December 2004 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

One evening just before Christmas
I was struck with a sudden, passionate
urge to find a Christmas tree for the
Andersons. Out of nowhere the idea
hit me—I just had to get them a tree.
As pathetic as my own tree might be,
it brought at least a portion of the
Christmas spirit into our home.
I spent the rest of the evening
making paper chains, popcorn
strings, and, of course, a yellow star
Open the Card First
By Samuel Osorio Mendoza
When we’re young, sometimes
all we think about
at Christmastime is
what we are going to
receive. In 1991, I
received the best
gift of all.
The previous year I
had decided to serve a
mission, because my mother
and several other relatives had
set an example for me. So I left the
university after my 18th birthday
and worked at a fire station for a
year to save money and help relieve
my family of the financial burden of
supporting me on my mission.
I finally sent my papers in, certain
that by 1 December I would be
LATTER-DAY SAINT VOICES
with glitter for the treetop. In
the morning I hiked out onto the
mountainside and searched until I
found a small tree. I hacked it down
and found an old can to decorate and
fill with dirt for a base. The end product
was more laughable than beautiful,
but it looked cheery enough—if
you sort of squinted your eyes.
I called to ask Ruth if I could come
down, then bundled up my kids and
leaving to serve the Lord. When the
first two weeks of December passed,
I became more anxious to receive a
reply than to get any Christmas gift.
But no letter came. I thought perhaps
the Lord didn’t love me or
maybe my worthiness was in
question; I had all kinds
of discouraging
thoughts.
On Christmas
Eve I left early in the
morning to play handball with
my brother at a club near our house.
When I got home, I noticed several
Christmas cards hanging on the
tree, including a very large card
wrapped in gift paper. It had my
name on it. I wanted to open it, but
made the hike down the mountain. I
somehow managed to balance the tree
and the children without major mishap
and arrived safely at the cabin door.
When Ruth answered my knock, she
took one look at my comical little tree
and burst into tears. I entered the
house very much afraid that my idea
had not been such a good one after all.
When Ruth regained her composure,
she explained her tears. It was
my mother said it would be better
to wait until evening when our family
had gathered.
After dinner we decided to open
our gifts. I headed for the biggest gift
I had, but my family told me to open
the card first. When I did, I saw that it
was a letter and the sender was The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. It was addressed to Elder
Samuel Osorio.
By then all I could see were
camera flashes, as my father took
pictures of my astonished face.
I was so happy and grateful to
receive my call on Christmas Eve.
That was my best Christmas
present ever. My mission was one of
the greatest experiences of my life,
and my call from the Lord is the best
gift I’ve ever received at Christmas. ■
Samuel Osorio Mendoza is a member
of the Palmas Ward, Poza Rica Mexico
Palmas Stake.
ENSIGN DECEMBER 2004 61