Sunday, April 28, 2013

Mission Log: 22 April 2013


My friend Pablo was baptized yesterday. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Meeting and teaching Pablo and his daughter Romina has been like finding part of my family. They are so dear to my heart and it was such a wonderful experience to see him all dressed in white ready to make a promise with God. Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in New Jersey.

The interesting thing that I noticed was that despite it being such a wonderful day and despite being able to share it with people whom I love so much I still found a way to be stressed. All throughout church I was thinking about lists of things I needed to get done. Print the program. Practice the musical number. Make sure everyone gets dressed on time. Set up the chairs. Fill the font. Greet people as they come in. Make sure that the people giving talks show up. Find the person who is supposed to be conducting. Take pictures. Get everyone in their seats. There’s no microphone so make sure people can hear. Thank everyone for their help. Do this. Run there. Fix that. Give him something to eat. And all the while still try to feel the Spirit. It wasn’t until the baptism was over that I ever had a chance to actually enjoy it. I decided there is so much wisdom in the Savior’s command “peace, be still.”

 I know myself, and I know that it is very difficult for me to be still. I’m a doer. I like to be in a constant state of motion. If I’m not doing something I get fidgety. But I hope that I can learn to be still, to be quiet and to recognize that there is joy to be had and miracles to be recognized if I will just take the time to appreciate them.

There are lots of things that I know I need to improve on, and I’m glad Heavenly Father gives me a life time to try and figure things out, repent, and try again. 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Mission Log: 15 April 2013



All is well and beautiful in the garden state. I feel like I talk about the beauty of New Jersey every week, but the thing is that it is JUST THAT beautiful. There are blossoms showing up everywhere and it just makes you feel like you’re walking in paradise. I love it!

We didn’t have very many set appointments this week, so from the onset I knew we would be spending a lot of time knocking doors. We ended up meeting and teenage boy and his grandfather from Sierra Leon who love fish and were cleaning out fish tanks and wanted to talk all about fish. Thanks to my brother-in-law, Blake I can know just enough about fish and tanks to keep a conversation going and they ended up letting us come in to teach them. Turns out that other members of their family belong to our church, they even had a Book of Mormon there and went to get it while we were talking. The mentioned that they had never read the Book of Mormon and didn’t really understand what it was. So we explained and read with them. The Book of Mormon in itself really is a miracle. It testifies of Christ. Reading the Book of Mormon builds faith in the Savior and increases our desire to follow His teachings. I love reading the Book of Mormon with people.

Also in our knocking we came to one door and the woman would not answer. At first she told us that she had just gotten out of the shower and she told us to come back in a few minutes. When we came back she said she was on the phone and we should come another time. We figured that she just wasn’t interested, so we went on walking. As we were walking we heard a woman calling “Senoras! Misioneras!” It was the lady! So we went back and taught her.

We just had a lot of moments where I felt like we were in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. I love that feeling! 

I love the gospel. I love sharing it. I love watching lives change as people apply the principles of faith and repentance. I love rejoicing with my friends when they are baptized and confirmed. I love supporting others as they endure to the end. I love sharing in the work of the Lord.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Mission Log: 8 April 2013



The Garden State is my home. I love it here. Spring is gorgeous and I could not be happier. To sum my week up I met new people from all across the world. I heard stories of faith and miracles. I prayed with strangers and friends. I listened to a living prophet. I felt God’s love. I testified of Christ.

How was your week?

This month our mission is focusing on consecration. Our leaders asked us to think of all the things in our lives that we know we need to change. Little disobediences that keep our lives from being in harmony with the teachings of Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-doctrine-of-christ?lang=eng). In essence they asked us to think of all the things that keep us from being happy, because the whole points of Christ’s doctrine are to help us be happy. We wrote down our different things and then we went outside and burned them. It was a little dramatized, but I like drama. I know that I am not perfect, but I know I have power to change. Guess what, you do too! We all have things in our lives that keep us from being as happy as our Savior intends us to be, and through His atonement we are given the power to overcome them. I invite you to think of things that you would like to change so that you can be happier, then take massive action to make those changes a reality. I know that it’s making a difference for me. I can see small miracles in my life each day. I know you will too.

Have a great day, cherish each moment. Love well and live well.

Love,

Monday, April 1, 2013

Mission Log: 1 April 2013


I realized far too late in the game that today is April Fool’s day and I have no good jokes planned, shameful!

In other news, I was bit by a dog this week. I’m officially a “real” missionary. I was on an exchange with too English sisters and we had no set appointments so we started knocking doors. While we were knocking this random dog runs by with a leash and no owner. So we decided that there was probably someone somewhere looking for this dog. So we continued knocking doors and asking everyone if the dog was theirs and if it wasn’t their dog if they perchance would be interested in learning more about Jesus Christ. It was just a really strange day. Anyway at one point Dexter, the dog, decided that he was fed up with us he bit me, then he bit Sister Dorneles, and they he tried to escape through a fence. But, alas, we were victorious over the dog. Not only that, but after about an hour or so we finally met the owner. It was a Kenyan family and they know Mormons and are just fine with the idea of learning more about our message. All in a day’s work.
Spring is finally showing up. I love Spring. It’s interesting to me how much I appreciate the warm weather when the memory of cold, dark days is fresh in my mind. When we were walking the other day I ended up stopping right in my tracks and for just a little bit stood in the road with my head to the sky and my arms outstretched just soaking up the sun. It felt good.

To make a little analogy, I wonder if we thought about the gospel the way we think about Spring if we would talk about it more and share it more. Does that make sense. Imagine a world where all your friends live in constant winter. Cold and dark all day every day while you live in springtime. Wouldn’t you tell them about how wonderful the sunshine is, how beautiful the flowers are, and how great it is to live in constant spring? Wouldn’t you invite them to come visit and see and feel for themselves how great spring in? I would! If we would be so quick to share things that bring happiness in every other facet of our lives, why wouldn’t we share the gospel. The knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, that He lives, and that his atonement is sufficient to save us from death and despair. Just something to think about.

General Conference is coming up this weekend. I’m so excited to hear from a living prophet of God! Have a wonderful day, I love you a lot!