May 25, 2014
"Let us cheerfully do all
things that lie in our power, and then may we stand still with the utmost
assurance." D&C 123:17
This was my theme for the week! I have been thinking a lot
about how to find more joy even during trial, because that can be the hardest
thing sometimes. We had to stay inside for a lot of the week because of Sister
W's sickness so I had a lot of time to reflect on......everything. haha So I
thought a lot about personal conversion and how to make that a part of my life
forever. I was looking back at my notes from past trainings and this is what I
found and I felt really impressed to share it today!
These are four things that we can do to measure our progress
with the gospel and how converted we are to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So as I
list them, I just invite you to take a minute and think about each one for
yourself and where you stand in your personal conversion!
1. The
capacity to have meaningful prayer.
This week we heard a really sincere prayer with our
investigators that I have been talking about- our favorite couple ever. At the
end of our lesson, we shared with them our testimonies of Joseph Smith and that
the way they are going to know if he is a prophet truly is through the Book of
Mormon and by coming to church so they can know for themselves. They brought up
our lesson that I talked about last email and they said it really hit them hard
when we said that the reason that this gospel is so ridiculed is because it IS
the truth. It was so powerful to have them pray at the end. She asked to truly
be led by Him to know for themselves if it's true. Sincere prayers and
conversations with our Heavenly Father are the most important thing we can do. It
heals us and gives us answers. There is no other way. That sentence says it all. Prayer heals us and
gives us answers to our questions, if we are willing to do it meaningfully.
2. Respect
for sacred experiences.
At the lesson our investigators asked us how those who lose
their faith decide to come back to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. This really got me thinking about how I came to know the truth of this
gospel. I realized what really helped me
know was my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I have always had a
relationship with Him. When I wanted to
know the truth, I asked Him and He told me. It's true! The Book of Mormon is
true and the gospel has been restored. I have come to love every spiritual
experience I have had with my Heavenly Father. The gospel is so simple and true
and Heavenly Father is truly just
waiting for us to ask Him questions. We need to respect and remember the
amazing experiences we have! Feeling the Spirit is not something the world gets
to feel every day and we need to respect every time and place we can feel it. especially
in the chapel at church. If you have an opportunity just sit in there by
yourself and feel the sacredness of it, it's amazing!
3. how we
take counsel
Sometimes it's hard to take counsel because we are prideful.
We can all take counsel better and we are all prideful. Let's not be prideful
so we can all be more converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and know Him
better.
4. Appeal
of obedience
To have the biggest impact on others, we need to be
completely obedient to the commandments that God has given us. (Alma 18:10) A
lot of people have been asking lately why exactly we can't talk to our families
everyday. or why we don't watch t.v. or why our schedule is so set, or why we don't listen to music other than
church music. It gave me the opportunity to really think about how this has
affected me and I wouldn't change it for the world. I absolutely love being one
hundred percent focused on the work of the Lord. It reminds me that it really
is not all about me and I am so grateful to have this time to give all of it
up. Consecrating all my time to the Lord has changed my life, and I will never
forget how being obedient brings miracles. I know that relates to normal life too-
not just missionary life. You can see miracles you never thought possible by
being obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why being obedient should
be APPEALING. BECAUSE IT BRINGS THE GREATEST BLESSINGS IN THE WORLD! the
opportunity to see miracles should not be taken lightly!
Have a great week!
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