Hello world,
I am just so happy. Not the kind of happy where "everything is going right" or something like that, but the kind of happy where I feel the love that Heavenly Father has for me, and I understand my purpose and my potential with Christ. I feel true joy that is deep within my heart! I don't think I've felt joy in that way before. It really is true what the Mission Call Letter says that we'll feel more happiness than we have ever felt before. At one point in my mission, I was wondering if that would even be true. But I know it is! I just am so grateful for my testimony and conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I never even thought I could have such a powerful conviction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last night I recieved revelation that came to me suddenly and as a direct thought in my own words. I promise I wasn't thinking about my future husband or boys or anything, but my revelation was basically like this: "ALL I care about (or at least number 1 for me) in finding my future husband is that he is keeping every commandment of God as his number 1. Without justifying or rationalizing." I'm not sure why that thought came in the way it did, but I know that it was from God! Throughout my mission I have learned that the simple principle of obedience to ALL the commandments of God is why we're here on earth! I have grown to love obeying my Heavenly Father. For all He has given me, I owe Him all that I have and am! En serio. All He asks me to do is keep all of His commandments, and He will bless me to be able to become like Him with my family.
We find comfort as we pray.. like sometimes when we're in the collectivo I start praying just to talk and be with my Heavenly Father.. whether I'm nervous for a certain lesson, or if I find that my mind isn't focused. But also I find comfort as I willingly obey all of the commandments and mission rules. Because I know that as I am completely obedient, I don't have anything to worry about or feel bad about. And as I am obedient, I have the promise of guidance and the companionship of the Holy Ghost! It's the best kind of confidence you can have. I've learned that there is no better companion than him. Heavenly Father has really blessed me this week.
Hermana Totten is doing AWESOME! She's really progressing in her Castellano and is teaching with more confidence in lessons. We are SO happy to be together and it is so fun working our tails off together. Let it be known that I LOVE HER!
We have 3 baptisms this coming weekend! But to be able to baptize more souls, we need to find more souls. And this week we found some AWESOME new investigators that have Gospel seeds planted from before, and are ready to come to church with us next week. Yesterday we had an investigator family of 4 come to church on their own (without us coming and bringing them) and they loved it! They really felt the spirit from the Primary program we had during sacrament meeting. (IT was the CUTEST most well put-together primary program EVER! So so so cute. We laughed, and we cried. It was SO awesome!) We had 6 other investigators there as well.
I am just so happy. Not the kind of happy where "everything is going right" or something like that, but the kind of happy where I feel the love that Heavenly Father has for me, and I understand my purpose and my potential with Christ. I feel true joy that is deep within my heart! I don't think I've felt joy in that way before. It really is true what the Mission Call Letter says that we'll feel more happiness than we have ever felt before. At one point in my mission, I was wondering if that would even be true. But I know it is! I just am so grateful for my testimony and conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I never even thought I could have such a powerful conviction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last night I recieved revelation that came to me suddenly and as a direct thought in my own words. I promise I wasn't thinking about my future husband or boys or anything, but my revelation was basically like this: "ALL I care about (or at least number 1 for me) in finding my future husband is that he is keeping every commandment of God as his number 1. Without justifying or rationalizing." I'm not sure why that thought came in the way it did, but I know that it was from God! Throughout my mission I have learned that the simple principle of obedience to ALL the commandments of God is why we're here on earth! I have grown to love obeying my Heavenly Father. For all He has given me, I owe Him all that I have and am! En serio. All He asks me to do is keep all of His commandments, and He will bless me to be able to become like Him with my family.
We find comfort as we pray.. like sometimes when we're in the collectivo I start praying just to talk and be with my Heavenly Father.. whether I'm nervous for a certain lesson, or if I find that my mind isn't focused. But also I find comfort as I willingly obey all of the commandments and mission rules. Because I know that as I am completely obedient, I don't have anything to worry about or feel bad about. And as I am obedient, I have the promise of guidance and the companionship of the Holy Ghost! It's the best kind of confidence you can have. I've learned that there is no better companion than him. Heavenly Father has really blessed me this week.
Hermana Totten is doing AWESOME! She's really progressing in her Castellano and is teaching with more confidence in lessons. We are SO happy to be together and it is so fun working our tails off together. Let it be known that I LOVE HER!
We have 3 baptisms this coming weekend! But to be able to baptize more souls, we need to find more souls. And this week we found some AWESOME new investigators that have Gospel seeds planted from before, and are ready to come to church with us next week. Yesterday we had an investigator family of 4 come to church on their own (without us coming and bringing them) and they loved it! They really felt the spirit from the Primary program we had during sacrament meeting. (IT was the CUTEST most well put-together primary program EVER! So so so cute. We laughed, and we cried. It was SO awesome!) We had 6 other investigators there as well.
To retain the baptisms we have, we are working with the ward missionaries to help with the Retention lessons! We got them PMG's and everything. They are excited to do it! We're having a few FHE's with members and nonmembers as well.
To Re-activate we're working with the Ward council doing visits to a list of families that are most likely to come back. We report on these families to our ward mission leader and Bishop every week (written form). We've found that this really helps the ward to have confidence in us as we report on what they ask us to do. We have had a couple families come back to church after not having come for a year or so. They're giving us references too, which is THE BEST.
Elder Christofferson is coming
on Saturday and President Robertson is pretty busy with that! And so
we'll see if they can be baptized this weekend. Praying so hard for
them!
We'll be singing for Elder Christofferson on
Saturday during the 4 mission-wide meeting, so that's not nerve-wracking
at all... haha :D
Dad: thank you for the Elder
Christofferson talk, I totally studied it twice, and it's so good. When
it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to change ourselves in
order to more fully follow the example of Jesus Christ and live His
Gospel. Elder Christofferson said "Resenting the Law of Gravity won't
keep a person from falling if he steps off a cliff." ..., Truth is
truth, whether you like it or not :) haha. But we're all working on
becoming better every day. We have repentance to help us change for
good, because of Jesus Christ.
Hermana Gardner
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