Hi everyone!
So, this week was pretty crazy! We had meetings all week long, which didn't leave a lot of time for proselyting, but despite the odds, we had a super great week! On Wednesday, we had a mission tour with Elder and Sister Lawrence. The meeting started off with Sister Lawrence teaching us a lot of doctrine about the 12 tribes and the scattering and gathering of Israel. My mind was seriously blown! Multiple times! They talked a lot about the scattering of the tribes and where the tribes had been scattered, etc, but they also had us all stand up for whatever tribe we, the missionaries, represented. We were all either Ephraim or Manasseh: the tribes responsible for the gathering of Israel. Yeah, I felt pretty empowered as a missionary. I can't wait to share my notes with you all from that training because it was really really really INCREDIBLE! It was also followed by an amazing lunch. Seriously, they feed us well down here. I've discovered a love for barbequed pulled pork sandwiches and broccoli slaw with craisins. Yep, that was my favorite part of that lunch! Besides the pumpkin pie, but that's a given.
For out district meeting this week, we had a really good training about pondering the path of our feet and burying our weapons of war. As part of the mission tour, we (the mission leadership) had put together a mission culture. As part of that, there were some specific rules put into place so that the culture would go into effect sooner rather than later. So, it requires a bit of sacrifice, but it's worth it! That's why I really enjoyed the training on burying our weapons of war. Some of the weapons I buried were physical things, like quoting movies with my companion. Others were more spiritual, like concentrating more on the positive instead of dwelling on the negative. Consecration is an act of faith. I love what mom said in her email about creating an environment that the Spirit could dwell in. Consecration isn't just thinking, "I'm a devout follower of Christ." It's listening to music that will invite the Spirit instead of driving it away. It's reading books that elevate our thoughts rather than degrading them. It's spending time with our families and showing our love for them.
The family unit is one of the most sacred things that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I love the story in the Book of Mormon about Captain Moroni when he is confronting Zerahemnah. In Alma 44:5 he tells Zerahemnah that the reason that the Nephites were protected and the reason that they had overcome his armies were that they are fighting for their faith. They were fighting for their freedom. And they were fighting for the "sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children." The family is sacred. Captain Moroni, the man that if all men were like him "the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever" (Alma 48:17) KNEW HOW SACRED THE FAMILY IS! Satan is attacking the home and he's attacking the family. The only way to combat him is to be consecrated to the Lord and to do everything in our power to remain that way. Sure, we're not perfect and we'll make mistakes, but that doesn't mean that we have to stay down! I see so many people here that have fallen, and rather than accepting the atonement and getting back up, they have allowed Satan to kick them while they're down. They've ALLOWED Satan to win. SATAN WILL NEVER WIN, unless we ALLOW him to. That's what I've been thinking a lot about lately. We are given trials, and Satan capitalizes on those, but when we look to the Savior, our burdens become easy. The trials have an end. And Satan gets absolutely zero satisfaction out of us. And then, wonder of wonders, we become STRONGER!
I love you all so much! Thank you for being a strength to me when I've needed it the most. You've helped me become stronger. Thank you.
Steph
So, this week was pretty crazy! We had meetings all week long, which didn't leave a lot of time for proselyting, but despite the odds, we had a super great week! On Wednesday, we had a mission tour with Elder and Sister Lawrence. The meeting started off with Sister Lawrence teaching us a lot of doctrine about the 12 tribes and the scattering and gathering of Israel. My mind was seriously blown! Multiple times! They talked a lot about the scattering of the tribes and where the tribes had been scattered, etc, but they also had us all stand up for whatever tribe we, the missionaries, represented. We were all either Ephraim or Manasseh: the tribes responsible for the gathering of Israel. Yeah, I felt pretty empowered as a missionary. I can't wait to share my notes with you all from that training because it was really really really INCREDIBLE! It was also followed by an amazing lunch. Seriously, they feed us well down here. I've discovered a love for barbequed pulled pork sandwiches and broccoli slaw with craisins. Yep, that was my favorite part of that lunch! Besides the pumpkin pie, but that's a given.
For out district meeting this week, we had a really good training about pondering the path of our feet and burying our weapons of war. As part of the mission tour, we (the mission leadership) had put together a mission culture. As part of that, there were some specific rules put into place so that the culture would go into effect sooner rather than later. So, it requires a bit of sacrifice, but it's worth it! That's why I really enjoyed the training on burying our weapons of war. Some of the weapons I buried were physical things, like quoting movies with my companion. Others were more spiritual, like concentrating more on the positive instead of dwelling on the negative. Consecration is an act of faith. I love what mom said in her email about creating an environment that the Spirit could dwell in. Consecration isn't just thinking, "I'm a devout follower of Christ." It's listening to music that will invite the Spirit instead of driving it away. It's reading books that elevate our thoughts rather than degrading them. It's spending time with our families and showing our love for them.
The family unit is one of the most sacred things that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I love the story in the Book of Mormon about Captain Moroni when he is confronting Zerahemnah. In Alma 44:5 he tells Zerahemnah that the reason that the Nephites were protected and the reason that they had overcome his armies were that they are fighting for their faith. They were fighting for their freedom. And they were fighting for the "sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children." The family is sacred. Captain Moroni, the man that if all men were like him "the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever" (Alma 48:17) KNEW HOW SACRED THE FAMILY IS! Satan is attacking the home and he's attacking the family. The only way to combat him is to be consecrated to the Lord and to do everything in our power to remain that way. Sure, we're not perfect and we'll make mistakes, but that doesn't mean that we have to stay down! I see so many people here that have fallen, and rather than accepting the atonement and getting back up, they have allowed Satan to kick them while they're down. They've ALLOWED Satan to win. SATAN WILL NEVER WIN, unless we ALLOW him to. That's what I've been thinking a lot about lately. We are given trials, and Satan capitalizes on those, but when we look to the Savior, our burdens become easy. The trials have an end. And Satan gets absolutely zero satisfaction out of us. And then, wonder of wonders, we become STRONGER!
I love you all so much! Thank you for being a strength to me when I've needed it the most. You've helped me become stronger. Thank you.
Steph
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