This week Brother En. told us that he has 5 kids, and then he named me as the 6th and Sister Turtal as his 7th. Have I mentioned how much I love this family?
Happy New Year my family! And Happy Birthday to Bekah :) It was good to see your faces. This week was joyful for so many reasons, and I learned a lot. I also got hugged on the street by a slightly crazy 16 year old boy who had to be pried off by Sister Turtal. It's a good thing we have companions.
Since one encounter with the opposite gender wasn't enough, I experienced another one on Wednesday. We went to our area about 45 minutes out of the city, to find lots and lots of mud and slippery hills barring our way to our investigators. We were advised to take off our shoes and rough it bare foot, thinking maybe that might be easier, but we slipped just as much. Then- I don't know if this was supposed to be mercy or temptation- as we were just about to decide to slide down the muddy hill on our bums, or throw ourselves down it Wesley-and-Buttercup-Style, a teenage boy appeared to escort us down the hill, holding my hand, and sister Turtal holding me as we carefully made our way down the muddly slope. I tried not to be traumatized and disgusted by actually touching the opposite gender. Ahaha. The mission does things to you.
I was also informed this week that cold water makes you fat. So. That explains it. It's not the endless rice they feed us every day. It's the water. Watch out for the water :)
Of course one of the highlights of this week was the baptism of the En. family. Seeing them baptized and dressed in white and bearing their testimonies afterward... There is truly nothing like it. They offered simple testimonies, and as they spoke at the front of the room where we held the baptismal service, I had a glimpse from the Spirit of who these wonderful people can become, if they continue in this church. I saw future leaders, stronger testimonies, trials overcome by faith and blessings poured out, if they will just remain true and faithful.
I came to a point this week where I realized that the work here is like my medicine. No matter what stress I feel at the apartment or if I have something worrying me or even if I feel sick, if I can just get out and work it all goes away. The familiar feel of putting on my rubber shoes and tromping through mud and grass and over hills, talking to strangers and praying for families... There is nothing better than this work. It cures every negative thought, heals all impatience, and teaches me more than I ever thought I could fit in my head.
M. G. is getting baptized this January, she's the house help of one of our member families here. She is 26 and so sincere. She has such an open heart and getting to teach her is a delight (not just because she feeds us) but because she accepts everything we teach and asks genuine questions. She has been going to church for a few weeks now, but we've had a hard time adjusting our time to teach her and finding her at home, so her baptismal date is January 10. She introduced us to her sister last week and even brought her to church. She also has a date for January.
This week I experienced the physical part of the Atonement. I know it can have a literal effect on us to physically do things we may not have been able to do on our own. I know the promptings of the Spirit come subtly and powerfully, and especially to those who listen to his influence. I learned this week that the Lord protects his missionaries even when we make mistakes. I know the Atonement is not just for the sinners, but for the righteous in times of immediate need.
I finished the Book of Mormon on Christmas day. It's such a wonderful cycle to me to start over, and I'm glad that it never has to have an end. Whatever else changes in a missionary's life, the book of Mormon is always constant. I'm still working on my goal of memorizing the Living Christ.
In my studies this week I had a few impressions I wanted to share:
God gives us weaknesses so we may be humble (from Ether 12:27), but he wants us to be humble because humility begets repentance.
"Even the transgressions of man may be turned to the accomplishment of High Purposes." James E. Talmage. I based my study off this quote today and connected it to Jacob 5, where the Lord uses wild branches of the olive tree as grafts for a natural tree. Eventually these wild branches take strength from the root, and produce beautiful, natural fruit... In essence, the nature of the branch was changed. In verse 18:
And he said unto the servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moistureof the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the muchstrength of the root thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit.
I like that the Lord didn't just cast away the bad branches right away, he used them to his advantage. We are the same way, with our weaknesses, sins, and "wild branches". God doesn't expect us to be perfect immediately, but he gives us the chance to change. We have been grafted into the natural tree (which I likened to the church), so that we may change our very natures and bring forth good fruit. In time, if we take hold of the strength of the roots (I likened the roots to the Atonement) we find the wherewithal to change our natures and bring forth "fruit meet for repentance".
God "cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance" because Christ did not shy away with the least degree of allowance from his responsibility given to him from the Father. He gave all, suffered all, not to just save us "as we are" because what we are is unclean. He did what he did to give us an opportunity to repent. So we may change from "just as we are" to "even as [He is]". If our faith is strong, our repentance is also strong.
It has been a lovely Christmas. The best, actually, in my life. I wasn't focused on worldly gifts or buying things for people... I wasn't wondering what decorations looked best on the house or what food to share at my party. It was focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, and his great gift for us. On Christmas I did what I've done for the past year or more of my life: I went out and worked and shared the message of the Restoration. And I couldn't have been happier. I love you!
Love,
Sister Luke
1.2.&3. HAPPY WHITE CHRISTMAS!!
