Transfers are this week! With this transfer winding down and my trainer going home in 2 days (I am so excited for her but also so sad!!), I've been reflecting a lot on my mission and how I've served so far (and how I want to serve for these last 6 months). I've come to learn a few different things, through experiences and through the Spirit. I am grateful for the invitations I've been given - to act and become better. Our Father in Heaven wants us to succeed in this life ("succeed" meaning returning to live with Him again) and He wants us to always be improving. This process of improvement and change takes a LOT of humility (speaking from experience hehe). But humility is a sign of spiritual strength, so what can we do to be more humble so we can become the people He needs us to be? We need to feed ourselves spiritually!! I love what Sister Brazil Carlson said in her weekly email last week about focusing on Christ and what He's done for us, and singing hymns when our minds wander. We also need to be consistently and sincerely feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon (and other resources that we've been given) and praying for that gift of humility. In Sunday school yesterday, we were reading from the old testament about King Solomon, after he's built the temple and is giving the dedicatory prayer. In 1 Kings 8:61 he says "Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statues, and to keep his commandments, as at this day." What does it mean to "let our hearts be perfect" before God? This week I've pondered a lot about the Savior's atonement and how it enables us. Obviously, it's because of Him that we are cleansed from our sins, but He's done so much more for us. Through Him we can make our weaknesses strengths, we can have our hearts and souls mended from any pain or damage, and we can be sanctified. When we are meek and humble, when we are repentant and ready to change and obey His will for us, then we are being perfect in heart. He already knows our thoughts and intentions, but when we are honest with Him in prayer, and we seek His help and guidance, we are being perfect in heart before Him. How can you be more perfect in heart? What goals have you been invited by the Spirit to make? What plans will you create to meet these goals? I know that I have a lot of things to work on this next week (and for the rest of my life!), and I know that He will help us along as we consistently strive to meet our goals that have been prayerfully made.
I love this gospel. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and what He's doing for me - doing TO me. I love the tender mercies that Sister Johnson and I receive each day. I love my family. I will always grateful for this stretching, hard, and wonderful experience of being a missionary. I know that He lives and He loves us.
Have a great week everyone!
Sister Idaho Carlson
I forgot to include some little miracles that happened this week, so here they are :)
Sister Johnson pulled out our part member family list and we decided to try this one family, but they had moved just a couple weeks prior. Through them, though, we found a family of 5 who is ready and prepared to receive the gospel! Sister Johnson and I are very eager to start working with them!
Another miracle was yesterday, we met a woman while walking around trying to visit part member families. She's otherwise religious and has had a lot of experience with the church. Her family is going through a really rough patch right now, so it was very good timing for us to offer a message of love and comfort to her (re-enforcing what she already knows to be true). We set up a time to meet with her again too, and we are excited for that.
That's just 2, but I thought I'd put them in :)
Love you all!
There was this one lady we tried and she had this little piggy bench outside her door, so I decided to sit on it and have my companion take a picture :) (Sister Brazil Carlson, this reminded me so much of Madam Wheaton haha!)
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