Holidays and scary things!

Hello Holidays!

There are 7 more school days before Christmas break, but who's counting right? ;)

That means there are 7 more days for me to figure out how to incorporate the holiday spirit of giving into my life more.

For a while now, I've been thinking of a friend to whom I would like to gift a Book of Mormon. Now, I have gifted a Book of Mormon before and it's very frightening for me. You'd think after the time I spent as a missionary, it would get easier.

It doesn't.

It's always hard and always scary and I ALWAYS build it up in my head to be more than it is.

I have conversations in my head that start a lot like this:

What if they think I'm trying to convert them? (Well, I sort of am...so...)

What if they think I'm trying to tell them that I think they're going to hell or something? (Then I haven't been doing a very good job at being their friend have I?)

What if they throw it away/never read it? (Doesn't change the fact that I gave.)

What if they get all weird about it? (Maybe you're the one being weird!)

I never stop to think about the positive conversations that I could have:

What if they read it and have questions to ask me--will I be ready to answer? (Better read that book again yourself, eh?)

What if they want to come to church? (Not super unusual to have marrieds at our singles branch. )

What if they join the church? (Then you'll probably get to help out with the baptism!)

Most of the time these conversations in my head keep me from doing whatever scary thing it is that I have set my mind to.

Except in one case: I auditioned for a solo in our community choir's production of Handel's Messiah. And...drumroll please...will be singing one of the soprano solos "Rejoice Greatly" (here's a recording of one of my favorite sopranos singing this...not what I sound like obviously...)

We rehearsed with the orchestra yesterday. That was scary. A week from Saturday and Sunday I will sing this in front of a paying audience. Scary. But I'm doing it. :)

And I think for Christmas I will give my friend a copy of the Book of Mormon. Then I will disappear for a few days visiting family for the holidays. :)

I'll keep you posted.

Do you do scary things? How does that usually work out for you?