Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Mine was awesome. It was so amazing to be able to see all of you on Skype. I can't wait until we get to do it again. Thank you all so much for the packages and letters that you have sent in the last couple of months. That first Christmas away from home was definitely a little tough, but it was so good at the same time. The Newtown ward really knows how to make missionaries feel loved and cared for. I think the coolest thing about this Christmas season is that I was able to focus so much more on the birth of our savior. Not being consumed with big trees and lights and gifts allows you to feel so much closer to the true meaning of the season. We spent a lot of our time singing Christmas carols in the streets and trying to find people that way. We didn't find any new investigators through that, but we definitely shared the spirit with a lot of people. We also went to a few nursing homes to sing to the people who were stuck there for the holidays. To see the smiles on their faces brought me so much joy and filled me with the most wonderful spirit. It always feels good to know that you are making a difference in someone's life, even if it's just a small one. I'm so excited for what the new year has in store. It's weird to think that the entire year of 2014 will be spent as a missionary! I can't even imagine what  I will experience and how I will change in the next 12 months.  Super exciting! The work here in Newtown is amazing right now. You all saw the picture of us with Declan at his baptism. What an awesome experience that was! Now this coming weekend is Kim's baptism. That will be three convert baptisms in a row into the Newtown ward. The members have said that they can't even remember the last time there have been three baptisms in the same year here, and there has definitely never been three right in a row. I can feel the hastening of the work here for sure. What a blessing it truly is to have a front and center view to such an incredibly exciting time in missionary work. You guys, there is no doubt in my mind that this is where I'm supposed to be. This is easily the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life. But my testimony of the gospel grows deeper and stronger every single day. It's just a little bit at a time, and it's hard to see the change, but I know I'm changing. The rest of my life will be so much brighter and better because of this. I miss you all like crazy, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. I love you all so much! I hope you are all doing well and are excited for what lies ahead in the coming year. Keep being strong, and remember to smile. I love you, I love you, I love you!!

~Elder Allred