What a crazy week it's been! Filled with miracles and amazing tender mercies.
First things first! This past Sunday, we had not one, but TWO General Authorities visit our little ward. Elder Bennett, a Seventy, and Elder Calderwood, our area Seventy! Plus our Stake President joined us! It was truly a revelatory experience and I've got lots of notes that I wanted to share, so buckle down.
The first hour was crazy! We ran in, the strap on my dress broke, two of our friends magically showed up, and the room was filled with the Spirit.
The first message we got was from our Stake President. He told us that we need to follow Nephi's example and ask the Lord to soften our hearts so we can go and do when the Lord asks us. This was especially awesome for me as a missionary because I am constantly asked to go and serve the Lord. It takes a lot! I'm constantly giving and giving and giving. It's difficult to imagine not loving everyone that I meet and serve with, and nearly impossible to think that we could have a hardened heart and get anything done with true power and authority. Just like how we should all be prepared at any time to go to the temple! Always be prepared to go and do, as the Lord directs!
The second message came from our area Seventy, Elder Calderwood! He talked about the names for the Plan of Salvation. The Plan is something that we talk a lot about as missionaries because it offers us so much peace and hope! It truly is just strewn with absolute pure love from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There are a number of verses and names I want to list, and then I'll talk about my favorite one!
1. "The Great and Eternal Plan of Deliverance from Death" -2 Nephi 11:5
2. "Great Plan of Redemption" -Alma 34:31
3. "Plan of Mercy" -Alma 42:15
4. "Plan of Happiness" -Alma 42:8
And my personal favorite....
5. "The Plan of Restoration" -Alma 41:2
Whyyyy is it my favorite? Well! Not only do I adore Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the gospel, but it's also describing the way the Atonement works. Jesus Christ's power is able to restore us. As it says in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
What a beautiful way to describe this perfect plan? Jesus Christ is the plan!! Through him and his sacrifices, we can accomplish all things which our Father has laid out for us! I'm am beyond grateful for that gift and for the knowledge I have. The plan is a gift.
The next speaker was Elder Bennett of the Quorum of the Seventy. He was phenomenal! Truly the Spirit just testified of the love and faith he has. He spoke with such power and authority! He brought with him messages from the Prophet, who expressed his love and appreciation for us being such unified disciples of Christ. It is such a blessing to be counted among these faithful saints, even for a short while! Elder Bennett said, "He loves you, he is proud of you, and is grateful for your service." He reminded us that there is no greater joy than helping others come unto Jesus Christ by being a missionary. He also counseled us to "Do our best to live the gospel, and repent when you don't." He says, "The Church is not a museum where you look at perfect Saints. It is a hospital where we all go to be better and find love and healing." He promises that God IS proud of our efforts and He is so very grateful that you're trying!! He knows you aren't perfect, so stop feeling bad that you aren't. You are not inadequate! You have value and add so much more than you know. Your faith is much stronger than you think!! One of my Young Women leaders once said, "it's not that you need to be perfect, but that you keep trying." And that has stuck with me ever since. I often set extremely high expectations for myself, and then when I fail to meet those standards, I feel useless and discouraged. Over and over this week, Heavenly Father has reminded me that I am enough. He has prepared me the best way He could (which is the absolute most perfect way) and if I trust Him, then I should feel satisfied with the work I am doing. And when I don't do what I should it's okay. As Elder Bennett reminds us, "He atoned for YOU. Infinite and intimate." Jesus Christ allows us to "go about doing good" joyfully!
The entire second hour we discussed the new questions for the temple recommend interview. It often feels like the checklist is so long, but truthfully, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and revolves around love.
Think about these questions that our Stale President asked us:
-What is your journey of faith?
-What has allowed you to grow deeper in your testimony of Jesus Christ's atonement?
-How do I know I'm forgiven?
-Is there anything that Heavenly Father would not do if it would benefit His children?
I know that obedience can bring happiness, but exact obedience brings acute and everlasting joy! A covenant means a willingness to walk, follow closely, or walk with! Are we being true to our covenants? Please continue turning to God. Always! Repent and never stop! Elder Bennett said he repents hourly! No one is exempt from sin, but Heavenly Father knew that. That's why we have Jesus Christ! We all need saving sometimes.
One thing that I thought of when he was talking is "Missionaries may have the authority, but every member has the responsibility to be a missionary." That means we need to minister to all! What an exciting and blessed work!
Also, on Tuesday it snowed and snowed and snowed. I wanted to take pictures, but as an unfortunate and classic Cassidy move, I dropped my phone and lost it in the few inches we got. My entire district, bless their little hearts, rallied to my aid and we spent a good 6 hours looking for the darn thing. No luck! It got harder as it got darker and I was almost just gonna say, "Forget it. I'll find it when the snow melts." But then I decided it'd be better to say another prayer. I had already said multiple, but there are never enough prayers, so I said another one. And, just as before, I felt great peace that it would be totally okay no matter what happened. It may sound silly because it's just a phone, but I use it for studying, planning, communication, recording, etc. so it's pretty essential to my work as an organized missionary. After the prayer, we renewed our search, but as I began to think back on the events leading up to the loss of my phone, I remembered another place that I could have dropped it. We all, (my Bishop and his family had joined us at this point,) ran over to search. Lo and behold, not 30 minutes had gone by when my companion triumphantly shrieked and held up a snowy, but fully intact, phone. It actually was still at 60% battery life, and thus far, I've detected no water damage. Blessings eternal! God really truly is good, y'all!
Sorry if I seemed preachy! I just love the gospel! Have a blessed week!
Love, Sister Morrison
Onward and Upward!
No comments:
Post a Comment