First off, this next week is the last week of the transfer and so this past week we were Transfer Planning and making changes to companionships. It's amazing how much thought and prayer go into planning and how inspired President Stoddard is. I am so grateful that I was able to be apart of it. We have 250 missionaries and its cool to be able to serve every single one of them. It keeps us super busy but it's opening my eyes up a lot. This week we also had a lot of lessons and I swear I learned more from the lessons then our Members and our investigators. I was taking notes in the middle of the lesson. Again, just understanding how powerful it is to be a missionary. I almost forgot about it when I came home but it's been so cool to see missionary work from a different angle this time. As missionaries we get into habits and I am getting into those habits again but just from a different perspective now which has been cool.
We are working with a lot of members and new converts. We have 3 investigators right now and they are all progressing. We work with a lot of families who have been struggling as well which has been cool. Being a missionary just helps you understand about relationships and how they should be. It's so sad to see how many relationships break up because they forget all the positive things and only think on the negative! On Saturday night we met with Thomas and Shirley out in Köppern and it was amazing. We talked about their conversion and all the little things that went into it. Shirley started talking about when she was learning about Jesus Christ and didn't understand why he loved us so much to give his life up for us. She began to explain her experience of when Elder Smith and I went over to teach them and how she was getting Ice Cream for us and she went to give David more ice cream and she hit the bowl and it fell off the table and shattered. It was one of David's favorite bowls and David heard it and ran into the room that shirley was in.. He saw it was shattered and started screaming and crying and ran into his room. Shirley felt super sad about it and started crying as well and was heart broken. But it was that experience that helped her understand her relationship with Jesus Christ. She started talking about when you really do truly love someone that you would do absolutely anything in the world for them. When that bowl broke she knew that it would hurt David and break his heart. She felt the pain of David and related that to Jesus Christ and the pain he goes through when he loses one of his children or when one of his children makes a mistake. It was that experience that helped her understand Christ's love for his children. I have grown to love my savior. I have needed to repent in my life for many different things and I am grateful that he brought forward the atonement to help me overcome my habits and to be able to forgive me.. But our perfect example is our savior Jesus Christ. He loves us to give his life so why can't we learn from his example and love those around us just like Jesus Christ loves us. I am still weak but I am happy and continuing making steps forward and thats all that matters is that we are continuing to refine our lives every single day.
This Letter is long but I will leave you with a spiritual thought that has helped me so much. Going along about Jesus Christ and the example he is. He taught it so purely and clearly. Even though we are going through tough times in our life and how the world is getting crazier and crazier by the day. I believe this illustrates it perfectly.
A scripture that we find in John 16:33 says: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
This is my goal. Even when I was home I felt like I was drifting away from my normal Scripture study and prayer. Getting to caught up in Social Media or other things that were holding me back. But we can overcome the world. The Gospel brings true and everlasting happiness. I love this Gospel and I am so grateful for all the trials I have gone through in my life. Coming home was tough and coming back out was even tougher. But again I am so grateful that I made this decision because I have learned so much, even in the past couple weeks. I know that everything will work out if we just trust. The Lord gives us no commandments without a way that is prepared to help us. All we have to do is serve the Lord with everything we have and put the Gospel first in our lives.
I am so happy, I don't think I have ever been this happy. Things at home are going great and I am super happy being a missionary again. Of course I miss being home and being with my friends and family but I finally feel like I understand what it means to be a missionary. I am grateful for my family and friends for supporting and helping me make this decision to come back. I would do anything for the Lord and my testimony has just sky rocketed in the past couple weeks. I love you all. Have a great week.
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