#1 - Sister Bonner and me in the Texas Bluebonnets!
#2 - Sister Bonner and me with the McClane family
Hey y'all!
I am constantly amazed at how much the Lord loves me. :) I
know He loves all y'all too, so much, more than words can even express, but I
know He loves me too, because He continues to bless me in SO many different
ways. I have seen so many little miracles throughout my mission, and I
have learned and grown so much. I've probably said this before, but I
LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! :)
This week has been great - the biggest miracle being that we were
able to find two new investigators! We tracted into Azam (pronounced kind
of like Awesome) about a month ago, and he said we could come back, but we
haven't been able to catch him at home since then. But we tried again
this week, and not only was he home, but he dropped what he was doing to let us
in, introduced us to his wife Saira, and invited us to start teaching.
(our jaws might have been on the floor at this point, I don't remember.
;) ) They are Muslim, and he wanted us to explain the differences between
Islam and Christianity, but seeing as neither of us knew anything about what
Muslims believe, we had them give a brief summary of their faith, and then we
were able to highlight some of the similarities and differences. He also
asked why there are so many different Christian churches, so we were able to
give the Restoration lesson. We gave them a Book of Mormon and invited
them to start reading it, and in response Azam walked into the other room and
grabbed a copy of the English translation of the Koran to give to us. Honestly,
I was honored that he'd give me a book that he holds to be sacred - I hope
others feel the same way when we give them copies of the Book of Mormon!
And I've been reading bits of it in the evening, when I have some free
time, and it's been interesting to learn more about why they believe what they
believe. And now when we go back I can say I've read some of their book,
so they should read some of ours. :) They're awesome, and I'm
excited to keep teaching them!
I've decided that this ward might be too good at taking care
of us missionaries... there was one evening we had dinner with one family, went
out to work, and then stopped by another member's house to share a message and
see if we could get a ride home. We happened to stop by as they were
sitting down for dinner, and so of course they insisted that we stay and eat...
yep, two dinners in one night. And this isn't the first time. :)
Just know that I won't starve while I'm here! ;)
With Easter coming up, we've been focusing our tracting messages on
Jesus Christ and the Atonement and Resurrection. A sister in our ward,
while she was giving us a ride, told us how she had been tracted into by
Jehovah's Witnesses who were also sharing Easter messages - but she said they
chose to focus on Christ's death... that that was the real reason we celebrate
Easter... :/ some people have it so backwards, unfortunately! Yes, Christ
died for us. But more important than that is the fact that He lives!
That's why we celebrate Easter - it's not about the cross, it's about the
empty tomb. I know that Christ lives today, and that He leads His church
here in the latter days. And I'm so glad I have this opportunity to share
that testimony with everyone I meet!
We had dinner with our ward mission leader and his family, the
McLanes. Bro McLane told a story about how his daughter shared the gospel
with one of her classmates when they weren't doing something they should: she
asked them "do you read the scriptures? There's a place called 'This
is the Place' (an LDS bookstore). You should get some scriptures there
and read them!" We thought it was cute. :) Also while we were
there, Brother McLane asked us to share some of the things that we've learned
as missionaries, and our testimony of how missions strengthen us as
missionaries. It was really neat to be able to reflect on the things I've
learned and share it with the 3 potential future sister missionaries and the
one future elder in the room. :) And since then, I've been reflecting
more on what I've learned so far... It's crazy to think that my mission is more
than halfway over! I've learned so much, and yet I still have so far to
go. But I thought that I would share the things I've learned in the past
9 1/2 months with y'all. :)
•
I've learned that it is so important to trust the Lord in
EVERYTHING. He always has a plan, and it will always work out for your
good and the good of those around you if you trust Him.
•
I've learned how to better recognize and follow the promptings of
the spirit. I'm not perfect at it, but as we do the little things He asks
us to do, He will be able to trust us with bigger, more important things.
•
I've learned that "all things denote there is a God" (Alma
30:44) There is nothing here on earth that doesn't testify of our
Heavenly Father. To me, science just proves further that there is a
God, and that He loves us enough that He created a world that we could learn to
understand. :)
•
I've learned the importance of scripture study and prayer. My
study time each morning has helped my knowledge and testimony of the gospel
grow more than anything else. It is those quiet times, with just you and
your scriptures and a desire to learn, that the spirit can teach you what you
need to know. And prayer is such a sacred time too - you're communicating
with God - what could be more important than that? Take the time to study
and pray every day - it is SO important.
•
I've learned the truth of Ether 12:27. When I first came on my
mission, it seemed like all my weaknesses were highlighted in bright colors.
I felt SO inadequate to share the gospel - the most important message in
the world. But as I've turned to the Lord with faith, He has been able to
make me something that I couldn't have ever imagined before. Yes, I still
have my weaknesses. But with the Lord, I'm slowly but surely turning them
into strengths.
•
I've learned how important it is to forget myself and serve others.
It's not all about me, and the biggest responsibility I have as a missionary
is to invite and help others to come to Christ.
•
I've learned how important it is to treasure the simple truths of
the gospel. We shouldn't always be focused on what more deep doctrine we
can learn to better our lives - it's all in the first principles and ordinances
of the gospel, the basic lessons that we teach as missionaries. As I've
studied the simple truths in the missionary lessons, I've learned and grown so
much. And I've seen how the simple truths of the gospel have helped
others as they've learned things they've never heard before. The gospel
is so simple, and it is beautiful in it's simplicity. And there are so
many things we can learn from the basic truths.
•
I've learned that it's important to have fun, laugh a lot, and love
life. Yes, life is challenging. There are so many different
stresses that are placed on every one of us every day. But we have the
choice to be happy. And the best way to relieve stress is to laugh and
have fun. :)
•
I've learned so much about love. How to love others, and
especially about the love that our Heavenly Father has for each of His
children. I am constantly reminded of His love as I talk to various
people as I knock doors or talk to people on the street. It doesn't
matter who I'm talking to, I ALWAYS feel the love that God has for that person.
I can't comprehend how He loves everyone so much, but He does. I
know that much. :)
•
I've learned to NEVER let your fear challenge your faith.
Faith and fear can't exist in the same person at the same time, and one
of the ways that Satan distracts us from our faith is planting that little seed
of fear. But as long as we're doing what's right and trusting in God, we
have no reason to fear! Always have faith!
•
I've learned that I can use the power of the Atonement for
EVERYTHING. My favorite scripture about the Atonement is Alma 7:11-13,
and it talks about all the things that Christ suffered for in the garden of
Gethsemane. But how often do we really turn to Him and allow Him to really
help us during our hard times? Who knows better than our Savior what
we're going through? I can testify as His servant that He wants you to
turn to Him. He knows you, your weaknesses, your fears, and everything
that you go through that is hard. Use the Atonement and let Him help you!
President Pingree often asks us at various meetings: "When was the
last time that you had a meaningful, personal experience with the Atonement of
Jesus Christ?" The answer should be at least within the last 24
hours. You really can use the power of the Atonement for
everything!
Sorry this letter has gotten so long. But I just really felt
like I needed to share some of the many things I've learned as a missionary
with y'all. I know that this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, is true, and it is the Kingdom of God here on the earth.
I love y'all so much, and I hope that you have a great week! I know
I will! :)
Sister Ririe
2 Nephi 9:10
"Thanks be to God for the wonder and the majesty of His eternal
plan. Thank and glorify His Beloved Son, who, with indescribable
suffering, gave His life on Calvary's cross to pay the debt of mortal sin.
He it was who, through His atoning sacrifice, broke the bonds of death
and with godly power rose triumphant from the tomb. He is the Savior of
the world. He is the Son of God, the Author of our salvation."
- President Gordon B. Hinckley
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