"Do I have to serve a mission?" - October 14, 2014

Howdy howdy my lovely family and friends!

Happy post-Columbus-day e-mail! :D The library was closed yesterday, so we get to e-mail today. It's been quite a week! ...not as eventful as last week, but filled with lots of insight and learning. :) The highlights of it consisted on some really amazing insights on relationships from one of the members of our mission presidency, seeing the relief society in action, and finding strength in weaknesses. (And of course, the title of this e-mail :P)

President Loveitt, of the TLM mission presidency came to Childress this weekend and talked with Sister Carroll and I a little about our area, and our companionship. He and his wife are just two amazing people, and it was a pleasure to be around them! As they gave us a little instruction on companionship communication, he applied a scripture in a way that I had never thought of before. (Ether 12:27) He said, "Just remember your purpose isn't to point out each other's weaknesses, the Lord does that for us as we draw closer to Him, but you are here to make each other happy." I love it when people tell you something you already knew, but they remind you that it's important to remember. :P There's a balance in our growing process, it's not always comfortable, but you can find peace in your afflictions, through the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. I personally think that the happiness we are able to share with each other comes from moving in the same direction of growth, looking forward to the positive. That was a nice little gem I think I'll hang on to for awhile... or forever, :P

A woman we met a couple weeks ago, Dorthy, had her daughter give birth to her newest grandchild this week! We were talking on the phone with her and had an idea to ask the relief society to make her family dinner, and then called our wonderful relief society president, and it was done! I love it when people actually mean it when they tell you "If you need anything ask me!" And I love that, with how the church is organized there is always someone to call to take care of a need, like dinner for a hungry family. :)

My testimony that the Lord shows us our weaknesses as we draw closer to him has increased greatly, haha. This week I've been pretty humbled by my asthma. I think I might be too allergic to these white fields! :P haha, but the struggle has been real, trying to breathe lately, and with the seasons changing, and temperature going up and down, I think my lungs just went into a little rebellion haha. So that was interesting, but as always, weaknesses are made strengths. I was told by Sister Heap (the mission president's wife) that I'm not allowed to run in the morning until I can breathe better, so I've been learning patience, and I've had a little more time in the morning to read my scriptures... I'll let you know what I learn, when we get there, I'm still in processes being made strong with this one I think, ;P

And last but not least, the title of this week! :D 

So we had a lesson with Danny-boy last night, we've been teaching him for about 10 weeks, and he's all set up for baptism on Sunday, and as we were planning his service, he asked: "...So what happens after this? After I get baptized... Do I have to serve a mission?" Oh man, it was the best question ever! Simply, because, Danny's already the best missionary ever, and he's been through it all and back again, already receiving some discrimination for being "Mormon", and I have no doubt that he would still be getting baptized on Sunday if we had said: "Yes, you must go on a mission!" haha but, just the very sincere humility that man has never ceases to amaze me. It's really not fair how much we are able to learn from those we are called to teach out here.

 

And I have no doubt Christ's restored gospel, the good news we are called to teach, is the absolute truth. I know it, I'm trying to live it, and I love it! Every day.

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

Pictures:

1- Awkward District meeting pictures are the best :) (and I'm still the shortest!) :P

 

 

 

Meet the Mormons! - October 6, 2014

Howdy howdy my lovely family and friends!!

I hope this little e-mail today finds you well! I don't even know WHERE to begin becasue there was just SO much that happened this week!

We had monday night miracles, Tuesday we got to see the new Meet the Mormons movie that will be coming out this weekend! Wednesday night we had the most peaceful drive out in the country EVER, and when it was dark and we were returning home, it looked like it was snowing grasshoppers because of all the bugs that were out. We saved our neighbor's goat on Thursday (just let her back in to their fence :P) Also, we BIKED 22 milesss! Friday we had a miracle lesson with a new investigator. And then Saturday and Sunday we got to attend 8 hours of amazing instruction from the prophet, and the apostles! It was amazing, and the entire theme and Spirit of General Conference was an answer to prayers. :)

First I want to talk about Meet the Mormons! Wow, oh wow, was it a blessing to be able to see it! They talked about how it is coming out in church last week, and they siad that missionaries would not be in or around the theatres it'd be playing in. Then, we get news that we have a surprise Zone Conference and we get to watch the movie! I LOVED IT!! There were 6 touching stories about a Bishop, a Coach, a Fighter, a Pilot, a Humanitarian, and a Missionary Mom. :) I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the chapel when that last segment came on.... it was just really inspiring. My favorite story was the fighter and her family, it was pretty nifty, becasue you don't see a lot of LDS women strapping on gloves and getting into a ring. :D I just can't wait for EVERYONE to see it! Seriously, go see it, and then go see it again, it is amazing. Plus, all the proceeds are going to the American Red Cross, who I literally give my blood to, so you should see it, and maybe then go give blood too. :P

Second, I wanted to talk about something I studied this week, that I've kind of been learning a little bit at a time over the past year or so... but I've been pondering a lot on the Spirit, and how the Spirit is what really does all the testifying of truth. As I was reading in Preach My Gospel (to help guide and focus some of my studies in teh scriptures) it caught my eye that there are 2 fundamental parts of being converted: there is the doctrine of conversion, and the experience of conversion. The doctrine is knowledge, we know things are ture that we read, that we hear, and that we pray about. We get peace. But the expereince of conversion is actually applying that doctrine to my life! What a novel thought huh? Well, this week, I had a little bit of an Enos moment where "the things which I had often heard sank deep into my heart", and it was pretty enlightening. We learn a LOT of docrinal conversion through the Holy Spirit out here as missionaries, and that is also what we teach in lessons, but it is completely our choice to actually expereince and choose to let this amazing truth and knowledge not only lighten our minds, but also our path. We have to choose to carry it with us, and to continually replenish the fuel source from which this amazing light comes!

And the last thing I wanted to talk about was General Conference! It was so, so, so truly amazing, and I loved how there was a very distinct theme of finding your own spiritual witness of truth, with a lot of talks about following the prophet- taking time to emphasize that what they teach are not the things of the world, but they are of God... and we need to ask Him to know the truthfulness of their words. It was amzing. I also had a thought about laws during conference, with all this talk about truth, and the importance of following God's commandments, or His laws... two lines stood out to me, one was about truth, I'll paraphrase it, but someone said: "We believe in absolute truth in world that disdains absolutes." The second about finding answers: "Where should I turn for answers?"

This made me think... in our miracle lesson on Friday, with a wonderful man named Jeremy, we were sitting out in the back yard, and about 20 minutes into his lesson she literally throws open the door, cussing up a storm, yelling at us, and viciously demanding: "YOU KNOW YOURE A CULT RIGHT? THEY DON'T EVEN BELIEVE IN JESUS! THEY ARE A CULT! ASK MY PREACHER!"

[the miracle of this lesson, was that Jeremy did feel the Spirit and recognized the difference between the hate in his mother's voice and the comfort and peace from his Heavenly Father.]

Also, one of the young women in our congregation went to a youth activity at a local church this weekend where the preacher yelled at the kids, I guess they do that eveyr week in church, but he told them: "You have to have faith, if you don't, then you're just a Mormon, or a Muslim."

I was really grateful that the Spirit was present in both of these occassions to give some peace and comfort to Jeremy, and our wonderful young woman, as their faith was tested. I am also glad to know that they don't go to a preacher for answers, but they are both seeking direction from the Lord. It was reaffirmed to me in Conference, that to fully recieve guidance from our leaders, so are called of God, we need to go to the source of all truth, we need to go to God in prayer to gain the knowledge we seek, and not lean unto our own understanding.

Don't worry, this all comes back to my thought on laws -- something I realized way back when I was a teenager was that people are mean. The gospel, however, brought light into my life enough to see, and then experience the good. It boggeled my mind, how a man, claiming to be a man of God, could try and enstil so much hate towards a very specific group of people while preaching to his congregation, I kind of went back to high school and asked myself why can't people just be nice to eachother? And then I thought of the Savior, He led by example, He led with love, and He never said anything that was unkind, and always testified that what He did was of His Heavenly Father. Would a loving Father want any of His children, wayward or not, to ever be discriminated against?

I thought of God's laws. Yes, the two great commandments, to love God, and to love your neighbor. Like gravity, and faith, God's laws are not anything we can physically see, but we are all subject to the effects of them. Even if I didn't believe in gravity, I'm still stuck to the ground without a considerable amount of effort and energy, and if I ever made it to space, I'd be stuck in orbit... the effects of God's laws on us are sometimes like being in orbit (we don't really notice where we are in relation to the sun during the year right?) but sometimes God's laws are more apparent, like the gravity. I just thought that was pretty cool!

People often put science and religion in contrast with one another, but faith really is like gravity, you can't see or measure them, but you CAN see and measure their effects, both compel to motion, and keep you grounded, though sometimes you've got to break through the atmosphere before being able to fully feel the grounding effects.

I love this gospel, and I love that we have not just some absolute truth on the earth today, but we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth. The fullness of Jesus Christ's good news and His and our Heavenly Father's love for us.

We are blessed.

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

p.s. go see Meet the Mormons!

meetthemormons.org

p.s.s. Elder David A. Bednar's talk was directed specifically towards those who are not members of the church! Check it out at:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPSU100514465&lang=eng

Sunday Afternoon Session (almost to the bottom) it's David A. Bednar (right before President Monson) in a couple days it'll be up :D
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Pictures:
1- I love the fun billboards on these TX highways! :D :D :D

 

 

 

 

 

Here's my heart. - September 29, 2014

Hello Hello my beautiful family and friends!

I hope this e-mail finds you as well as I am doing this fine, fine day! Wow, there is just SO much that happens every week, it's crazy!! I love it so much! It's just really amazing to see how the Lord's work really WORKS! hahahaha This week was humbling and full of learning and teaching, and I think excitement for General Conference is part of it, but I'm just feeling especially jovial today. :)

We had dinner this week with the true pioneers of this beautiful Childress branch! The Wyatt's! They are really something else, we got to hear about how everything started with them trying to start the children's program (primary) for their kids, and then after some period of years, they were able to have church, and their meetings were in the Wyatt's home! It's humbling to hear these pioneers stories, and how everything progressed, and the trials that were faced as these amazing people got the church going here! It is true that the Lord gives us 100x back whatever the sacrifices that we make, and I feel really blessed to be here 3 generations later helping the work progress even more.

With that fun fact, we had our general women's broadcast this week! It was INCREDIBLE!! :D Our little branch is so amazing, we had two families with 4 generations of sisters in that room! Something that stood out to me in the broadcast, besides my joy in thinking about returning to the temple again, was when Sister Marriott encouraged all the primary aged young girls to remind their parents to pray! :) I thought to myself: Well, I'm 6.5 years old... I'm in primary! I've gotta remind my parents to pray on Monday! :D haha so this is a reminder to all you parents out there, Pray! <3 your 6.5 year old little buddy Sister Lagrosa :)

Also this week we've been extremely blessed to have found quite a few new people to teach from all walks of life, one woman preparing to go to rehab, to a man who has been a Pentecostal preacher! It's interesting to feel how the Spirit works with each of the people we talk to, and with, and how true it is the promise that if we are seeking truth we will find it! 

I discovered this week that citing sources in not only something you need to do in long research papers or if you're writing journal articles. I was really humbled this week when we tried to teach a man who had dozens and dozens of questions, and years and years of learning. While we talked with him, whenever we would give him an answer he would immediately as something else, searching for faults in our imperfect use of words... it seemed the longer we spoke the more excited he got, not really happy excited, but more of a friendly I'm-smarter-than-you-and-I-WILL-prove-it-but-hey-you're-God's-people-too-so-I'll-be-nice excited. It made me think of how the Savior taught the gospel, who we need to try to emulate as His set apart missionaries, and looking back, I'm a little surprised at my responses I gave to him. Being the Sister Lagrosa we all know and love, you know a lot of my imperfection comes from an inclination to argue (probably because it happens in my mind a lot), but I get pretty emotionally invested, especially when it is something I have sacrificed (metaphorical) blood, sweat, and tears, to learn for myself. Also, it's a little intimidating talking to a man who has preached to congregations larger than the number of people we meet in a single day! I know I've not received any formal religious training, but I know the gospel is simple. And I was surprised to realize, even though I was slightly more sobered in my mood, I had peace with me during and after our lesson.

This man asked us two questions that really stood out to me:

1- Why would they send you out when you don't know EVERYTHING about what you believe?

and 2- If what you are saying is true, that this is God's one true church in it's fullness, why are people rejecting it?

My answers came from some of my favorite passages of scripture

1- 1 Corinthians 2:9-16; Isaiah 28:13, 2 Nephi 28:30; John 14:26-27; John 15:16

2- Basically all of John chapters 14-15 but specifically John 15:17-22

It is simple our purpose as missionaries to help others come closer to Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel. It's not my good news that I'm sharing, it's the good news of Jesus Christ that we teach, and He will always qualify whom He calls. I have no doubt of my imperfection; however, I know that I don't know everything, I won't for a very, very, very long time. What I know is simple, and sure, it's peaceful, and it brings me closer to my Heavenly Father as I understand His love better. Jesus Christ did not call scholars of the law of Moses, or religious leaders of the time to be His disciples to share His gospel, He called the meek and lowly in heart, the humble ones who would rely on Him to be guided and not their own wisdom. I think sending young kids out here reflects that, even though we are stubborn, and and the height of "knowing it all", we are quicker to remember the help we've needed as we've grown to where we are. I know I am not the teacher, only a messenger, and it is the Spirit that teaches and helps us to remember the things that we already learned before we came to this earth to walk by faith.

As for his second question that stood out to me, it did seem unfair that this truth, not even just one truth, but the fullness of Christ's true gospel is so widely rejected. As I pondered in sacrament meeting yesterday about this a thought came to my head: It really doesn't make sense... it's too much to comprehend that this could possibly be true, there couldn't be one truth for everyone to agree on! After a deep exhale I felt my heart warm up. I knew deep down, without words, but I knew that there was something more than just "agreeing"... As I looked around the room and thought of some of the stories of these amazing, yet imperfect individuals I shared this space with... That's man's understanding Sister Lagrosa, you know better than that, and you know you won't find truth relying on that thinking alone.

This thought sobered me up, I'm grateful for the trails of faith we face, from the shorter ones in our minds to the longer ones that take some time to overcome... It's incomprehensible to imagine how the Lord could have this hard-headed stubborn missionary out here to teach anything... but as Isaiah wrote (55:8-11) His ways are higher than ours... and nothing that goes forth from His mouth will return to Him void.

I know Who called me to serve here, and I know Who gives me all the strength and energy I need to do so... it's a little scary to realize the amount of humility needed as we wield the power of the Spirit out here.

My Heavenly Father loves me. Those 5 words are what brought me to understand the importance of the message we share, it is all simple, and the fullness of the truth always and forever will return to that simple statement.

I love you each, and I'll leave you with a little challenge this week to reaffirm Heavenly Father's love for you... if you need some help, I'm sure there's a couple of kids wearing black badges that would be happy to give you some inspiration.

I love you each so so much, and I hope you have an incredible week! :D

With all of my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

Pictures:

1- Sister Carroll made me LOL when I found this in the phone! We decided to have 5K Friday this transfer, and we both aren't the best at running, but she hates it ahahahaa, I need it though :P

2-  We destroyed some concreted and moved a lot of wood this week! I got to put my AWESOME 3-dollar boots to work! :D

3- Awesome Sister Missionary picture huh? :)

 

 

Chapter 12: "Tune my heart to sing Thy grace!" - September 22, 2014

Howdy howdy family and friends!!

I honestly cannot believe it is the 12th chapter of my mission already!! Wow... well, the good, and almost unbelievable news is that I'll be staying right here in Childress with the wonderful Sister Carroll for 6 more weeks! The last 6 have already gone by SO fast! It's crazy! But, I couldn't have asked for a less stressful transfer call hahahaha

In the craziness of last week, I forgot to write about how I'm considering myself truly Texan now because I ran barefoot through the grass (filled with goatheads and all) during our missionary- branch activity last week! I got some of those little goatheads in my feet when my shoes fell off, but it turned out pretty good. :)

Also, I got to shake Elder Andersen's hand at stake conference!!! That was so cool! I'm excited for general conference coming up the first week of October, and the women's broadcast this coming Saturday! Fall really brings in the best time to learn! School is back into full swing, we are being spiritually edified, and that sun isn't so blazing hot anymore!

...which is actually really good because our AC went out this week, and our little house got into the 90s, gratefully though, my Dexter experience kept me thankful, because we didn't have a ceiling fan in New Mexico lol. 

But, even more news from this wonderful week, since we've been approved to be able to participate in more service, we've been helping move some items for the local thrift store in our area, and it's been going pretty well! They recently moved stores, so we've had a fun task of moving all their boxes in their old store, and we've found some treasures! One of which was a perfectly fitting pair of gently used cowboy boots that I was able to get for only 3 dollars! So, I'm definitely getting Texan! :P

But, the best part of the week (well, the best part of the week that's different from other weeks, because lets be honest, teaching is the BEST part of the week every week!), but yes, the best part of the week was the wonderful trip Sister Carroll and I were able to make to the temple! We got to drive down to Lubbock with Sister S, an amazing woman in the branch, the "only Mormon in Motley county"! She made the drive feel incredibly short with her life stories, and then it was incredible to get to the temple, and see a lot of familiar faces from lots of far away places! haha there were so many people there, and it was just an incredible experience. I feel very blessed that we are now able to go every transfer! :D

Two things really stood out to me on this experience. One was seeing some of the members and missionaries from old areas I've served in, I saw a sister from Monahans, and I saw a couple from Midland 1st ward who were working there, and I saw some missionaries just from around the mission (including 2 of my old companions who are now serving together!)!! There is already that special spirit in the Lord's house, and I was just filled with so much more excitement as I saw them, I thought about how that will be when we are reunited with our families when the time comes... it's only been a number of months since I'd been in contact with some of these amazing individuals, and just the joy I felt at being together again in such a Holy place brought tears to my eyes... I can't imagine being reunited for eternity, but I know it's going to happen, and it can, with God's authority.

The second experience I had that really stood out to me was as I was reading the scriptures after our session. My mind and my heart felt so full as I was standing there reading from that beautiful white book! I was reading in Chapters 12-16 of John, chapters I know and love, but for some reason they just had so much more meaning, I understood a few things better that hadn't stood out to me before, but I felt as if there was something deeper in them that  I can not yet understand... in a way like my brain was trying to remember something I'd forgotten, but I felt it, it was beautiful. :)

So this week was really just wonderful! As usual, Sunday brought everything together, and for me, this week, it came in the form of a talk by a recent convert in the branch. He bore a very tender, but raw testimony, about how he's received a considerable amount of opposition since he has joined the church. He said "I was welcomed to every church in Clarendon, but when I finally got baptized, and realized I have my hope of being able to get to going Home... everything changed..." A few weeks ago he bore his testimony about how he'd spent 70 years of his life not living until he found the fullness of the truth...

I've just been amazed as I've been here at the firmness of the faith of the Latter-day Saints down here. Yes, there are a great number of friendly, good, Christian folks down here, but, especially in small towns, there is a lot of hate from ignorance. I mean, it's understandable for us to get rejected as missionaries, we are defiantly different, and we don't live normal lives right now, but it's not hard to see that the members of our church are incredible Christian people that have the same problems in life as anyone else...  Sitting in sacrament meeting and listening to Brother Like tell a little bit of his story just filled me with hope. I know, as missionaries we would not be able to do this if it was not true, and I know with all of my heart our wonderful members wouldn't be able to stay strong and actively involved in their faith if it was not the FULLNESS of Christ's gospel here on the earth today.

I love the Lord, and I'm just feeling so blessed to be part of His work! He really is tuning my heart one day at a time! :)

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

Pictures:

1- Reunited with some old companions at the temple! (you know when you've had too many companions when they start getting paired up with each other!) 

2- A cutesicles little sign outside of Sweet, Sweet Childress!!

3- My $3 dollar cowboy boots! woot woot!

 

"The urge to move as my heart stirs!" - September 15, 2014

Howdy, howdy my loved family and friends!

 

It was yet another great week out here in sweet, sweet Childress!! :) Lots of learning, laughter, and love! :D

 

We had lots of learning happen this week while we taught lessons, had zone training (just a gathering of missionaries in the Amarillo area) and went to stake conference and we were able to listen to Elder Neil L. Andersen speak to us! There was SOOO much goodness in each of the sessions of Stake Conference we were able to hear (the adult session, the youth and young adult session, and the general session) :D 

 

There really was nothing that I didn’t love about Stake Conference this weekend, but what stood out to me most was said by Elder Andersen in his address to the youth at 8:30 Sunday morning. He was talking about how preparing to go to the temple is how you prepare to serve a mission, and gave 7 suggestions. The fourth was: “Pray and read your scriptures when no one is looking.” Then he continued, and asked us why it should be a secret. Everyone laughed and he further explained that as do these things on our own we really build up our personal testimonies, and that is what really carries us through hard times, not what we are forced or compelled to do. He further explained that as teenagers, you’re going to be forced to do some things and you can’t control all of your personal circumstances, but it is what you do on your own that shapes who you are. At the end of his address he said: “Be serious about your life, have fun, but be serious. No one will care about you quite as much as you can care about yourself. Our choice is what we become.”

 

The Spirit settled in really deep when I heard that. And then it settled in again at the end of conference when he said: “If we are not happy with ourselves, we need to learn to love ourselves; we will be ourselves for a very long time.”

 

I thought about how everyone in the world has circumstances they choose and those they do not choose, but it is really how we respond to our present and view the past that shape who we are and who we become… there really is a lot of struggle in the world, but we can prevail with the Lord on our side! We just need to be humble!

 

Moroni 10:32 “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all unholiness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”

 

As I was reading this this week, the thought came to me that Christ’s grace can NEVER be sufficient unless we choose Him, unless we desire his grace to be sufficient for us in our lives, and we use our energy to love God and do His will. He is there for us, but we really have to choose Him.

 

His plan is perfect, His love is real, and His church is true!

 

With all of my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

 

The Struggle is REAL! - September 8, 2014

Howdy Howdy family and friends!!

It was indeed another beautiful week here in good 'ol Childress Texas! It's kind of amazing how we always seem to learn and to grow and how Heavenly Father really does prepare us very specifically for very specific trials and situations we will be put in.

The last few days have been pretty amazing, the last few weeks have just FLOWN by! It's so hard to think that I've been here in Childress for a month already! And ever since I got here we've been looking forward to stake conference (just a big gathering in our geographical area up here in the panhandle of TX) because Elder Andersen from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles is coming to speak! Now it's just a few short days away! crazy. We are all very excited though, and we fasted as a branch this Sunday so we can all have a spiritual experience this coming weekend as we listen to an apostle speak! :D

This is also getting me SO excited for general conference coming up here in a couple weeks!! There is SO much exciting stuff on the way!

As I was thinking about what to share this week some lines from one of the songs on the new Nasville Tribute CD:

" There's nothing like the kind of smile you just can't hold back,

as the truth comes alive, and believing starts a whole new life."

Those words just make my heart stir even just thinking about them!

And tying this all together with the title of this e-mail, we've been working the last few weeks a lot with this amazing man named Danny, who is preparing for baptism next week, and he's been having some struggles. The most amazing thing that I've seen these past few weeks is just how much his countenance has changed, and how he is truely lighter. He knows without a doubt that the gospel is true, and it has been restored in its fullness in these last days, and he is fighting hard to change from who he has been in the past.

Sister Carroll and I were talking about thinking again (shocker right? :P) on Saturday night, and I was trying to describe the conflict that I have in my mind sometimes, even when I know something is true, I wonder how could there be so much adversity if it really is true?? And I know Christ's path was filled with adversity, and He was perfect and true His entire life! But, to me, and I'd never thought of it like this before, but to me it just felt like a demon or something in my head that just tries to keep the negativity and not let any light in. That just kind of keeps me in a place where I was before instead of letting me move forward.

Fast forwarding to Sunday evening we met with Danny, and he's had a ROUGH day, and he very cautiously shared with us how he felt: "It's like I'm not playing with a full deck of cards, or like I've just been bad for so long, I don't know how to be good... do you think that there is just something evil in me?"

I almost started crying when he said that because I just felt the conflict he was feeling in my heart, and it sunk deep. We went to the scriptures, in Mosiah 3:19, and talked about the natural man and the spiritual man that is inside each one of us. As we went through the passage one line at a time, we discussed how it is sometimes a person's trial to be more aware of that conflict than others. I received a lot of answers to questions I hadn't realized I'd had before. And it was just really, really amazing to feel the truth in the words I spoke, that I know didn't come from me, but from the Spirit.

During the lesson I felt a little anxiety, because as missionaries we really only help people spiritually, but there are a lot of other things in the world that take our time, energy, and thought space... We continued to Matthew 6:33-34 as we addressed a temporal concern with him, and did the only thing we could do, just promise blessings. We don't know how everything works, but we do know that Christ's promises are ALWAYS kept, and as we follow His counsel, everything will work together.

This week was really and truely amazing, everything kind of came together in studies this morning I ran across this scripture in 2 Tim 3:7 - "[there are people] Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

It was right in the middle of some counsel from Paul to his son Timothy, talking about how people would turn away into apostacy, and some of the characteristics they had... and I've seen in my life that I LOVE learning, but this helped me to remember that knowledge has no purpose without truth everything is useless unless it has a purpose... so even though it's nice to know things, I need to learn with a purpose, always, the words I say need to have a purpose, always, and the steps I take in life (physically and metaphorically) need to have a purpose, always.

It's good to know that the gospel is the good news! I'm happy to have it in my life, and I'm very happy to have opportunities to share it, in its restored fullness today!

 

I love you all! Keep searching for truth, It'll light up your life! (seriously :D)

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

Picture:

1- I've been dreaming of this picture ever since I started my mission!

Some things I love: Thundersto​rms, Country Roads, and the Spirit - September 3, 2014

Hello hello my favorite family and friends!

So today is Wednesday, we were busy labouring on labor day, and the Library was closed, AND we had zone conference yesterday, so our e-mail time came late this week! So naturally I have SO much to tell you all about!! :)

First off, I wish I could name off all the amazing things I LOVE about sweet, sweet Childress! We got rain last week! LOTS AND LOTS OF RAIN!! The thunder was so LOUD our little blue house shook! But it was an amazing week filled with miracles, and life and laughter and love! We were introduced to the new Nashville Tribute CD- Called to Serve (I think is its name), and I fell in LOVE with the track about Moms- it made me really, really grateful for the amazing mothers who have helped shaped me in my life, especially my mom! :) It's kind of interesting learning more about myself out here, has really helped me understand so much more, and appreciate so much better the goodness and influence that I have had in my life. And I know that I wouldn't be out here without that influence. We got the CD from a mom, lol, and she was talking about all the kids and going to seminary and stuff, and our little congregation's geographical area is SO HUGE (seriously, it's like 3-4 counties) that there are kids who wake up and SKYPE into seminary in the morning because they live an hour away from the church! It's amazing the sacrifices that we make individually throughout different time periods in our lives so that we can learn and grow. And it especially amazes me the sacrifices that a lot of the church members out here make to keep everything going.

COUNTRY ROADS! This morning we went for a run, a pretty long one for our early morning missionary work outs, it was a little over 3 miles, and there is just something amazing about watching the sky slowly fill with light as you're running down a road that never ends! Okay, let's be honest, this is me we're talking about it was more of a nice jog, except when I realized that there were some dogs that weren't leashed and I turned around and sprinted away pretty quick :P but, overall, it was amazing. As I was talking with my lovely companion after our run, we realized that we both have very different experiences in our heads while we're going. Where she thinks of anything and everything in the world so she doesn't have to think about how she's running, my mind kind of goes blank, kind of like the feeling you get right before you take a test and you forgot everything- but it's not anxiety-inducing, just relaxing, because normally I feel like it's going 1001 miles/hour in 379 different directions. I'm pretty lucky to have a good soundtrack just going in my head, but there are some little things cross into the blank-ness sometimes, like how the temperature is cooler when we're in one of the little valleys between the hills, or how it's almost indiscernible, but the light really does gradually increase before you see the sun rise over the horizon! Upon further reflection, I kind of likened it to a little analogy that was used in a conference recently: how we learn truth/see light comes in 1 of 2 ways:

1- like turning on a lightswitch = immediate answers

2- like watching the sun rise = gradual progression

And I thought of how we're all kind of running down this road we can't see the end of, except it's like an ALL day process! haha, but we can kind of start in the dark, and then the first bits of light show us where the horizon is, and kind of give us a little more motivation to go towards it, even though we can't see the best of what's in front of us. But as we go up and down the hills, moving forward, slowly the path in front of us gets a little lighter and we can see a little more. And then we get some more light, and realize, wow, we have a long way to go! But, we keep going, and it feels awesome! :D

I'll end today with a little bit on the Spirit, because that was a HUGE focus during our Zone Conference yesterday, and I know that 18-26 children would not be able to be out here serving teaching the gospel without it! :P 

President Heap is such a powerful speaker, and we were being taught a lot about how we need to teach by the Spirit, and to other's needs, show them we love them, because that's what the Savior did, that is the ONLY reason He ministered, was because of love! After he called each of us by name he said: "I know each of you by name because I love you, and I need you." The Spirit was so strong in the room, I can't describe to you the peace and sincerity that was in that man's words. He talked just a little bit more about how we are teaching and preaching repentance, a lot of people know the Savior down here, but they don't fully understand that the Atonement changes you. That was very bold, and both of my eyebrows went up, but I knew his words were true, and I realized, I'd have to be learning repentance, and the atonement for the rest of my life too. It only gets harder and hotter with that sun rising in my life, but it's a beautiful thing to be able to walk (or run) by faith while we're here on earth, because that road I travel, it's celestial. :)

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

p.s. check out davidandmaryheap.blogspot.com for more fun TLM mission news!! :D

PICTURES!!
1- I LOVE ME SOME CHILDRESS!! (also, getting on that wall was an adventure :P)

2- This is why we need to go running every morning! Everything is BIGGER in Texas!

3- Bike day in the rain! (Don't worry, we were about 4.528 seconds from a DOWNPOUR, and 4.326 seconds from a member's home, the thunders was shaking the streets in this picture!)

4- awesome missionary foot blister :P

5- EPIC!

6- After a run on the front porch of our cutesicles little blue house :D

7- Zone Conference = old companion reunions! :D