Is that the first time my dog has been in the snow? AWESOME! It was super windy here in California. Fortunately I already know how to walk with a skirt in the wind. We had a white elephant thing with the zone at Christmas and someone (probably one of the Chinese Elders) put in tickets to Star Wars. We decided they were going straight to outer darkness.
So we decided to team up with the elders to do 12 week the other day since Elder Center is also brand new. Sister Shober and I taught a lesson to Elder Center and Elder Dayton. It was really awesome and we could feel the spirit so strong. The Elders all said that it was me that brought the spirit and they all reassured me that even if I didn't lead anyone to baptism on my whole mission that I've touched them and helped them become better missionaries. I think I said that in my farewell talk and also at the MTC and in the letter where I accepted my call. Elder Center was the worst, he for some reason thinks that I'm like this spiritual giant. He said that I don't even have to say anything people can just look at my face and feel the spirit. He also said that I will help every missionary I serve with and everyone at the MTC will always remember my testimony. He said every person in our zone is a better missionary because of my testimony and later he told the zone leaders that I a the most powerful person they would meet on their missions.
I told them there's no way that's true because I'm only 5 feet tall and they fired back will all these scriptures that say "and thus we see that by small means...." Seriously look those scriptures up though because they're all really good.
Anyway it feels super weird to see everyone looking up to me and talking me up to everyone all the time because I have so many shortcomings and disadvantages. I just keep thinking about how I've only been a member for a year and a half and the elders teach lessons to people all the time, but Sister Shober and I haven't taught anyone yet. I know it's bad to compare yourself to other missionaries but I just think it's weird that they think so highly of me when they're doing so much better. I wish they could realize that if I'm a good missionary the only reason is because of the strengthening power of the atonement. There's a scripture in D&C 84 that says "88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."
I wish everyone would realize that this promise is not more for me because I'm a convert and I have experiences that help me relate to people, but it is for every missionary. I wish they would realize that their testimonies and experiences are just as powerful as mine, or rather just as powerful as they will let the Lord make them, and the Lord has infinite power to do his work.
I've also been thinking a lot about how Elder Center said that you can look at my face and feel the spirit, and about how people tell stories about people stopping them in stores and saying they look different than other people in the world, or they stand out, or they have a different light about them. I realized that this is what it's talking about in the scriptures when it talks about receiving the image of God in your countenance.
So this is y'all's reading assignment for this week: Read third Nephi chapter three and look for all the ways that the epistle of Giddianhi is exactly like the ways Satan tries to get at us. Then think about how Lachoneus prepares to defend the people from the robbers and think about verse fifteen. I think Jenny has an object lesson related to this that I didn't understand until I was reading this morning.
Elder Dayton said that I don't have an accent and also that I don't say y'all. I literally say y'all all the time so I don't know who that guy was listening to.
OH! So you know how I said it was windy the other day? So in the morning we cleaned up or phone and texted all the investigators and potential investigators in it asking if we could set up a time to meet with them. Well we had a window planned at this park and we were sitting out in the cold wind for an hour with no one talking to us shriveling up and freezing to death when 3 PEOPLE TEXTED US BACK AND SET UP MEETINGS. Blessings! So anyway we have 3 scheduled lessons with people who were dropped or quit taking lessons for whatever reason.
Anyway that's my life right now.
Love Y'all!
Sister Madeleine Atchley