It rains too much sometimes... but then it makes days like yesterday lush as ever! It was gorgeous! Sun out... mmm mm good... and no puddles that drench my feet.. I think I almost even prespired a little... phenomenol. None the less I love it here and it is only preparing me for continual drought season.. well filling up my water tank so I appreciate the boiling sun beams more. Good thing is I still got loads more to come.. brilliant :) Anyways, how was everyone's week? Ours was great. We got 2 new investigators because God loves them and blesses us with the opportunity to teach them. Dan and Garith it is. I love teaching people who initially say I only want to learn for educational purposes and than as you teach and ask inspired questions or allow the spirit to speak to them they say things like, 'this is the only doctrine that has ever made sense and matched my own personal beliefs so well' and than they spill their guts out about how this is actually not educational, it is personal... but still the next meeting put on the educational front and it all just repeats again and again.. I adore it. They'll pop when we pop the question.. and only God knows when it is right. I stil feel so blessed that we get to be apart of it.
SO Kim Sullivan is the cherry on top of the week, she passed her baptismal interview and is getting baptized this Saturday the 21st. She is great. 22, has been dating a member, Matthew Llewellyn (who looks like Sean Farris from Forever Strong... ya about that...) for about 6 years now. So this baptism is a long time coming, but we are so excited to be apart of it now. Funny thing is her and Sis. Laborero were freinds before the mission- weird, so it is fun to get to see the miracle of it all happening. We are excited and just humbled.
Today I was reading in Helaman 3 and a few things stood out to me:
27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.
Why is He only merciful to them? Maybe it means that the mercy that comes from the atonement is only given when we accept it and call upon His name. We get to choose to accept the gift He gives to us or not.
28 Yea, thus we see that the agate of heaven is open unto ball, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. 29 Yea, we see thatwhosoever will may lay hold upon the aword of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall cdivide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and dnarrow course across that everlasting egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— 30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the aright hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.
Scripture power keeps me safe from sin... it is both quick and powerful. When we read, we gain an instant spirit that may take time to feel, but lasts so long and strong that we won't be able to deny it. Why then are we so forgetful to read if it is so powerful? Do you think that in 2 Nephi 32 when it talks about how the evil spirit teaches a man not to pray that it is the same for reading your scriptures... I'll fall asleep, I don't have time, I don't get it anything out of it anyways because of the old language, or it's just not for me... the excuses, but when we look at them we realize they are silly in comarison to the promise given.
35 Nevertheless they did afast and bpray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their chumility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the dpurifying and the esanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their fyielding their hearts unto God.
context: these people of whome this verse is speaking of were being persecuted by their own friends within the church- members being rude and gossiping and not being very Christlike to say the least, just prideful.. who'd of thought (kind of scary how similar the scriptures are to us now) none the less these saints were faithful and they didn't just have faith, they exercised it. They worked for their charity by praying and fasting oft and becoming more and more humble. I am sure they served those who persecuted them for being "self righteous" when all along they were the only ones being rihteous... let us all learn from the examples of the past and learn to love. If we don't have that love, find it the way they did- fast for it, pray for it, serve for it, and become humble. Yes be careful what you ask for becaeu you will get it, but glory in it when the gift has been offered because it is yet another witness that not only does God live, but He loves us, hears our prayers, answers them, and gives us the opportunity to become like He is, perfect and refined. Yield to the Holy Spirit- the first prompting is always the right one. It is the only way to truly be happy. I know these things to be true. I love my Saviour, I love this work and I am so grateful to be here doing it! I lvoe and miss you all!! I'll be seein' you!
Love you forever and for always,
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