Hey everyone!!
I can not believe another
week has come and gone. Time is moving way too fast! Yesterday marked 4
months of being a set apart missionary. It feels like I blinked and I
went from being a newbie in the MTC to being a trainer in Louisville. I
absolutely love life!! Things are good, just going by way too fast :)
This
week was definitely a trying one but I feel like after every trying
day/week/month, my capacity for joy and peace and happiness increases.
It's the law of opposition at work! We go through challenges and hard
times so that good times seem that much greater :)
We
had a full PDay on Monday since it was Halloween so we ended up just
hanging out with the STL's and then spending the rest of the night with a
member and the Grim's. Guess what?? We finally met the one and only
Hunter Grim. He is the original referral that we went to go visit when
we met the Grim family. We are now working on baptizing his whole family
and we just met him this week. Turns out he doesn't even live in our
area. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. He knew that Hunters
family was ready so he sent us through him. So cool! We will see what
happens with Hunter. TBA ;)
On Tuesday, we had a
miracle! We were over at an apartment complex to see a potential named
crystal but we couldn't so we just talked with her mom. Her name is
Angie and we have tried to teach her so many times because we see her in
this apartment complex every time we are there. We started talking to
her and she randomly started asking us all of these questions about our
doctrine and what we believe. She started getting really excited and was
like, "That is what I have been looking for my whole life!" We were
like ya we know!! That is why we have been wanting to meet with you for
so long :) she accepted a baptismal date and we are so excited. We were
going to see her last week again but she didn't answer her phone :( high
hopes for her though, she is awesome!
On
Wednesday, we had a pretty humbling day. One thing that is super
prevalent here in Louisville, which I think I have mentioned before, is
Southern Baptist seminary students. We went to meet with one on
Wednesday because she really wanted to talk to us but we found out she
just wanted to Bible bash with us. We kindly but firmly told her our
purpose and then promptly left. It is super draining to interact with
these people because their real only purpose is to destroy your
testimony. After meeting with her and encountering a few others like her
this week, I really had a hard time. But, I went back to the basics. I
read my scriptures and prayed A LOT. I realized that there was so much
fear that came from them and not a whole lot of good feelings. I really
gained a testimony of having faith instead of living in fear. I also
gained a stronger testimony in opposition. Heavenly Father knows that in
order to gain a solid, unwavering testimony, our testimonies have to be
put to the test. However, if we read the Book of Mormon and pray in
faith, then our answers will come. Every. Time. That's how it happened
for me. It was like Heavenly Father gave me a chance to experience
exactly what my investigators are going through. What a blessing. Now I
have so much more empathy and can testify with that much more conviction
of the things that I know to be true. That is kind of how this week has
been. We had an amazing zone Meeting on Thursday that really helped me
out as well. I had been fasting that morning for strength and
understanding and when the zone leaders had their Ward mission leader
share his conversion experience, I was amazed at the overwhelming
feeling of love I felt from my Heavenly Father. It was as if He was
hugging me and letting me know that I was in the right place and that I
had a Heavenly Father who was aware of me and my struggles. It was so
good!!
Looking back, I am so grateful! I know
that this church is true! I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and
that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that we have prophet
today who lead and guide our church. I know that the Spirit testifies of
truth. I know that God lives and that He loves us. He allows trials to
occur in our lives for our benefit and good. I am eternally grateful for
the trials I have gone through and will go through in the future
because they bring me closer to my Savior. I know without a doubt that
He lives. This is His church!!! He is at the head, leading and guiding
it until He comes again. He knows us perfectly. He stands with us,
cheering us on and lifting us when we can't lift ourselves. I have never
felt His influence more than as a missionary. He has been right beside
me and I love Him 
️
We
had some other amazing miracles this week that has just solidified my
awareness of Gods hand in each of our lives. On Saturday night, we had a
lesson with Lucas, Sarah Janes older brother. We have been really
struggling to help him commit to much of anything and it has been so
frustrating. However, in our lesson, we were really able to focus on him
and his questions since it was more one on one. He expressed a lot of
his concerns about receiving revelation and in my mind I was like, "I
literally just went through this. I know EXACTLY how he is feeling and
how to help him." So, I opened up and told him that I know that God can
speak to us and answer our questions but we have to want to know. We
have to have the desire to believe before that desire will work within
us and become faith. We told him more about how to receive answers from
God and recognize them. Then, we had him pray and ask God his questions.
The Spirit was tangible. Afterwards, he looked at the Book of Mormon in
his hands and said, "I feel a little better". We were like that's the
spirit!!! :) He promised to read and I really felt like we were making
progress. He is still struggling to get himself up for church but we
have plans to take him to the singles ward next week since it starts at 1
instead of 9:30. We are praying for him. It has been a slow process but Sarah Jane has been such an amazing influence on her family.
Speaking
of Sarah Jane being a good influence, Miranda came to church
yesterday!! And not only that, she BORE HER TESTIMONY. She got up there
and bore her testimony that she knows the church is true and that it has
changed her life and that she is so grateful for the love that Sarah
Jane has felt in our Ward. It was so amazing! She was also actively
participating in the classes afterwards and everything. She is so
awesome!! We are so excited for this family to continue to progress
towards one day being an eternal family. Their testimonies are so pure
and so full of faith. They are examples to me for sure. This church is
so true and it brings such joy!!
I love you all
so much!! Again, thank you for all the support and prayers. We have
been seeing so many countless miracles in this area and in this mission.
Faith works. It works anytime and anywhere. We had an amazing lesson in
relief society about faith and testimony and one of my favorite quotes
was this:
"In order to find God as a reality,
we must follow the course which he pointed out for the quest. The path
is one that leads upward; it takes faith and effort, and is not the easy
course. For this reason many men will not devote themselves to the
arduous task of proving to themselves the reality of God. On the
contrary, some take the easy path and deny his existence or merely
follow the doubter’s course of uncertainty. Sometimes faith means
believing a thing to be true where the evidence is not sufficient to
establish knowledge. We must continue the probe and follow the
admonition: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.” (Matt. 7:7–8.)... In order for an individual to obtain
unwavering knowledge of the reality of God, he must live the
commandments and the doctrines announced by the Savior during his
personal ministry. Those who are willing to make the search, apply
themselves, and do God’s will, will have the knowledge come to them of
the reality of God"
May we each embark on the
quest. Let us live the doctrines and ask God for guidance and direction.
Let us follow the will that He has for each of us. As we do this, we
will become the eternal, Christlike beings that He created us to be.
I
love y'all. Have an amazing week. Drink lots of cocoa and snuggle up by
a fire. ''Tis the season! Love life and remember that life is too short
to be anything other than joyful and happy.
Love always,
Sister Dorian
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" D&C 6:36
No comments:
Post a Comment