What's up everyone?!
First big news of the week: I've been reassigned! I'm now headed to Eugene, Oregon. Out of the six of us that are going to the Dominican Republic, one has her visa and two have gotten an email saying they should have their visas but they don't yet. One (my comp) doesn't have a visa or a reassignment so we're just hoping that the visa comes before she is supposed to fly out on Monday. And the last two of us are going to Oregon together!
Right when I got reassigned, before I had a chance to think about the fact that I should probably feel disappointed to not be going straight to the DR, this thought popped into my head. Definitely from the Holy Ghost and not from me. "Make every day count. You're not gonna be in Oregon long, so you better use the time you've got to find the person you're there to help." God is sending me to Oregon, which means He's got a work for me to do there before I go to the Dominican Republic. I'm excited to get started with it!
Also, it's kind of intimidating to be going to the field next week. This weekend I was kinda thinking about how not ready I am. I have a strong testimony of the truth of this gospel, but do I have the faith to promise someone else that they will receive a testimony if they pray and read the Book of Mormon? It feels like a lot to be able to do that and I was kinda feeling inadequate to the task ahead of me. Then on Sunday we did the Go and Do experience, which is basically an extra long opportunity to study for yourself. As soon as I sat down, I felt the Spirit tell me that I would find something that would comfort me in my study. That was such a relieving feeling. I knew that God was paying attention to my fears and worries and that He recognized how I was feeling. I did my study, hopping around from scripture to scripture, focusing on faith and receiving answers. Then, when our time to study was almost over, I ran across a scripture that says, "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion. Be still and know that I am God." That hit me. This is His work, this building of Zion that I'm helping with. I know that He is God. I trust Him, which means that I don't have to worry about my own weaknesses. I felt so much comfort and peace when I read that scripture.
An analogy popped into my head. The scriptures say we are supposed to be instruments in His hands. And as much as I would love to be a power saw, right now I feel like I'm just a handsaw. But the Carpenter is the one who does the work, and He knows how to use the tools in front of Him. A handsaw might be what He needs to accomplish something specific, and if I trust in God and lean not unto mine own understanding, no matter what my weaknesses are He can use me to accomplish His great work.
We had an awesome devotional yesterday that talked about developing the love that Christ has for others. It seemed kinda fitting that the speakers talked about love since Valentine's Day was on Monday. (Speaking of which, I hope you guys all had a great Valentine's Day! I definitely did.) Sister Stanfill talked about Moses 7, where the heavens wept for the residue of the people. Enoch didn't really understand why the heavens wept since it was just the residue. There were already so many who were saved. But God loves all of His children, so He wept for the ones that had chosen the wrong path. And when Enoch realized how great God's love is, "his heart swelled wide as eternity." Recognizing God's love for us and all of His children enables us to feel that love for the people around us! Charity really is the pure love of Christ.
We started the SYL Desafio - the Speak Your Language Challenge on Monday. Basically, we signed this thing that said we commit to not speak English for the rest of our time here at the MTC. It's hard to stay all in Spanish (and we definitely have lots of relapses into English), but it's such good practice! And my comp and I can totally carry normal conversations in Spanish now. There are a couple rules for reasons you would speak in English instead of Spanish, such as an emergency or a medical appointment. One of them is translating for your companion to someone who doesn't speak Spanish. That has been really fun cuz my comp and I are making a game out of it. We try to say hi to or compliment people as we walk by them and the other person will translate. Like if I say, "Me gusta su vestido", my comp will hurry to say, "I like your dress!" before we have walked by the sister wearing it. It's been really fun. We have translated for each other at the front desk and the travel office as well and they humor us. :)
Also, MTC choir started up again! It is so awesome. I only did one year of choir in high school which is definitely something I regret because choir is so fun. And MTC choir is especially good. It was practically a devotional where you sometimes sing. We sang Lead, Kindly Light, and we learned all about the history behind the song. The guy who wrote it, John Henry Newman, wrote it after he had been really sick for a week and their boat was in the middle of this thick fog. The lyrics have so much meaning! After a life of pride and always telling God what he wanted and how to bless him, he finally realized a better way to do it was to trust himself completely to God. Which is the truth. God has the best plan that could possibly be made, so I always want to follow His plan and let His light be the guide for my life. We sang the song during the devotional and our faces were up on the screen. It was really distracting but also kinda fun to see people you knew up on the screen.
Sorry I don't really have any fun stories this week! I'm running out of time to write, but it was an awesome week full of the Spirit, Spanish, and lots of good times with my companion! Love you guys!
Hermana Cazier
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