This week I got a new companion! She is from Kaysville baby... takes me back to my time when I would go to doctors appointments every week up to Doctor Buhler who lives in Kaysville... to say the least I do not miss those days. But I am grateful for all the progress that I have made since those days. I know that it is only through my Savior Jesus Christ that I have been able to see such a dramatic change in my migranes on my mission.
This week we had a district council where our president of the mission attended. It was very powerful...Except he called me out. He asked me about my experince that I have had with the healing power of the Atonement. I went on to explain how I grew the most and relied on my Savior the most when I was suffering, not after He healed me. I know that those five years of pain and hardship were for my good. I love Joseph Smilth's testimony when he was in Liberty Jail that says that, "All these things shall give thee experince and be for thy good." Jospeh Smith truly sealed his mission with his blood. He faced every trial with firm faith and unwavering love in our Savior Jesus Christ. I love the story in Mark 8: 23-25. Our Savior is always holding our hand through whatever trial or city comes our way. It is just a matter of if we have the faith to keep holding on to His hand to have the faith that through His Grace we can be healed.
This week as I was studying the scriptures I learned that most of the time we don't have the faith that with His simple touch He can heal us. I have also learned that it takes patience and a lot of prayer. What we want is usualy is not always what God wants. And as soon and we do it our way, we will do it wrong. Jesus Christ truly intervenes after He tests us. That's why I love Either 12:6 that we will not recieve a witness until the trial of our faith.
I have been studying the healing power of the Savior because this week we recieved an online Book of Mormon referal whose 23 year old son just passed away. We walked in totally blind sided. We had no clue that as soon as we opened the door we would be facing this huge mountain to climb. When they told us, I was in shock, I thought to myself, "Heavenly Father how am I suuppose to tackle this situation?" I felt very inadequate. But then A voice came into my mind... "You are called to serve and no one else can do this work right now but you." With adrenaline rushing, I buckled down and shared my testimony of the Savior with more power and feeling than I have ever done in my entire life. As I look back on this lesson that we shared about the Plan of Salvation and God's perfect love... I can hardly remeber what came out of my mouth but I do remember that at the end I told the mom, Anabell whose heart had lost all hope that, "When you seek out Christ you will find your son again." Whenever words come out of my mouth that I have never thought of before I know that it is God working directly through me. In that event, though we felt very inadequate and imperfect when we first walked in, God needeed Sister Holbrook and I there at that very moment and on that day and in that hour sharing the things that flowed so freely out of our mouths from the spirit. The one thing that I have learned from in the past year is that we are nothing without the spirit. There are no coincedes with God. His love, patterns, grace, and plan is perfect. As I relfect on my 1 line a day journal exactly a year ago from the day we met this family I wrote... "I am grateful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ and that through Him I get to help others know that life doesn't end after death." There is no doubt in my mind that our Loving Heavenly Father is in full control of this work and if we but bind our wandering hearts to Him, we will be able to help others come to feel of the lasting joy that this gopsel brings. The best feeling is when you see a smile creep back on a face that has been full of despair and greif. And that is exactly what we saw as we left their house.
I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ we truly can be converted to our Savior. I love a quote that says that 'a testimony is a state of mind and conversion is a state of being.' As we truly repent every day and make these unique and powerful convenats with God we are born again and leave behind forever the self we once were. This is how we know that reptenace is complete. I know that God truly cares about our progress. If we are taking those baby steps each day to become more sanctified through our Savior and His spirit, we will feel that He is proud of us.
I know that Life does not end after death. I know that we will all one day be resurected and judged acroding to the works that we perform here. I know that we can never travel farther than the love of God and that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ our doubts, fears, feelings of despair and hearbreak can be healed thorugh the brilliant light of His Grace.
Love you all, keep
up the good work back home!
Hermana Richards
