Well Zach did not end up getting baptized this week, but he's getting there. We accidentally hung out with him while we had lunch because he was randomly at the church. He apparently showed up a million hours early to his interview so he just went to district meeting with Elder Fife and Radeke. He said that in the district meeting they asked him what made him decide he wanted to get baptized and he said it was the first time we met with him. He said we were the first people to ever tell him that he could and needed to pray and ask God and find answers for himself rather than us telling him what to believe. It's pretty cool because that's a how to begin teaching point. His turning point was within the first 5 minutes of the first lesson. Amazing. Preach My Gospel is so inspired. It's really cool to see how everyone was "converted by" different lessons. For me it was the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I can't imagine going to a district meeting as an investigator though. That is brave.
This was a really long week. We did not get very much done. The best day was Thursday when I was on exchanges with Sister Carr. Sister Carr is awesome. I went on exchanges in YSA. That was pretty fun. We taught Aysia who WE used to be teaching. She is a member who just doesn't have a knowledge or a testimony of like anything. So we taught her the restoration which Sister Baker and I never did for some reason. She loved it and she was so happy afterwards. She's going to get reactivated for sure. Sister Carr is an art student and UVU that's pretty cool because hopefully soon I will be an art student at UVU. That means we're going to be in the program together. #Homies. All my Sister friends go home at the end of next transfer. Well not all of them but all of the best ones. I'm losing Sister Baker, Sister Wimmer, Sister Shumway, and Sister Carr. I am also betting Elder Center, Elder Radeke and Elder Anthony will get transferred next transfer. Then I will have like very few good friends in this zone. I'll have to make new friends. #bummer #waaahmbulance #Emo #MiddleSchoolRound2 #melodramatic Yeah so basically I haven't changed on my mission at all.
D&C19:20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit.
I had a lot of really spiritual experiences this week though. By spiritual experiences I mean spiritual personal studies. I'm really excited that I can feel the spirit this transfer. Not being in tune with the spirit is the worst day of my life. I read a scripture this morning that was really good.
D&C19:20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit.
Basically Christ is saying that the punishment we will have in the next life if we aren't righteous in this life is going to be like a really intense version of not having the spirit with you. I don't think I could handle that because I feel terrible when I don't have the spirit with me.
I had a really good study on faith. I mailed my notes to Matthew so uh.... basically he's my favorite because I don't mail a bunch of revelation to everyone else. I realized that I mail him revelation all the time, like my whole mission, but not to everyone else. I mean, sometimes I include revelation in things I send to Whatcott I guess.... You'd think I would more evenly share what I'm learning though. Sorry homies.
So I guess I can make a brief summary of some things that I learned about faith this week. So I was kind of pondering what it means to have perfect faith and I thought of that scripture in James chapter 2 that says "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" Then I thought that works are usually righteous actions in response to spiritual promptings. So then I was thinking about how sometimes it's hard to act on promptings and sometimes you don't get the desired result when you do. It can be hard to trust Heavenly Father's plan when you do something and you can't see the immediate blessing of your action. So I was thinking about how when you make a righteous action, such as following a prompting, Heavenly Father controls the situation so the outcome his the one that he intended no matter what the outcome is. So then it's as important for us to respond to the outcome in faith as it is for us to act in faith the first time.
So basically
- Act in faith
- Heavenly Father's desired outcome happens
- React to that outcome in faith.
I also had a really good study of the talk "His Grace is Sufficient" which I also mailed to Matthew. I was studying it for him. While I read it the spirit testified of its truthfulness. I received a witness of the atonement.
A scripture that has been standing out to me a lot lately is Alma chapter 40 verse 8, specifically the part that says "all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men." Something that I have been learning lately is that not all lessons can be learned in a couple transfers. That is ok though because Heavenly Father doesn't count how long it takes us to repent only that we are trying our best. We are the ones who put a timeline on our progression because "time only is measured unto men." Heavenly Father will help us and give is divine strength to overcome anything no matter how long that process takes.
A scripture that has been standing out to me a lot lately is Alma chapter 40 verse 8, specifically the part that says "all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men." Something that I have been learning lately is that not all lessons can be learned in a couple transfers. That is ok though because Heavenly Father doesn't count how long it takes us to repent only that we are trying our best. We are the ones who put a timeline on our progression because "time only is measured unto men." Heavenly Father will help us and give is divine strength to overcome anything no matter how long that process takes.
OH! I experienced a tiny miracle! I've asked literally like everyone I know for a card with all the scripture mastery scriptures on it since the MTC and nobody has ever given me one. So I prayed about it and yesterday everyone in the ward council got a thing with all of the doctrinal mastery stuff on it. #blessings. If I memorize 3 scriptures a week for the rest of my mission I will have all of them memorized when I come home.
Coming at you with some quotes:
"I can't even stand the thought of kissing. Even the cutest boys! They have all these gum diseases and calculus all over their teeth and mouths are just gross!" -Beverly
"So did you guys just rock paper scissors for who was going to teach me?" -Zach
"So Sister Atchley what are you doing after your mission besides finding your super detailed specific husband?" -Zach
"There's the authority one with an ice cream truck vs a police car. You would let a police car pull you over but not an ice cream truck." -Elder Radeke
"Therefore you have to be baptize by someone who drives a police car rather than an ice cream truck." -me
"You're like this pen."- me
"Empty inside?" -Zach
"Yeah and this is the Holy Ghost. It can just touch you before you're baptized but after you get baptized it's inside of you and you become a fully functioning pen" -me
"If I was going to get my own money out of the bank that would be ok but if I wanted to get Sister Baker's money out of the bank I would need her permission. Therefore you need God's permission to get his money out of the bank." -me
"What does money represent?" -Elder Radeke
"Covenants" -Sister Baker
"I think I've learned more in the last five minutes from Sister Atchley than I have from you guys ever." -Zach
"SHE'S NOT EVEN BEING SERIOUS!!" -Elder Radeke
"You guys said missionary work was hard. This isn't hard you just have meetings all day and then eat lunch at the church." -Zach
"No don't draw the same thing as me! My drawing will look bad!" -Sister Baker
"Did you just say draw my future cat?" -me
"Yeah" -Elder Radeke
"Elder Anthony's future wife? That's a cat. That's not very nice." -Elder Anthony
"It used to say cat! Also it used to say Radeke!" -me
"You need an apron that says #1 dad" -me
"Now TAHT is an apron I would wear." -President Clark
"Ew they're talking about girlfriends." -Sister Carr
"BOYFRIENDS blah blah." -me
"Name a primary song with hand gestures." -ysa guy
"Sorry team I'm a convert." -me
".... yeah..... and....?" -Literally everyone
#NoSympathy
"Guess what I'm going to be for halloween! I'll give you a hint it's a president" -Cole
"Brigham Young" -me
"NO! of the united states!" -Cole
"Wait that's a way better idea!" -Brother Mackay
"Oh It's Abraham Lincoln." -me
"Yeah first try!" -Cole
"I'm taking Cole to get an Abe Lincoln costume tomorrow." -Sister Mackay
"You're not even giving me time to sway his opinion?" -Brother Mackay
"Four score and seven years ago" -Cole
"Thank you Brother Brigham." -Brother Mackay
"Why do you like Abe Lincoln?" -me
"Because his ghost haunts the white house! Also he was a president and he has an almost all black suit and 16 is not an unlucky number." -Cole
"John Lennon said they were more popular than Jesus. People got mad." -Cole
"I was so mad when that happened." -Morgan
"oh yeah!? What uh... what did you do when that happened?" -Brother Mackay
"Well I... I almost.... took him apart." -Morgan
"Jesus is so romantic!" -Morgan
"Maddy lost her 10th tooth today." -Cole
"Who is that?" -Brother Mackay
"She sits next to me in class." -Cole
"Y'all are pretty close friends if you're keepin up with how many teeth she's lost." -me
"yeah" -Cole
"White or wheat Elders?" -Bishop
"I'm a white... uh.. bread.. uh kinda guy... Dang. I almost said I'm a white guy." -Elder Center
"What do you think Heavenly Father's love language is?" -me
"Oh I know! God feels love.... when we keep his commandments." -Sister Wimmer
"You know whose love language IS physical touch though? The apostle John." -me
"Yeah! Nestled in Christ's neck in every picture." -Sister Wimmer
"I have a funny story about nestling in necks from the MTC" -Sister Hawkins
"WOOOOOAH!" -Everyone
"This is going to take a real left turn from what all of you are thinking because we had to move residences because a girl woke up to find a bat nestled in her neck in mine." -Sister Hawkins
"Lets be real would you rather wake up to find a bat nestled in your neck or an owl?" -Sister Baker
The reading assignment is this!
This morning I was reading things in my mind in that voice that Elder Holland uses when he yell-cries at us at conference. You know the one. So I read D&C 19 in that voice an I realized that in it Christ is not telling us to repent or else he'll punish us, but he's pleading with us to repent so that he doesn't have to. He knows what it feels like to suffer the penalty of sin and he is trying to warn us. Give D&C 19 another read. It's one of my favorites.
Love Y'all!!
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