Hi Mom!
  Merry Christmas!!!! Thank you so much for the package!! I love the
basketball hoop!! Don't worry I didn't open the wrapped packages.
Thank you for the caramels, fudge, and coconut bread!! They are so
good!!! My companion says thank you too! 
 . I'm glad you got that video from Sibel.
She was so excited to send it to you. I can't wait to see you on
Wednesday and for you to meet my companion and the Bursells. They are
awesome!!!
  It sounds like you had a busy week. It sounds like your weather has
been worse than ours. We have had a little rain but it hasn't been
freezing rain yet. We got snow this week but it has been melting
because of the rain. I would send you a picture of all the snow but it
doesn't look very pretty. I'll send a picture after the next storm we
get.
  This week has been good. We started teaching a man that the sisters
have met with on and off. He is going through a lot right now and is
trying to find his place in life. He told us that he feel like he is
just treading water and not getting anywhere. We taught him how the
Atonement can help him feel peace. It was a powerful lesson. He likes
reading the Book of Mormon by topic and so we invited him to read
about hope from the index. He is searching for something to help him
and I know that the gospel will help him find the peace that he is
searching for.
  The ward Christmas party was awesome!! Each of the auxiliaries put
on a little skit or song. We also sang some songs together. It was a
lot of fun! We did have church on Sunday and it was great! Sacrament
was full of great music. There were a few speaking parts too. I love
that we can celebrate Christ's birth and his life. His whole life is a
gift to us. The Primary asked us to come in and help them do some
things during Primary. My companion ended up telling them that my
birthday is on Christmas so they wanted to sing to me. I told her not
to tell people but she didn't listen. It was funny! The ward has
gotten us so many gifts and candy. They love the missionaries here and
they take great care of us.
  This week I have been studying in 3 Nephi about Christ's birth and
the signs that were given here in the Americas. The signs were so
apparent and they came right at the perfect time. I love what the Lord
says to Nephi in 3 Nephi 1:12-14. Prophecies are always fulfilled!
Over and over again the prophecies have been fulfilled. It is our
responsibility to follow and trust the prophecies. I was thinking
about the star and how God had it placed in the heavens at the perfect
time for it to shine bright when the Savior was born. It made me think
if a quote by Elder Maxwell. “The same God that placed that star in a
precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in
celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal
attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that
we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives,
so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well." God
places us in certain places at certain times for specific reasons. I
know that just like that star that was placed in the Heavens we too
are placed in specific places. We are so blessed to know about our
Savior and to be able to use the Atonement daily. I know that He is
the only way to true happiness and that He is the only way to peace
and comfort! I love you!!! Talk to you on Wednesday!
  Love,
    Sister Griffin

Hi Mom!!
  How are you doing? It sounds like your week was great! Did you get a
big snow storm this last week? That's awesome that you are ready for
Christmas. I'm going to try and send a package home today. There isn't
going to be anything big in it but I'll have some Christmas presents
in there. As for the details on skype. We are going to do it at the
ward mission leaders home. We are going to use his username because I
don't remember the one I created before I left. Can you give me the
one you are going to use and I'll try to find yours. I'll give you the
one I am going to use next week. I think I'll be skyping home around
9AM your time. My companion is going to do it around 8AM so I'll just
do it after her. Plan on skyping at 9AM and I'll let you know if it
changes next week!!
  We did get lots of snow! It is beautiful!!! Church was canceled
yesterday so my companion and I went shoveling all day! It was much
more productive than tracting. People were so happy for the help. They
were really curious about who we were and what we were doing shoveling
for free. We shoveled out about 10 cars and we shoveled 3 driveways.
It was great! My companion is really sore today. I'm not as sore as I
thought I would be. There was one man that we helped that just got out
of the hospital and he seems really interested in learning about the
gospel. He said that he is Catholic but that he is kind of searching
for something else. He was very grateful for the help. He tried to
give me a hug and I stepped back and told him that I can't get hugs.
He said he understood. It was really funny! My companion doesn't like
the snow so I told her that I would like it enough for her and me
both. I was so grateful for the service that we were able to provide
for people. Everyone that we talked to wondered why we would go around
helping people. It was awesome to tell them about our missions and the
gospel!
  We contacted a man named Roger this week. We met with him, his wife
Kasey, and her brother Tommy. They had so many questions for us. It
was awesome!! Roger knew some members back in California. He had some
friends that grew up in the church and they invited him to church a
lot. They all had so many good questions. I was amazed at how many of
the Articles of Faith my companion and I used to answer their
questions. We used more than half of them. My companion was amazed at
the questions they were asking. She said she her mind would go
completely blank and then I would start answering it. I know that it
was not me that was answering their questions. The Spirit was guiding
my words and saying what needed to be said. I love it when the Spirit
answers their questions because the answers come in such a way that
they understand it. The Lord knows what people need and how to address
those needs. I know that I am just an instrument in the hands of the
Lord and I love it!!!
  I had a meeting up in Manchester this week and President Stoker was
talking to us about Christ and his birth. He also talked about Mary.
He read Luke 2:15-19. He focused a lot on verse 19. He mentioned that
Mary knew all that the Savior would do in this life. She knew that she
would watch Him die for all mankind. She knew that He would be
rejected by men. She also knew all the good that would come from Him.
I can't even imagine the strength she had to have to go through all
that. Mary was an amazing woman!!! I have been thinking about how
Christ is the only way that we can be cleansed from our sins and so I
was studying grace and mercy this week. What is grace? What is mercy?
Why are grace and mercy important? In "True to the Faith" it says that
every blessing we receive is an act of mercy. Blessings are things
that we can not bring about ourselves so that is an act of mercy from
God. In 2 Nephi 25:23 it says that we will be saved by grace, "after
all we can do." What does that mean? One of the biggest things that I
thought of is being reconciled to God. That includes repenting, doing
His will, turning and trusting Him. The gospel is really simple, we
just have to give up what we want and do what he wants. I was thinking
about how grace helps me as a missionary. It is God's grace that leads
me to people who are prepared to hear the gospel. I don't know who or
where people are that ready for the gospel but the Lord does. He will
guide me where I need to go because He knows who is ready to change
their hearts. I have to do all that I can to allow myself to be worthy
of His guidance. It is essential for me to pray for that guidance
every day. I love the gospel and I know that Christ is the ONLY way to
eternal happiness with our family and our Heavenly Father!! I love you
so much!!! Have a great week!!!
  Love,
   Sister Griffin

Hello Mom!!!
  How are you? It sounds like your week was really busy. That's
awesome that you had such a good turnout for the Christmas Party. We
were able to watch the Christmas Devotional. It was very different
because we only heard from President Monson. The other members of the
First Presidency didn't speak. I loved all of the music though. I
can't believe that it is already December 9...time just keeps flying
by. How did your lesson go? I'm sure it was great! How did Family Home
Evening go?
  I got transferred to Methuen, Massachusetts. My companion and I live
in New Hampshire but the chapel and some of the towns we are over are
in Massachusetts. I'm definitely going to have to be a more aggressive
driver here. My companion is Sister Miller. She is from Clinton, Utah.
She knows Chelsie's (the Chelsie from Utah State) sister. They went to
high school together. She has been out 4 1/2 months and she has only
served in Methuen. She loves it here. The sister that just got
transferred from here was here 9 months...I can't even imagine what it
would be like to be in an area for 9 months! Sister Miller is excited
to be out serving a mission. She reminds me of Sister Beus in a lot of
ways. We enjoy laughing and having fun! We do still have a car.
  We were stopping by the members homes this week so I could get to
know them and one member had a picture of my already on her fridge. It
was the Easter Card that Sister Johnson and I sent out in March.
Sister Johnson served in Methuen and so she sent some of the ward
members down here our Easter Card. It was weird to see a picture of my
on her fridge. There are two sets of Elders and us serving in the
Methuen ward. Methuen is different than Portland. Massachusetts is
very different from Maine. There are things that I'm going to miss
about Maine but there are things that I already love about
Massachusetts. We won't need to teach English in my new area.
  We were tracting this week and we asked a lady if she would like to
hear a Christmas message and she invited us in. Her name was Joleen.
She was awesome!! She is having a baby next week so she didn't set up
a time for us to come back. She was very interested in the message of
the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. She sounded like she was very
religious and so we are hoping to go back and talk to her some more
about the gospel. She was really nice. I know that God is preparing
people for the message of the gospel. It is amazing to see how He is
touching their hearts!
  This week I have been studying Christ's names and what they mean. I
have been thinking about how He has so many names and how they all
define that He was the Anointed One. I love how it says in the Bible
Dictionary that He is the anointed one of the Father to be His
personal representative in all things pertaining to the salvation of
mankind. That is so true! He represents our Father and right now I
have the blessing and responsibility to represent Him! Christ is our
Redeemer!! He has made it possible for us to receive the promises of
eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). He has made it possible for us to
seek forgiveness and one day return to Him and our Heavenly Father! I
was also thinking about the gifts that I could give Christ this season
since He gave the ultimate gift to me. What are some things that you
can give Christ to show that we are grateful for His gift to you? I
love that Christmas is so much more than focusing on Christ's birth
but also His whole life. He has showed us how we should live. It is
our choice to follow Him. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and
Redeemer. I know that He loves each and everyone of us and that is why
He willingly went through the Atonement! I love you so much!!! Have a
great week!! Drive safely in the snow! We finally have snow here!!! I
love it!!
  Love,
    Sister Griffin

Here is my new address:

103 Cluff Crossing Road V4
Salem, NH 03079
 I love you!!!
  Love,
   Sister Griffin