Howdy howdy family and friends!
So it's been such an exciting week!!
So, in reference to the title of this e-mail, there is an AMAZING article in the July Ensign entitled "Becoming Perfect in Christ" and even though it was written just for me, I'm completely confident that it will benefit you too. :D We all go through different trials of faith, and I feel like the last few weeks, mine have kind of all come together this week, and my brain didn't know how to process all of it. Ether 12:27 is truth, we're given weaknesses so we can be humble and so that we can be made strong! This article really helped me put things into perspective and when I read it Tuesday evening I knew I'd found the answer I was in need of.
So to help me understand that answer, Heavenly Father blessed me with a few more experiences to humble me, and whew, I wish I had the words to explain them all, but I used all the resources I knew I had Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and by Saturday evening, shortly after starting a fast to know what it was I needed to learn, I received a great deal of help.
Luckily I have an amazing companion, who understands my particular brand of crazy because she's been with me for 5 months, and she took me right to where I needed to be. We caught up with some other sisters in town on their dinner break, one of which has had some similar trials lately and she read Psalm 71 with me, which was more than helpful, we talked and went through some scriptures and it was only after we got back to Ether 12:27, that I realized all the answers are in the scriptures! They can relate to everything in my life... not perfectly, but they relate. And the spirit that was in that room we were talking in was strong, and we were both learning from it.
I finally gained the courage to call the mission president, and in a few minutes he somehow understood what I was trying to explain to him, helped me to feel uplifted and encouraged, and got Old Testament on me and gave me a chapter to study, so I could find some solutions to my problems. He told me specifically to pray for "What I needed to learn from the chapter".
In case you missed it before, that's totally what I had started my fast about: what I need to learn! And, I indeed found the answers I needed, followed by the best sleep I've ever had as a missionary, and the best 5 hours of church I've ever attended. We talked a lot about fasting, repentance, relying on the Atonement, obedience, and the importance of scripture study! We actually read a lot in Isaiah55 about the Lord's understanding, Isaiah 58 about fasting, and then I read in 3Ne23 about the Savior telling us to study the words of the prophets, especially of Isaiah. :)
My testimony of fasting, prayer and learning by the Spirit has increased incredibly, words cannot begin to express the joy I feel.
Now, don't get me wrong, I 've still got those problems I need to learn from, but I've really understood better that I am strong, only in Jesus Christ, because He is where all of my strength comes from. And I know more and more every day, that the fullness of Christ's gospel has been restored to the earth, because my God is a God of miracles!
I love you! And I hope that if anyone is out there struggling with something, don't feel bad about taking a step back and taking it to the Lord, because His perspective is much greater than ours! :)
Just so you know that the week wasn't ONLY hardship, here are some awesome missionary things that happened:
Free Slurpees at 7-11 on Friday the 11th of July!
I got a surprise package from New Mexico on Wednesday, and opened it during our only 20-min break of the day while I iced my tailbone :P
(yes, that is a Hobbs keychain! I<3HOBBS!!)
We made the greatest lemon bars of your life!!!!!:D
So this week was filled with a lot of amazing work as well! We were able to help DJ (grandson of Tanya who was baptized 2 months ago), finish his preparations for baptism, and he was baptized on Thursday!
DJ's program was amazing and so filled with the Spirit! Kids from the ward did everything! All ages 7-16, prayers, talks, and even the baptismal ordinance was done by the youth! It really re-testified to me that we truly do have a great increase in our family when we are baptized into the Lord's Church!
We had another amazing experience with the Spirit when we went to see an older couple in the hospital (Brother and Sister G), and Brother G wasn't doing very good. When we walked into their room another Brother and Sister from the church were visiting, and it just felt really good in there, even though it was really sad that we knew Brother G was dying... We ended up talking about Mosiah 2:17 after the home hospice owner commented on how "close" our "church family" is, because the brethren in the church have been taking turns spending the night with Brother G, so Sister G can get some rest. This reminded me of Brother Smith bearing his testimony last Sunday, and when he said that the nurse, noticing that he was there past visiting hours, asked if he was family, Brother Smith teared up a little when he responded: "Yes, he's my brother!"
After Sister Hoover and I had walked out into the hall, I realized a huge change in how it felt, leaned over and said, "woah, there is a lot of love in that room." There really was, and sadly Brother G passed away that evening, but it is really comforting to me to still be able to hear and feel Sister G's testimony she shared with us about how, even though it's going to be hard, she knows it will be okay, because she will see him again, and she knows with surety that their marriage was indeed for time and all eternity, and not until death parted them.
And I know that having an eternal family is what God wants for all of His children :)
I love you all! Have an amazing week!
No comments:
Post a Comment