Hello Fellow Peasants,
First, sorry I didn't reply to almost all of you. Time is short and we'll see each other soon anyway. :)
You're all sending me reeeeally trunky emails. It's like you think I'm going home soon or something. You're all definitely more trunky than I am. Just breathe, kids. You can do this.
Okay, I haven't had to deal with weird "Mormon" misconceptions here on the mission too much, but this week we had a driver of our tricycle that asked us how much gold we had. Confused, we asked what he meant. He told us the mormons by his house are searching for the lost spanish treasure here in the Pines and have found a lot of gold now. Ahaha. "Now I ain't sayin' he's a gold digger..."
Also, we ran out of restoration pamphlets this week to give to people, so we've been street contacting with word of wisdom and law of chastity pamphlets. That makes life 10x more fun.
3rd funny thing this week: They have here in the Pines a form of public transportation called C-cads. It's a bike with a little sidecar attached. I experienced the ride of shame this week when we were in a c-cad going home, up a small hill. The man riding the bike was going about 2 feet an hour, and he finally gave up trying to pedal and had to basically just push us up the hill. The fat american and her tiny 5 pound companion. Ahaha.
This week the amazing things were:
J.'s baptism. He was there like 3 hours early, just to make sure he was on time, and he bore his testimony after his baptism AND in sacrament meeting the next day. He was the first one who jumped up to the pulpit. I was so proud of him, and I know how much more proud Heavenly Father must have felt. I've never met someone so pure in heart. Happiness on the mission is sometimes too big for my body.
The second was Je. passing his baptismal interview. We were so excited for him. He's had 2 scheduled baptisms in the past, but this time he told us he's sure. He shared with us that he wants to be completely forgiven and to be able the have the Spirit always with him. He is such a changed man and I love being able to have seen the process.
Speaking of changes... I was reading in Jacob 5 this week, and found some great little bits. I feel like Jacob 5, verse 58- 59 describes well the way I feel the Atonement has worked in me on my mission.
"And we will nourish again the trees of the vineyard, and we will trim up the branches thereof; and we will pluck from the trees those branches which are ripened, that must perish, and cast them into the fire.
And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil."
Much in the same way the workers in the Lord's vineyard worked to help the olive tree bring forth good fruit by nourishing, pruning, and grafting the branches, the Lord also works with us.
We see in verse 65 and 66 that the trees aren't stripped of their imperfections all at once, but instead are worked upon gradually; cutting, pruning and being nourished until the most wild branches "began to be cast away" and in 75, "the vineyard is no more corrupted" and the "bad is cast away". I know I'm not even close to having all my imperfections purged and done away with, but the Lord has oftimes helped me on the mission to face my "wild branches": my favorite sins, streaks of disobedience or laziness etc, and he's helped me to not only cut away at the worst of it all, only to have it grow back again... But he's helped me to work from the roots, from the inside-out, to change my nature instead of just my habits.
A quote I love by President Benson,
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. … Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”
The Atonement is something I marvel at and experience every day of my mission. It has changed me. And I know it will change you. It works to change us from the outside in, but we must first look for our own "wild branches" and start there. Choose your favorite sin, the one we can never seem to give up... That one disobedient habit that keeps you from constant companionship with the Holy Ghost, and work on it. Then you will see, as the laborers in the vineyard saw, "the roots [took] strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches.. the good [has] overcome the evil".
Have a blessed week.
Love,
Sister Luke
1. My companion is from Korea.
2. My exhausted trainee. Love her. :)
3. FHE last week. Dont ask.
4. Tractor tipping.
5. My toko-prince.
