Hello family!!
So, I apologize for last weeks email, it was kind of a downer. I wanted to say thanks for all the letters this week and especially to Daryl for the screwtape letters quote because I loved it and it was perfect timing. OK. So you know how the Lord sometimes brings us low in order to lift us higher? And then when things are low we cry and whine and despair because we don't know WHY things have to be so HARD? And then he lifts us higher and we realize it was all part of the plan and get bashful and go "oh, heh heh, thanks...". Yeah, you know how that happens? Haha, me too.
So first of all after a trial like that the verse came to mind from Joseph Smith's history where he says (paraphrasing here) that he learned that Satan knew early on that he would prove to be a great disturber of his kindgom, and thus the tribulation and opposition even from early on. So obviously it isn't as true of me as it was of Joseph Smith, but I like to think, now when tribulation comes along, "Nice try, Satan. You're just SCARED of me. Bwahaha. Take THAT!" It sounded better in my head, but you get it.
Anyway another thing I was thinking of this week was why we talk about the infinite worth of each soul. I believe that for the Lord each soul has infinite worth but I couldn't understand why, really. Thinking about myself, I mean, I can't think why. Even with my sparkling personality and witty conversational skills... Ok so really the thought started with all the tribulation and I was thinking about how the Lord sends his people through a refiner's fire and I thought, that's all well and good, but I feel like you're wasting a lot of time and money refining me by sending me here to France where I don't seem to be making a difference. Why don't you send me somewhere else where I can be refined WHILE baptizing hundreds of people? So I was praying and asking the Lord basically to teach me about who I really am, who I could be, and why it's worth it to spend this time struggling and not just baptizing. I was reading in D&C 76 and 132 about the celestial blessings and I realized that I am not of infinite worth because of all my personality traits and personal wonderfulness. I am of infinite worth because of what the eternities hold for me IF I am obedient. It is worth spending all the time and money in the world making sure I make it to the celestial kingdom because if I get there I have kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, and worlds without number. Worlds populated with other people. My children. I am of inifinite worth because there is no end to the good that can be done ONLY if I make it to the celestial kingdom, where we can continue to progress and have families.
So there you go. That was my tidbit I thought was worth sharing for the week. It makes it easier to realize the infinite value of each person I teach, easier to have patience with them and make sure I do everything I can to bring them to Christ because IF they come to Christ and do everything that is required to enter the celestial kingdom then the good that can be done, the effects, are without end.
On that note, things are actually going really really well here in Versailles. Zenab is not actually getting baptized today, but she's well on her way. We're getting there. We taught her the law of chastity (my first law of chastity lesson! haha) and it went really really well. And we're meeting her family and boyfriend tonight.
We have several other people who are progressing well, so we just have to keep working hard and keep stretching. It's been fun setting high goals and then reaching them. This week was actually somewhat of a miracle week because we planned for so many lessons and amis and so on and then we spent a couple days working really hard with no apparent results and then here we are at the end of the week and Sr. G and I were looking at our numbers and realized that we're actually doing better than we planned for and taught more lessons this week than any other weeks previous. The Lord moves in mysterious ways, I suppose. I can't figure it out.
Oh also I wanted to tell a funny story. So the other day Sr. Gappmaier and I bought roses at the Carrefour because they were beautiful and looked summery and they were cheap and we thought they might come in handy. Haha, we're so sneaky. Anyway so the other night we were porting, and I brought a rose with me just for kicks. Anywayit's kind of dangerous to go porting after dark around here, we have found, people yell at you. But there weren't any people on the street so we rang at one gate and the lady let us in and we walked up to her door and she was on the phone but she paused for a second to let us introduce ourselves and then she said she wasn't interested and didn't have time. So I just stuck out the rose and said ok, but we'd just like to give you this. She took the rose and just looked absolutely touched. We were just about to turn away when she sighed and told the person on the phone she'd call them back, and let us in. I didn't mean to guilt trip her, but hey, whatever works :) We ended up giving a lesson on prayer and she was the sweetest, most open person. It was wonderful. She has this adorable little daughter too.
Also this is random but everyone we talk to seems to think my companion and I are nuns. It's my favorite though because the next comment is always, "you girls are awfully pretty to be nuns..."
haha!
And just for you, mom, I'm staying healthy and eating right. We eat LOTS of veggies cuz they're cheap. And I'm a creative cook. I learned today that kidney beans, corn, and celery with salsa make a pretty good vegetarian chili...And the other night I made a sunday dinner just like yours!! Almost. I took a picture for ya. I was going to send some pictures but I'm almost out of time... Maybe next time. Thank you for all the letters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You're amazing.
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