Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Merry Christmas to all!

Haha, the Christmas season has officially started here in the Philippines! That is not a joke. It literally starts in September. Christmas is the 'ber' months - September, October, November, December. What a great 4 months it's gonna be hearing Christmas music everywhere we go. Right now I'm loving it....I'll keep you updated on that....I may not be loving it anymore by the time November hits, haha. 

What a week it has been! First off, we had my first MLC - Missionary Leadership Council. All the STLs and all the Zone Leaders in the mission drive to Tacloban and have a good 24 hours of time there where we receive training and devotionals and food:) from President and Sister Maurer. It was great! And next week we are required to give the same training to the zone in our Zone Training Meeting. 

We've been working like crazy this week, talking to anyone we possible can, going on exchanges with other sisters in the zone so that they can see their potential and apply various things into their own areas, etc etc. There is SO MUCH TO DO! There is not even close to enough time in the day to do it all. If I can figure out how to get all this down, I'm gonna be on fire when it comes to time management when I go home. 

Time Management is what I would like to share today. There is a sign in our apartment that goes a little something like this:

You are called to serve the Lord for 18 months of your life. 

Being that you sleep 8 areas each night, that leaves about 12 months of actual waking service. This is tolerable. 

If you were to waste an hour a day, that is equivalent to about 23 days of your mission wasted - or almost one month. 

Imagine the arithmetic if you were to waste 2 or 3 hours a day. 

Sisters, consider your ways. 

At one point in my life, I believe I read an article about a woman who would watch an hour or several of TV each day. She kind of had an epiphany one day and realized with that TV time each day, she had wasted about 9 years of her life!!!!!! 9 YEARS!!!!!! There are way too many opportunities and too much potential for us to be wasting it away being unproductive. So don't procrastinate. Learn the talent you've always wanted to learn. Develop the habit you've always desired. Lose the weight you've always wanted to lose. Whatever that thing is for you personally, do it!!! It's a choice! This life is about putting off the natural man and becoming perfected. 

Whatever it is, you can do it. You just need to choose it, then do it:) And relying on the Savior and our Heavenly Father throughout the process I promise will make it easier:)

Love you all so much. Thank you for the continuous prayers and support. Read your scriptures. Say your prayers every day. The Church is True. Joseph Smith is a true prophet and so is our President Thomas S. Monson. 

Love Sister Russon