Email - December 30, 2013

Merry Christmas! I guess that is worn out by now, sadly, but eine gute Rutsch still goes!

 It was sooo good to actually see what you guys look like on Wednesday! For a while I was starting to get the feeling that you didn't really exist, but that some elders in the MTC are assigned to act like each elder's family and write us emails so we feel loved. But now I know you really are there and do love me. :) okay, at least the first one.

 It really was so good to skype it up! The Küchler family loved letting us skype over there, and they especially loved bringing me in a pint of beer (rootbeer) to drink in front of you guys. They kept laughing at the face Allie was apparently making. I don't know why, but 5 minutes of skype time equals 45 minutes of real life time, so it just disappeared before I felt like we could even get a big conversation going, but I hope it sufficed for you all. If not, too bad. See ya on Mother's Day. :)

 I hope you guys had a way good Christmas too! I never gotta hear what you guys opened, so hit me up with the highlights next week! I'm curious. Christmas was so good here. There really is something so different about it. You realize that the excitement and the feeling in the air doesn't come from the newest whatever that is on TV, or the toys or shopping or anything. We aren't allowed to do that, and that feeling is still there. And that's when you realize that people are mistaking what exactly the Christmas Spirit is! Like Thomas S. Monson said, to capture the true spirit of Christmas, just drop the last syllable. Spirit of Christ. It is a time when we can literally feel the Savior's love and light and comfort in our lives, and I hope you all got a chance to extend that out to someone else this year. Just because Christmas is behind us according to the calendar, don't let the love stay behind too! Carry that throughout the rest of the year. We are how the Lord answers other peoples' prayers, so don't resist a temptation to be the Lord's instrument. I hope you guys have a good rest of the break too! It sounds like everyone is pretty much planned out with what they wanna do before it ends! Don't get sick like some elders are starting to out here!

 I like the Trilogy this year, Dad and Syd, even if it isn't the classic. That sounds like a solid one though! Do we own Dark Knight Rising....? I miss the Marathon, so I hope you live it up! Crazy socks and fast food. Like champs. By the way, way to give a killer talk in Sacrament, Syd! Did I tell you guys that I had to give a 10 minute talk on the 22nd? It went 20 minutes. Oops. Too much truth, too little time. :)

 Mother, they do have Chinese food. Gefährlich. Translate that. Not like Zuhause. And New Years is a pretty big deal here! Enough that we have to be inside at 6 p.m., to get out of the way of the rukuss (how in the heavens do you spell that word...?). So not quite like you, Mase, at 3, but still a change in schedule! It should be interesting though.

 2014 is looking to be a good year! Herr Döschner (who we just met with an hour ago) said he is quitting for sure tomorrow. He does not want to smoke once in 2014, so that he can go through the temple in 2015 and receive the Melchezidek Priesthood. We're so hopeful for him. This next year is gonna be a big one, we can feel it.

 Well, sorry this was short, but it's late, and we've been running all over! But we talked on Wednesday, and there isn't too much new material to cover! I just hope you all have a great week, I love you all (especially you, Mom) and I'll hear from those charming faces of yours next week! Tschau!!

 -- Elder McGinn