The White Christmas Horse, The lesson the Elders Stood Still, and elamon McGay

Well I do hope that everyone had a splendid Christmas and that the joy of the season permeated your hearts and that the worn hands and long hours spent in service caused a warmness within your bosom that kept the chilly weather at bay.

Well as we were tracting in the beginning of this week we met this old baba that invited us in and we sat down with him and his son. We introduced ourselves and told them what we do. Then after the prayer this guy just started talking and talking. We couldn't get him to stop talking. He would just cut us off before we could even say a word. He talked non-stop for literally 25 minutes! My companion timed him. This guy dominated us. I felt kind of superfluous. This is was the lesson the elders stood still! But we managed to bring it back and commit him and that was good.

One day as we were contacting in toen we ran into one of our investigators and he was with his brother who was visiting for the holiday. And as we were talking our investigator went and introduced us to his brother. He introduced me as "elamon Mcgay"! Hahahahahahaha After they left I looked at my companion and asked if I heard correctly. He laughed and confirmed what he had said. It provided joy and conversation for the rest of the day! I am not sure why so many people have difficulty with my name. It is quite short and simple. Or at least I thought so. But it seems as if people can't get it right. But I guess I will just enjoy the random names I receive in lieu of my real one(lets be honest, my real name isn't that great either).

Then for the Christmas Holiday the Couple Missionaries came and took us to The White Horse Inn for Dinner on Christmas Eve. It was a nice place. We walked the grounds a bit and we had dinner. Then we went to their room and shared a Christmas story from the Ensign and sang some hymns. Then they gave us the stockings that the mission had prepared. I got some antiperspirant, two toothbrushes, toothpaste(don't worry I already had in my possession the aforementioned items), some socks, a tie, and a mission shirt! The shirt is too small, but it still has the name of the mission and the map of the countries in which I serve. So it is still awesome. Later after we left the mission couple told us that the people in the Inn had heard us singing hymns and they loved it.... apparently the window was open and outside and up a bit was the veranda and the restaurant where many people were. Kind of cool to know that just something normal we do at Christmas had further reaching effects than we had thought. They told us that the hymns had made Christmas for them.

Then the next day we watched Blind Side and Glory Road together. Good movies! Then my family called, it was a nice phone call I got to talk to my mom, dad, brother, and sister and kids. One thing that was really funny was they told me that I talk differently. Not just the accent but also how I create my sentences is just different than what I had done before. I am not sure if you can tell in email.... obviously not the accent part, but the other part.... ?????

The Manyande family is doing really well, they have been studying and loving everything. The children were even writing notes on the Plan of Salvation. They will be/are amazing members. We were going to tell Bro Manyande he should wear a white shirt to church, he has been wearing some other color of shirt(I don't know which color it is), but we weren't sure how to go about it. Then when we walk into their home he is already wearing a white shirt! He said his wife bought it for him and she wanted to get the son one as well! Yes wife! It was amazing, it is almost like they are a step ahead of us. They are so prepared! Such incredible people, they are going to be strong for generations I can just tell(as long as the Second Coming is far enough away...).

Thank you everyone who sent me something! It really meant a lot that you remembered me and you reminded me that I wasn't forgotten.
Love, elder Steven Gay