This week was super awesome! We saw a ton of people and had so many great lessons!
On Tuesday we got to be in a trio with Sis. Pankratz, who was Sis. Craig's MTC companion! That was super fun! And Tuesday evening we saw Brian and he's doing so great! His baptism is in 2 weeks and we're so excited for him! And he finished the Book of Mormon yay!
On Wednesday we had a lesson with this girl named Kylee. She's 6 years old and she's so cute! She's technically not an investigator, because she's not old enough to be baptized, but she really wants to learn about God. The sisters taught her the Plan of Salvation a while ago, and Kylee remembered like the whole thing! She's so smart! Her mom isn't really interested, but is super supportive of Kylee learning more. I hope they start reading the Book of Mormon together and then hopefully her mom will get interested! :)
We got a new investigator this week! Her name is Aimee and she's awesome! The sisters found her back in October but have been kinda stuck in the friend zone with her. We stopped by on Thursday to say hi and to give her a Book of Mormon. Then she was telling us about how it's kinda hard for her working at the hospital, because sometimes her patients die. So we taught her a really brief Plan of Salvation and shared Alma 40:11-12 which says, "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." She loved it and said that we could share more! Yes! I love sharing the Plan of Salvation, because it applies to everyone and it really helps me to know that God lives and that He cares about each and every one of us. And because of this Plan, we can know who we are, what our purpose is in life, and eternal potential. It's so amazing!
I read a talk this week called "Lord is it I?" by President Uchtdorf. It's so good! Please read it this week! https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/lord-is-it-i?lang=eng He shares a lot about how when we are humble enough to learn and to change, then we can feel the power of the Atonement in our lives. I love the gospel so much, because we can continuously learn and grow. The gospel is all about change, and it's possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
This morning I read a really cool scripture in 2 Nephi 7:1 which says, "Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of yourmother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to whichof my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away." God is constant. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if we ever feel like we're not close to Him, it's because we have moved away. God will never force us to follow Him, because we have the gift of agency. But it's up to us to choose to follow Him each and every day. And He wants us to follow him! He's given us the commandments, scriptures, and prophets so that we'll know how! He wants to bless us and those blessings come when we live the gospel! I love D&C 130:20-21 which says, "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." President Uchtdorf gave a really cool analogy in his talk "Living the Gospel Joyful." He said, "Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, HeavenlyFather is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us. His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings." I love that! We can feel Heavenly Father's blessings all the time when we choose to follow Him!
This week I've been thinking a lot about how important the spirit is in missionary work and in the gospel. D&C 42:14 says, "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith;and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach." The spirit is pretty important, because you can't teach without it! This is The Lord's work and the only way we are going to be successful is if we do it the way He asks us to: by the spirit. The spirit is the ultimate teacher and is what will help others to grow the most. I love 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 which says, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building." It's so cool, because as we help others to feel the spirit and to grow, we grow ourselves. It's amazing how much I've grown in the short time that I've been a missionary! This is the greatest work ever, because as we help others to grow in the gospel, we then grow ourselves!
I'm running out of time, so I gotta go! But I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! Stay warm!
Love, Sister Harper
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