Well,
hello there! How's everyone doing?!
This
week was good. Still hard, but still good. On Tuesday we biked for baptism. The
whole mission did.
We
parked the car for the day and rode bikes. Sisters could walk or borrow bikes
from ward members. Most of the sisters I've talked to tried to walk and said it
wasn't successful for them...slackers. Sister Sherrow and I are hardcore, so we
rode bikes. We borrowed them from our ward mission leader. It was fun and hot
and our butts were so sore!!! I also got a nasty bruise on the back of my leg
from falling off the bike. I didn't crash and burn I just kind of fell and
jumped off. It happened a couple times. I'm a pro bike rider. No big deal.
On
Wednesday we had District meeting and it was Sister Farnsworth's birthday. We
all wore cute birthday hats. Even the elders.
We
got to go to the temple on Thursday!!! I was so excited! I love the temple!!! I
was so excited I almost started dancing, but I didn't because I'm a missionary
and we were in the temple. :) I love the temple. I want to see all of you in
the temple someday. Strive to enter into the temple. Do all that you can to go
to the temple. You will be so happy if you live to enter the temple.
On
Friday Sister Sherrow was sick so we stayed home. I watched the District twice,
the Joseph Smith story, other long church history videos and updated the gps
and phone...fun.
(Insert from her mother: And took lots of silly pictures! Emma is still the silly girl we all know and love even as a missionary!!!)
Saturday
we went to the art fair, which is amazing and super famous! People from all
over come to this event. It was pretty cool. We talked to a Catholic guy that
was handing out rosaries. He asked why we're Mormon and not Catholic. Haha, and
he asked us weird questions like about eternity and how it doesn't work or make
sense. We just told him that we don't know everything and we can ask God after
we die. He continued to say it didn't make sense and we told him that we don't
really care about finding the answers to those kinds of questions because they
aren't important in our eternal progression. Anyway, we exchanged cards and
might talk to him again. He wants to convert us, we want to convert him. We
won't convert, but he might. :)
The
ward and bishop are really starting to trust us! It's exciting! Our fireside is
this Sunday and everyone is super excited about it. I just hope that it's
successful!
We
lost an investigator this week and almost lost another. Well...I shouldn't say
lost, they just aren't progressing, but one doesn't want to meet for 3 weeks.
We haven't even met with her yet since I've been here because we haven't been
able to set up appointments with her, so we'll see what happens there.
We
have a potential new investigator that we'll be meeting with on Wednesday and a
referral that we have to find because we have the wrong apartment number.
So,
the reading! Did you do it? 1 Nephi 8-12, it was super good! I love these
chapters with the tree of life. I don't want to focus too much on the meaning
of the tree of life since it is well explained in chapter 11, but I will say a
couple things.
The
first thing I want to say I stole from my dad, but it's so good I have to share
it with you! Lehi "beheld" the fruit of the tree and
"partook" of the fruit of the tree. Sometimes we think that beholding
is the same as partaking, but it's not. We have to be partakers of the fruit,
or fully converted. It isn't enough to be beholders. To truly partake is to do
all that God asks no matter how tedious or dumb it may seem. It's for our own good.
This
leads to the next thing that struck me (really everything flows together that I
will say today). In chapter 8 verse 37 it says "And he did exhort them
then with all the feeling of a tender parent". This is when Lehi is
telling Laman and Lemuel that he wants them to be partakers. I imagined that
part as God. Our Heavenly Father tells us "with all the feeling of a
tender parent" to partake of the fruit. Like Lehi who wanted what was best
for his sons, the Lord wants what’s best for us. He wants us to return to His
arms and we CANNOT do that if we are only beholders.
Now,
God asks us to follow the commandments and we think "that's too
hard". No it's not. God always provides a way. He provides a way for us to
be partakers. Nephi knows it. He says so in chapter 9 verses 5-6. Let's look at
the vision. There's the tree right? And there's the fog that makes it
impossible to get to the tree right? The fog is opposition, and we know that
there must be opposition in all things right? That's why it's hard to follow
the commandments, but wait...didn't I just say that God always provides a way?
Yes. In the vision of the tree of life it was the iron rod. Well, that's easy!
Hold to the rod an you'll make it through the fog to the tree of life! It is
always that easy! It doesn't seem like it, but it is, and there were people in
the vision who wouldn't hold to rod because they thought they could make it
through the fog on their own. That's so dumb! We cannot do anything without
God. We will not make it to the tree of life without God's help. That great and
spacious building looks real nice because people look like they don't have to
worry about anything. It's easier to go to the building. What makes it so much
easier? It definitely won't make you happier.
I
want to testify to you that I have found true happiness. I have found it. I
have found it by following Christ. I have found true happiness through dressing
modestly, using clean language, not drinking coffee or alcohol. I have found
true happiness in the Word of Wisdom (http://www.lds.org/topics/word-of-wisdom?lang=eng)
and in obeying my parents and by being a good girl. True happiness is not found
in temporal or material things. No car can bring you eternal happiness. No
matter how cute those shoes are, they won't bring you eternal happiness.
Happiness is found in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Just
a few more things I want to say. Nephi has incredible faith. He wants to see
all the things his father sees and he had enough faith to see them. That is so
amazing.
In
chapter 11 verse 17 Nephi says "I know that he loveth his children;
nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." We do not need to
know everything about the world or the gospel to know that the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. That Catholic guy we talked to didn't
understand that.
If
we know that God loves us and that the Book of Mormon is true then we know
enough. Read this talk by Neil L. Anderson. It's awesome and gives me great
comfort as a missionary.
God
loves us. In chapter 11 everything good represents God's love. I never noticed
that before and I thought it was so cool.
I
know God loves me. I know that I am a child of God. I know this church is true.
I love being a missionary.
I
love all of you.
This
week we will read 1 Nephi 13-15 and 19 and 22. If you haven't been reading with
me from the beginning it’s never too late to start. :)
Again,
I love you all!
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister
Heywood
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