Good Morning!
I hope you've enjoyed your week as I have enjoyed mine! I've been told it's freezing in Utah...sorry to hear that. The temperature here keeps getting warmer (aside from today, which is quite cool) and we don't have an air conditioner in our apartment, but we manage. :)
The week started off a little slow but really picked up towards the end, especially on Sunday. On Sunday, we found two new investigators at church! One girl is named, ________, she is from China. She came with a friend and she and my companion really hit it off. Sister Liu said she felt like they have been friends forever! Too cute. ________ absolutely loved church, she stayed for all three hours and she said, "I just love this feeling that I have, I want to come back and learn more and more!" She has only just arrived in Australia so she's getting settled today but we'll meet with her later in the week :)
Another one we met is ________. He has met with the missionaries once over at the University where he studies but he also has a friend who comes to our ward and so he came with her. I started to talk to him and get to know him when he asked, "Is it okay if you teach me? I really want to learn here!" So we've scheduled to also meet this week, I am so excited! Both of them have a lot of enthusiasm about learning and coming to church, what more could we ask for??
My companion is the sweetest, she tells me she loves me every day. She cooks, she cleans...I stand to the side and encourage her ask she cooks. :D haha. I love her, she really is great.
Well today I'd like to take a little time to share with you my studies this morning. I was reading in Helaman 5 and I just love this chapter and wanted to share with you my insights :) Helaman teaches his sons to "do good" but he cautions them to not to do good to boast of themselves but to do good to earn eternal life. It reminded me of a training given by Sister Howes a few weeks ago - that we need to develop Charity and to be charitable. Not to make ourselves look good and to say, "yeah..I'm pretty charitable" but to be charitable simply because it's in our nature. Continuing in verse 10, he teaches that only through Christ can we receive eternal life and that Christ will come to redeem us FROM our sins but will not come to redeem us IN our sins. Repentance is required. Verse 12 talking about building our foundation upon the "rock" which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. It is when we are built upon this foundation that when the temptations come and the "whirlwinds" we shall stand strong. In verse 18, it says that Nephi and Lehi taught with "power and authority" and that they were GIVEN power and authority. In other words, they were "set apart" just as missionaries are.
I have felt that over the course of my mission that I have been given the words to say and I've felt the power come through me through the Holy Ghost. As the chapter continues on we know that thousands of the Lamanites repent and are baptized as they listen to the words of Nehpi and Lehi. It is as soon as they repent they hear the words from the Lord saying, "Peace, peace be unto you because of your faith in my well beloved, who was from the foundation of the world." The Lord is quick to forgive us when we repent. We then read on to see that the heavens open and angels come down to minister unto them. A miracle to all who witnessed and heard of this event.
There is so much to learn from the scriptures and I feel I could take an entire week studying just one chapter, but I'm grateful for the insights I receive and greater understanding that comes when we commit to read our scriptures. I invite all of you to continue reading and if you haven't been reading then to start today! You will feel a great strength added to you when you do.
I love you all, have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Raitt
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| Shanice and I - she's in charge of our activites in the ward! |
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| Harbor Bridge |
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