HOWDY!

First of all, I would like to share two poems with y'all! I found them in two talks that I really loved and wrote them down some time ago so I wouldn't forget them...  

here they are :)

It's easy enough to be pleasant 

When life flows by like a song

But the man worthwhile

is the one who'll smile

When everything goes dead wrong.

For the test of the heart is trouble

and it always comes with the years

and the smile that is worth 

all the praises of earth

is the smile that shines

through tears. 

                                       - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I'd rather be a "could-be"

If I cannot be an "are"

Because a "could-be" is a "maybe"

who is reaching for a star

I'd rather be a "has-been"

Than a "might-have-been", by far;

For a "might-have-been'

has never been

But a "has" 

once was an "are"

                                           - Milton Berle

so, I would just like to say how AWESOME it was to see y'all on christmas! It really made me so happy and it was great. It was pretty weird to have my last phone call, but I'll just have to get over that! :)

Christmas was great and it was honestly about a million times better than last Christmas. Even with the yucky power outages and not being able to talk to Jen (which I'm still upset about) it was full of fun, love, presents, and suprises! It's hard to think that I won't have a christmas while I'm on a mission for a loonngg time, but I do believe that I'll serve a couple missions when I get old.. at least that's a goal of mine!

Every time this part of the year comes around, I remember when I was at home and we would sit down as a family and write goals for the new year. I'm so grateful that this is a tradition that I still do till today! Actually, tomorrow I'll be taking a little time out of my p-day to exactly that! I'm very excited about the prospects of this new year and all of the new experiences and wonderful times that I'll have. 

One thing that I never really realized until I got on the mission was the importance of making goals, and then telling them to others! When we made our yearly goals at home, we toke a little time to think about them and then we would go around the circle and tell everyone what they were.. I never understood completely and get kind of upset sometimes because of that misunderstanding. But now I realize that if these goals truly are things that we want to do, we need someone else to be able to follow up on us! I've learned that if it's just left up to us alone, we have a HUGE chance to never do it for simply forget. 

If life, but especially as a missionary, planning and goals are essential. We do this for each day, week, month, transfer (6 weeks). And I like to take it a little further, but not everyone does. 

It's simple. When we plan and set goals, the results of our work are dramaticly increased. It can be just like this in our personal lives and it is something that I will carry with me from my mission for the rest of my life. 

I hope that all of you reading this will take the time to make some goals for this next year and then acheive them throughout the year! 

Just like us, God has plans and goals for us to. His goal (like unto mine) is for ALL of His children to choose the right and follow in the footsteps of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ and eventually one day return to His presence and live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom. He wants us to be happy, to get along and to follow the rules that He has given to us. 

Let us all remember this and remember the great blessings that He has given us. I'm sure we can all think of something is this wonderful season that we have to commemorate the birth of His Son Jesus Christ. 

Love you all and hope the best! 

Merry (late) Christmas and Happy (early) New Year!!!!!!! 

- Elder Moore