November 12, 2013
We had a mission fast that we'd all "open our mouth" to every person that we saw, so I really took that seriously this week and we saw so many miracles! We were tracting one day, and I saw this lady with a stroller walking around and I was like we should probably go talk to her. Then I sat there and thought... ehh... but then I remembered the fast and decided that it would be a good idea. We walked towards her and we tried to talk to her but she kinda just brushed us off and kept walking. Then I looked up and saw a house and got a distinct impression that we NEEDED to go there. We walked up to the door and asked if we could share a message of Jesus Christ and the man looked at us and was like, um.. sure! So we went in and his whole family was home! They all sat around and we just didn't know what to do with ourselves because we had never been invited in to teach a FAMILY just by tracting. They didn't end up wanting a return appointment, but I felt really strongly that that was supposed to happen. Every day I am so amazed by the Spirit and how it leads us to people!
I had a really big realization this week about Christ's Atonement. This week it has been so interesting trying to help people recognize and feel God's love in their lives. I've never felt so blessed to be able to say that I do feel it and I am so blessed because of it. I remembered an experience that I had around my sophomore year in high school. there was a lot going on in life and it was scary and I didn't know how to handle it. a lot of my friends and family members were going through hard things and my eyes were really opened to a lot of the scary and serious things that happen in the world. I remember thinking I felt so helpless, like I couldn't do anything. I would sit there and listen to everything they were going through and see their pain and I felt responsible, like I needed to do something. one night when it was especially hard, I remember my parents sitting in my room with me. they sat there, and it was just enough to know that they were there, but what they said to me is what stuck out to me for the first time a few days ago. They said, it is not your responsibility, its ours. You are such a good supporter of your family, and it is great that you care so much and you should, but it doesn't have to all be in your hands. you don't have to take everyone's problems on yourself. THAT is what Christ did! He took ALL of our sorrows upon him. As simple as it is, I could not believe my discovery. I finally understood firsthand how He helps us through our sorrow and pain. He does not make the problems go away, because that would take away the learning experience. We wouldn't know joy without sorrow, but what He does is exactly what my parents told me, that we don't have to take it all on ourselves. Something sister Hilton shared with me is whenever we hear the scripture about Christ making the burden lighter, He isn't necessarily taking the burden AWAY. He is strengthening our backs so we can't feel the burden as much. This is the center of our message as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. HIS gospel, the fullness of what He taught has been RESTORED. that is and should be the most important message in the world. This is not just a "new church" established by Joseph Smith. The Priesthood that Christ had is literally here on the earth again and it has so much healing power.
This week on Sunday, I started feeling sick again, similar to what I experienced when I was first out on my mission. It scared me, because I did not want to leave our investigators alone. I wanted so bad to be better, and throughout the day it got worse. I thought about what I had been teaching our investigators, that the POWER OF GOD was back on the earth. I knew in my heart that in order to be able to get better, I needed to have faith in that. the elders came over and gave me a blessing, a blessing to be healed by my faith. I completely witnessed a miracle firsthand. When I stood up from the blessing, my fever and chills were gone. The pain was gone. I jumped up and shook his hand and knew that I had important work to do this week. Christ loves each and every one of us and He is there always.
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