if she would be willing to have the missionaries introduce the church to her, but she felt uncomfortable meeting with them. I respected that, but I had Elder Rayes come talk to her. I pray that she may receive the missionary lessons soon.
joanna- hey dear elders
 I hope that we all truly learn the real significance of Christmas. We always get caught up with the media. They make us think that buying things is what Christmas is all about; however, we must remember what we know to be true. Christmas is the day that we can rejoice in the birth of our Savior, for he is the one being who was and still is able to give us the most precious gift of all. Jesus was born to be the most perfect example for us to follow. By Him we may learn to follow his humility, patience,  loving service, and faithful obedience. Only by his infinite sacrifice we have the means to put our trust in him and be cleansed by his Atonement, for They want us to enjoy the blessings of forgiveness. By us living his commandments and doing so faithfully, this can give us the feeling of the purification of our souls. Let us all strive to be more like him, so we may be successful in life and receive a portion of his love and joy day by day. This helps us endure to the end and eventually enjoy of the fruits of our righteousness, for This is the greatest of all the gifts of God. Isn't this better than any other material possession that we can buy at a store. Yes he truly does love us. Now let us show our love and Gratitude for all that he does for us by loving and having charity to his children such as he has always done for us.

Here is the live daily report. 18 December 2011





BBC News (World): 
Nigeria arrests 'Islamist leader' bbc.in/tF2Pni


Guardian news: 
Burma's military junta accused of torturing and killing ethnic rebels gu.com/p/347bd/tw #Burma #longreads


Al Arabiya English: 
Rescuers spot a raft carrying around 15 possible survivors from Russia's oil rig disaster off of Sakhalin island in the Far East #alarabiya



BBC News (World): Many die in north India cold wave bbc.in/siyKYL

#BBC #Worldnews: Osborne to confirm banking split bbc.in/vo97uq

 Al Arabiya English

U.N.’s Ban ‘alarmed’ and Clinton ‘concerned’ as Egypt’s unrest enters 4th day goo.gl/7Sm0R

#AlArabiya: South Korea military placed on emergency alert goo.gl/wClac

cnni: ICC: Release Rwandan 'rebel leader' goo.gl/fb/3aDF3 

MarketWatch: Hong Kong stocks open weak, as European concerns weigh; Hang Seng Index down 1.5% on.mktw.net/v1gyny 

 The Associated Press: BREAKING NEWS: North Korea says supreme leader Kim Jong Il has died

BBCBreaking: President Asif Ali Zardari returns to Pakistan after visit to Dubai for medical treatment - officials

guardian #worldnews: Apple's struggle to defeat Amazon set to be exposed by European ebook inquiry gu.com/p/3472p/tw

Breaking #worldNews: More blizzard warnings issued for northeast NM; western and central KS - National Weather Service 1.usa.gov/sY4vMJ

Breaking #worldNews: RT MarketWatch: Japanese stocks open lower, with tech shares weak; Nikkei Average down 0.4% on.mktw.net/sfhycz

Telegraph #worldNews: Syrian government threatens to execute 21 rebels in the next 24 hours tgr.ph/vc42F6
 alexnhicken

BBC #Worldnews: Somali piracy takes heavy toll on Philippine sailors bbc.in/sMhVVv

The Associated Press: VIDEO: Thousands rally in Russia's biggest cities in 2nd week of protests over fraud-tainted vote: apne.ws/t2UKUf -EF

 Guardian news: Burma's military junta accused of torturing and killing ethnic rebels gu.com/p/347bd/tf

Telegraph World News: Bishop arrested during Occupy Wall Street protests tgr.ph/s1mCS3

CNN Breaking News: An early winter storm in the Southwest could bring blizzard conditions and heavy snow accumulations. on.cnn.com/s5tiyr


Post World News: Man wearing uniform of Somali government soldier kills journalist in capital wapo.st/v23yjG

BBCBreaking: 1man dies&2 people are treated for minor injuries after2light aircraft collide near Leicestershire airport bbc.in/rwWWjQ

PressTV: Divide widens between #Thai rich, poor dlvr.it/114pgn 

PressTV: #Pakistanis rally against #NATO strike dlvr.it/114d1p 

AP: From dictators to innovators, movie stars to musicians, here's a look at the notable deaths of 2011 apne.ws/trixIX -EF

SkyNewsBreak: Two light aircraft have collided in the Great Stretton area of Leicestershire.

PressTV: #Syrians hold #pro-Assad rallies in #Paris dlvr.it/112jGY

Reuters: #Eurozone to push on with crisis steps, #Fitch doubts outcome reut.rs/vlAuka

guardiannews: Flower power gives #Bangladeshi women a way out of poverty gu.com/p/3478h/tf

cnnbrk: Man burns woman alive in New York elevator. Attack captured on surveillance video on.cnn.com/sXIy81
Reuters: Insight: Testing the limits of freedom in new #Myanmar reut.rs/tDOzfd

TheEconomist: Some Africans think they face demographic disaster, others think that they could reap a dividend econ.st/urTtw4
PressTV: German Pres. accused of financial fraud dlvr.it/113gD0 

Post #WorldNews: Thousands demonstrate at funeral of Bahrain man; witnesses say he died from tear gas wapo.st/soTj9A

PressTV: #Iran destroyer ends first global mission dlvr.it/113mCr

Reuters: House Republicans oppose Senate payroll tax bill reut.rs/tlCqOS

Qatar foreign minister says he has information that Syrian President Assad will sign Arab peace initiative, #alArabiya TV reports - #Reuters
 #AlArabiya: Yemeni general backs peace deal, 10 militants killed goo.gl/E1tKq #Yemen

Reuters: Analysis: U.S economy shedding debt but shackled by pessimism reut.rs/vMd6iT

Telegraph #worldNews: Climber killed in Snowdonia avalanche tgr.ph/sCgWVu

#AlArabiya: #Israel unveils tenders for 1,028 new settlement units in east #Jerusalem, #WestBank goo.gl/7Usvf 

AP: Israel finishes preparations to release 550 Palestinian prisoners in second and final phase of swap: apne.ws/sFGNjz -EF 
PressTV: Russia poll protests continue in Moscow dlvr.it/1120hT 

HuffPostWorld: #Bahrain: Police fire tear gas at demonstrators protesting the death of 73-year-old man huff.to/uTReox

PressTV: #Iran releases two Kuwaiti nationals dlvr.it/112FHl 

AJELive: #Egypt pipeline carrying gas to #Israel and Jordan was bombed on Sunday - the 10th such attack this year aje.me/t76aFT
Telegraph #Worldnews: Rioting in west #Kazakhstan spreads to a second town tgr.ph/vu9NTd
Post #WorldNews: Oil platform capsizes in Russian Far East, 4 dead, 49 missing wapo.st/tIV0WJ
Reuters: As markets plunge, Asia's wealthy flock to art reut.rs/vVXv5t #worldnews
PressTV: #Syrians hold #pro-Assad rallies in #Paris dlvr.it/112jGY
Sorry Blogger is too slow.
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - #nytimes #worldnews: Wukan Protesters Seek Return of Xue Jinbo's Body http://t.co/GANhTbtJ
AP: U.S. is poised to announce sizable #foodaid to #NorthKorea, bringing them a step closer to #nucleartalks: http://t.co/SXubKkxa -EF
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - PressTV: Armed gangs kill seven Syrian troops http://t.co/HTbS1aYS #worldnews
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - #AlArabiya: Islamists protest in support of #Pakistan army http://t.co/UJ6xpTgO #worldnews
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - #AlArabiya: Kuwait announces it will hold parliamentary elections on February 2nd. #worldnews
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - #BBC #Worldnews: Deadly unrest continues in #Cairo http://t.co/b1rw9Bm4
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - guardiannews: Fears for 200 asylum seekers after boat sinks http://t.co/r9J7rcVI
AP: #Philippine storm death toll rises to 652; 808 others still missing, Red Cross says: http://t.co/AzAXN4yg -JM #worldnews
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - #AlArabiyaEnglish: Death toll rises to 20 in #Syria: local commission committees #Alarabiya #worldnews
AJELive: Fierce fighting reported between army units and defectors in #Homs, #Syria: http://t.co/8caQsL79 #worldnews
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - Reuters: Former #Czech president Havel dies http://t.co/HYBEWW45 #worldnews
Post #WorldNews: Police fire on rioters in tense western #Kazakhstan; 1 killed, 11 wounded http://t.co/tG37IuGP #worldnews
Post #WorldNews: #Israel set to release final batch of prisoners in swap for long-captive soldier http://t.co/hMhIQ2qD
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - PressTV: #Egypt gas pipeline to #Israel, #Jordan hit http://t.co/WWcmDhRS #worldnews
alexnewshicken.blogspot.com - Post #WorldNews: Key dates in the 2003-2011 #Iraq war http://t.co/vle6Agcz

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