I survived the mission split and am so happy that I'm staying in the Arizona Tucson Mission and that I'm still in St. David. I can't believe that as of this week I will have been gone for a whole year. It's so crazy! This year has been the best year of my life. I've learned more during this year than any other year. I would like to think that I've changed a bit as well.
I've been thinking a lot lately about how as missionaries we ask people to completely change their lives and turn to our Savior. I hope that I'm doing the same. I don't want to come home the same person that I was when I left. I just love serving a mission! I've also been thinking a lot about Doctrine and Covenants 123. It talks about how there are so many people longing for the truth but just don't know where to find it. It also says that we need to "waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them." I wonder if I'm doing that. If I'm doing my very best to bring to light the truth. On days where I come home exhausted I know that I've been doing this. I really do feel like my body has aged quite a bit in this last year but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love the Gospel because it is true and it gives us the light and knowledge that we all desperately need.
Yesterday we had a great zone bonding experience. Our zone leaders asked us all to meet in Sierra Vista yesterday morning and didn't tell us what we would be doing. They just said that we needed to wear PDay clothes. So we drove over an hour to get there. After we all had arrived at the church the zone leaders led us to the bottom of the mountain. We all got out and hiked a bit of it. We would stop along the way and they would share different thoughts with us. For the last bit of the hike they asked us to be reverent and to think about the Savior and the miracles that we have seen. At the top they talked about how our perspective of the valley below us was different from the top. We talked about how as we become celestial missionaries we see things differently. The zone leaders had an old shirt that we made our zone's own title of liberty on. We all wrote what we would do to become celestial missionaries on it. It was powerful!
I want to be completely different now. I'm not a bad missionary but I can give so much more. We've all committed to give this transfer everything we've got and then some. It really will be the best transfer ever.
If everything goes according to planned, Terry will be getting baptized on Saturday! It is amazing to see how the Gospel changes lives. He went from being a hard-hearted old man to one of the softest men I know. He said that he would never quite smoking but he has. Satan has really been tempting him this past week but he is amazing. He says that he knows that he's doing the right thing when he's tempted and tried and when that happen he just laughs at Satan and says, "you can't get me." Isn't that amazing? He recognizes what Mormon talks about in Moroni 7:12 -13: "Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. but behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."
I think that we can all follow the council of Mormon and Terry and to evaluate where everything comes from. If it's good we can see that it is from Heavenly Father and follow it. I know that if we make a pattern of evaluating our lives we will end up happier and better.
Also, Terry is a great example of people that have been wanting the truth but didn't know where to find it. A good number of the people he associates with are members of the church and the missionaries actually used to go over to his house all of the time but no one ever taught him anything. He was looking for light and truth but didn't recognize it. We can't give up on people if they don't want to learn right away because with time, they will.
We also had a great time teaching the Kirkwoods this week. They are amazing and prepared! They went from being a super inactive/part-member family to being on fire. I love it! Ian's parents are super anti-mormon. On Saturday they were going to be visiting the Kirkwoods and they told us that if their parents started bashing the church they would stand up for it. Shannon, the mom, said that she isn't ashamed of the church and she will stand up for what she knows is true. So cool! What a difference and it's because they went to the temple and the spirit testified to them of the truth. When we're at the right place at the right time the spirit will testify of truth.
I'm so thankful for the Holy Ghost and the difference that it makes in my life. Find ways that you can have the promptings of the spirit in your life more. Giving up things that we initially don't want to really do make all of the difference. I know it.
I hope that you all have a great week! I love you all! The Gospel is definitely true!
Love, Hermana Anderson
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