It's been a lot more low key this week. No general authorities...
what? It has taken awhile to get back into the swing of things to be
honest. The jail has been slowing down almost exponentially. I took 0
tours yesterday. Not one. In six hours. I got lots of study time though.
This last week has been a miracle! I can't remember
if I wrote about Sherry last week. She is by far the most golden person I
have ever met on my mission. She is so prepared. Her fiance had
attended church in Kearney for awhile and they both came to church on Sunday.
She has read over 40 pages in the Book of Mormon so far! I don't even
ready 40 pages in one day of the Book of Mormon. It is amazing how you
can create an instant friendship with people and that is what we feel
with J.R. and Sherry. I am so excited to see how they progress and grow
in the gospel.
In other news Tracy is getting baptized this
weekend. I am so grateful for the chance I have had to teach her. I have
literally watched the Lord change her heart. In the past 4 months she
has gone from not answering the door, to setting but cancelling every
appointment, to not reading and praying, to a complete change of heart.
She loves coming to church. She loves the sacrament. She quit smoking
virtually on her own... she threw out her own coffee pot. Now she is
teaching her kids about the gospel and encouraging them to strengthen
their testimonies. She has literally changed, her whole countenance and
demeanor. She relies on God and is happier because of it. It is a huge
blessing to have been here from start to finish. That isn't always the
case as missionaries. I'm so excited for Saturday!
Transfers are coming up in 2 weeks... right along
with my birthday. I know it's still a ways ahead but I am almost positive I'm
being transferred. I don't want to go though! My whole mission
is going so quickly.
This quiet time has given me lots of opportunity to
reflect on how I've grown, especially as I prepare to leave the Liberty
Jail. It's kind of fun because by the time I leave I'll have been at the
Jail 4 1/2 months. Just a little bit longer than the prophet Joseph. I
hope that by the time I leave I'll have grown in smaller, but similar ways. I've learned a lot about opposition and the atonement.
It is so necessary. It is actually vital for us to go through difficult
experiences. Even from the beginning of the world. Growth and
progression only stemmed from opposition, that is where our choices come
from. We are in control of who we become and what we accomplish. I've
learned that more on my mission than at any other point in my life.
Trials and tribulation help us understand the Atonement, and when we
look at it with that lens we become empowered. I think about how
miserable each tour would be if Joseph hadn't relied on the Atonement.
It would be terrible, downright depressing. It would be about how cold
and smelly and miserable that place would have been. That was the story
of probably hundreds of other prisoners held in the jail during its 25
year lifespan. But Joseph's story is different, the Spirit that we feel
in the jail is different, because he relied on the Atonement. I know the Atonement is real. It is powerful. I am grateful for my trials that
have helped me put it all to the test so that I can know for myself
that the Savior of the World is who He says that He is.
So there is my very pensive email. It's been
rainy/foggy/gloomy for the past few days, which always calls for some
contemplation.
Love you all! More "fun" updates next week.
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