Christmas Was Truly Amazing! - Dec 26

MOMMY!!!!
P.S. This email will be a bit shorter, and I am only going to talk about Christmas, because I need stuff to talk about next week :)
Oh, it was so, so good to see you and the whole family! Our time together definitely went way too fast, but I enjoyed it! It really didn't hit me until like 30 minutes before that I was like, "I’M GOING TO BE TALKING... WITH MY FAMILY... TODAYYY?!?!" Haha and then I was just like super crazy energetic and smiley and like had to distract myself by playing football for a bit outside. I'm so glad that I got the chance to talk with most everyone 1 on 1 and even just spend a few minutes with them. I love you all so much, and being together with you was the best gift I could ask for! Despite all the "you'll be home next Christmas" crazy talks (ah hem, I already told you I'm never leaving this place!), I just felt the love and support of you and I KNOW I am where I'm supposed to be! I feel such great joy being a missionary, and I just never want to take this opportunity for granted. How blessed I am to be here, there is not a thing in the world that I would put over serving my Savior, Comforter and best friend, Jesus Christ.

Christmas was truly amazing. Quite different, but I know everyone did the best they could to just make it the best experience for us! Oh, I just love these people with all my heart! On Sunday, we went over the Torke's in the morning. It is their tradition to have the missionaries over for breakfast and apparently to give them PAJAMAS! We opened them right when we got there, and then wore them the whole time! It was so cute and thoughtful, I think I want to carry on that tradition! Church was a great service and very beautiful! Afterward we have dinner with Oma and Opa Mueller which was also a great time! They told us lots of stories and we even played Uno together! Oh, that was hilarious. They are actually both color blind, so it was just funny and cute the whole time because they definitely didn’t match the colors very often but we didn’t say anything- they were really competitive!!

Monday was basically spent at the Mueller’s but unintentionally... Our whole district actually went over in the morning and watched Moana! It was super weird watching a movie again, I kept losing focus and felt like I was just wasting time away! But it was a really cute movie, and I was the only one that had actually seen it! They are all so OLD! haha. For dinner we had Raclette(? I don’t know how to spell it. Google it.) Everyone has their own personal pan and you put your choice toppings in there (vegetables, potatoes, ummmm random other things) and then put cheese over it and bake it in the middle of the table! Needless to say, it was very fancy and we ate enough!!

Tuesday was definitely more of a relaxed day (Christmas is actually super exhausting as a missionary!) and we just had one dinner appointment in the middle of the day. The rest of the time we just were at the apartment doing extra studying, trying to learn the guitar and ukulele (it’s coming along slowly!) and just enjoying the day! So, Christmas summed up was a lot a LOT of food and time with the members and just enjoying the chance to enjoy Christmas at the end. I don't want to be a Scrooge, but I'm excited to get back outside tomorrow and work :)

I love the Christmas time, and especially that I got to spend it as a missionary! I don't need fancy presents, I just love celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and sharing that testimony with my family and families around the world. Joy to the WORLD!

P.S. I know I just said presents don’t matter, but I LOVEDDDD the packages you sent! They were so thoughtful, and I love every single thing inside! I got more than plenty pictures of me opening everything (thanks to the great Sis D!) and it really meant a lot to me that you would go to all of that work to think of me. I am so lucky to be yours, Mom. I love you!

Families are never perfect- we are just promised that they are eternal! I can't be oblivious, I grew up with those boys, so I know that they have good times and bad. It makes me very happy that life is going well for all of them, and that they are all moving forward! I want to hear more from Conner, I think I will write him an email!

I love you a MILLION Christmas skypes! Talk to you in a few days!

Love, Sister Macey Ingalls