Time for Christmas!

Alright, so you may be wondering how Christmas works in New Zealand. According to Elder Hoffman it's pretty relaxed, and definitely not as big as in the U.S., but they still have Christmas none the less. So Elder Hoffman and his companion will be "family hopping" for their Christmas, meaning they'll be visiting a bunch of families that they have gotten pretty close to.

Also, Elder Hoffman mentioned how it didn't really feel like Christmas to him because it's summer down in New Zealand, and there also isn't any snow. Well, I guess we're in the same boat. Here in Utah we also don't have any snow, which is very weird. Usually we have two feet of snow in October, but this year it's a green/dead grass and leafless tree Christmas. No snow to be seen except for up in the mountains. It's also not unheard of to go surfing on Christmas day in New Zealand, but Elder Hoffman won't be doing that. :(

Alright, let's end off this post with a reminder of what Christmas truly means. Elder Hoffman mentioned the First Presidency Christmas Devotional a couple weeks ago. Our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and his counselors reminded us of what we are really celebrating, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope we can all remember to give him a gift this year. Be it service, or just bettering ourselves to grow closer to him and our Heavenly Father, let's make sure that we give it sincerely so that we can be ready to receive the countless blessings that they are waiting to give us.

Merry Christmas!

Elder Williams

Well, you may be wondering how this new missionary training is going for our Elder Hoffman. I've gotten a few pictures and videos with Elder Williams in them and he seems to be a really great guy. He describes himself as "a great, outgoing guy who likes long walks on the beach.... :D and is really happy to be out in the mission field." He sure seems like a fun companion, and the training is going really well. They've already had two baptism commitments, one next saturday and then another on Christmas Eve. The work is really moving along down in New Zealand, and Elder Hoffman and his new companion are loving it.