Wonderfulness 5/21/10

This week was so wonderful. I have to say that I truly LOVE serving with my new companion, Sister Lautaha from Hawaii. Our teaching styles are so similar and our desire to serve is the same. We have usually 2-3 hours on the Square each day to find people. Sadly this last week almost everyone that we spoke with were very hard hearted and sometimes rude. We took the opportunities to boldly tell them how TRUE TRUE TRUE it is. We would just laugh as we planned each night and thought about our contacts during the day. All of which we pulled out all the stops, scriptures, and statements to help these people to SEE what is right in front of them. Even with many of the member's they were very kind but didn't have any one at all for us to call and share the Gospel with! After thinking about it though I know that those people who are hard need to meet the missionaries who are bold and powerful with the authority we have been given. SO I am very grateful for those people and even though each time made us devastated, I still know that they to are children of God and that the message is just as important for them.

This morning we had a portion of our Zone conference which will be happening throughout this next week. The spirit was so strong and we read scriptures and testified simply of the power of the Atonement. It hit me that as members of the church we are the only people on the whole earth who can have full access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As you know, that is through the Priesthood authority of the church AND through the guidance and council of the scriptures and living prophet's. THAT is what makes us different! The gift of the Atonement is right there waiting to be opened but until people come to accept it and open the gift, they cannot access it. This is the ONLY way for any person who ever lived to receive foundation. I was then overwhelmed with a sense of trust that the Lord has put in me to help people see this. When Christ visits the Nephite people he tells says, "And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world" (3 nephi 18:25). As members of the church we first most come to Christ, to feel and see of what he has done for us, then we must share that unto the world! "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up that which ye have seen me do."

I am so grateful to be a part of this light! As children of God we should do our best to obtain the perfection he commands us to obtain but refining ourselves and receiving his image in our countenances. I know that this is possible as we access the Atonement and perfect ourselves through the Savior. I am soooo far away from this perfection but I am very grateful for ability to learn and grow from my mistakes and trials.

As RCD's we have a difficult job but a very rewarding one as well! As we train the sister's to be more confident in the Referral Center I am just filled with so much love for them and their decision to serve mission's. These are sister's from 50 different countries many of which are in a state of war or deprivation. I am truly humbled to serve with them as we seek to reach out to the people we contact around the world! Another task Sister Lautaha and I have is scanning and sending the referrals we receive on the square from mainland China. A few day's ago we sat and scanned about 350 cards and sent them to the Hong Kong Mission. The Hong Kong mission will keep them there until China opens to the missionaries when they will send literally thousand's of missionaries to these people! Is that not the coolest thing ever? Every week we receive between 100-200 referrals for China... so amazing!

I love this work! Have a good week!!

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? "
Sister Porter

PS - My companion just read an email from her younger brother who is attending Stanford University. He just received his mission call to serve in the Ogden Utah mission!! Hah we are just dieing laughing!! He sound's like an amazing guy though and is very excited to serve here!