Faith

April 21st 2010

Wow! I cannot believe another week has come and gone! It seems my time here is flying by within a blink of an eye. I am trying to enjoy every second here, and striving diligently to learn all that I possibly can while I am here. The language is coming, but I think that has been the most discouraging part for me. I have learned aton though! I received a Priesthood blessing the other night from our Zone Leader Elder Schvaneveldy (Swanny is his nickname who will be serving in the same mission as me) and it really comforted me. I know that I will be able to learn this language, because this is the Lord's work. As long as I place my trust in Him, then he will bless me to be able to say the right things to investigators when the time presents itself.

We taught our first lesson all in Spanish yesterday! It wasn't quite as hard as I thought it would be, and I surprised myself with how much I actually knew. The spirit was strong, and I learned that even when you are teaching in another language that is different than your own, there is still one language that we need to learn...and that is the language of the spirit. I know that the holy ghost is the true teacher and I am striving every day to have the Spirit as my constant companion. I need to have more faith, as I have learned throughout this last week. I never quite realised how much our faith and diligence depends on the progress of this work.

Faith has been the reoccuring for me throughout this week. I used to think I had a lot of faith, until I came here...and I started loosing faith in myself and my potential. I know that this was the advesary's way of trying to bring me down, but throughout this last week all the firesides, devotionals, classes, and other topics of discussion throughout our meetings had aton to do with having faith in ourselves and in this work. Not being weary, and to refuse to be average. As children of our loving Heavenly Father we are so much more than average. Each of us has the divine potential to do great things in this life and in the eternities. I know this to be true, and I am working on not being so hard on myself and having faith that I can do all things through Christ. That includes learning the language and overcoming my own personal weaknesses and doubts. I know I can do this, and every night I pray for more faith. It has been a process but I know that Heavenly Father does hear and answer are prayers.

It is amazing to see how much my testimony has grown since coming here. Already, even though I've only been on my mission for 5 weeks, it has CHANGED my life. Making the decision to serve and to go through with it, has been the best decision I have ever made. I know that I am in the right place at the right time in my life right now. All that I have learned will forever be apart of me. I now look at things with an eternal perspective as I talked about last week. I know that this life is the time for us to prepare to meet God at the judgement seat, and then to be judged according to our actions and the desires of our hearts. If we do not desire to change now, and be perfected day by day through Christ's atoning sacrafice, then that desire will not suddenly appear when we leave this life. Our same attitudes and personality will be with us when we pass beyond the veil, and we will have a perfect knowledge of everything we did in this life. This life is about becoming the divine individual we have the potential to become. Although we arent perfect, we can impliment the atonement daily. That is the miracle of the Atonement. I use it daily, even for the little things. I try to find ways in which I can strengthen my faith, my diligence and obedience. I know that by our obedience the Lord does bless us. He gave us commandments for a reason. All 10 of them, including keeping the sabbath day holy and honoring our father and our mother. I know that as we strive to keep all the commandments of God, that we will be BLESSED. We will be blessed with more faith and hope, confidence, spiritual strength, and many other things.

Understand that His timing is everything. We all have to go through a refiner's fire so that we can become the people he needs us to become. I know that every day I am here I am being molded into the person He NEEDS me to be.

I know this church is true without ANY doubt! I know that families can be together forever. Never doubt who you are, and who you have the divine potential to become!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana V