Hello from the Great Salt Lake! Before I jump into details about my first area as a missionary, I would like to give a little bit more info about my MTC experience.
Me (at the lunch table with my district): So, what do you all think of when I say the word 'Muslim' ?""
Sister-whose-name-will-remain-
Yep, we're definitely mormon.
The MTC flew by but I really did have an amazing time there. I learned that people are very different and life is better when you choose to be happy weather or not the sun is shining. (GEt it?) But really, whenever I felt lonely or unloved by my companion (she is awesome but just not very sentimental which is the opposite of me) I would just sing one of my favorite church hymns or look out at the mountains and think WOAH. God is real, and he loves me, so why would I ever be sad? He created an incredible Earth for all of his children, and though life can be hard, the happy moments make it all worth it. The more people I get to know and the more I study and talk about the gospel, the more I feel that the way I am cleansed is through the atonement of Christ and other people. I am so grateful that I am not on this Earth alone, and even when I am alone in a physical sense, the holy spirit is with me spiritually. Probably the most important thing I gained from the MTC was a stronger testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and I would like to share that with you all. For those of you reading this who don't really know who Joseph Smith was, please read this with an open mind towards a young boy who was seeking to know his standing with God and had no idea what God had in store for his life.
(From my study journal)
First of all, I want to share my witness that God sends us down to the Earth at times fit for what he wants us to do. He wouldn't have sent Bill Gates to the Earth before electricity was invented just as it wouldn't make sense to send Steve Jobbs before Bill Gates (though he probably would have just invented apple first but just go with it for the analogy's sake). By being born in the time that they were, both of those men were able to put their God-given talents to use and drastically change this world. Likewise, there are reasons that all of the people here on the earth right now are her now and not 1,000 years ago. As I've pondered the timing of the restoration of the gospel, my testimony of God's timing has greatly increased. It's no surprise that though God had removed the fulness of the gospel from the Earth after prophets like Abraham and Noah and Moses were rejected, he took it from the Earth for the longest period of time only after the crucifixion of His own son. I can''t imagine how unbearable it was for the Father to witness that, as I'm sure any parent can relate.In order for the gospel to again be restored to the Earth at a time that it would never again be taken away, it had to be in a time of religious freedom in a free land like America. When this perfect situation was secured thanks to our founding fathers, the boy Joseph Smith had a great desire to know if he was saved in the eyes of God and at the young age of 14, humbly knelt in prayer to ask God what he though as it directed him in the Bible (James 1:5). When Joseph Smith entered that grove of trees to pray, he didn't know that the course of his entire life was about to change. I'm certain he was shocked after he had the first vision and after angels began to visit him to prepare him to be a prophet of God. He didn't know that his name would be had for good and for evil hundreds of years later, or that because of his life, 14 million people would be brought to a knowledge of Christ's true gospel. He just had a simple question and ended up getting a less than simple answer from the very eternal father of Heaven and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. They did indeed appear to him and converse with him, and the Book of Mormon is evidence of this. I love the Bible very much and it has taught me so much about Christ and his life. I love the Book of mormon because it only adds to the truth of the bible by giving us a full understanding of the atonement, something that the Bible lacks. Christ's suffering is the center of everything I believe and hold dear to me. Without his life and his divine act, life would be meaningless and I would not be hear as a missionary proclaiming this sweet message of redemption to everyone I meet. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. If you have never though about these things, I invite you to because hey, why not?
I didn't leave much time to write about what is going on here but I will do a full update next week. Just know that I am in Centerville utah covering 11 wards (WUT), being spoon fed help with our work from the leaders here and living with THE cutest 89 year old woman who refuses to let us call her anything but grandma. I have been received into the loving arms of Sister Hornberger(Arkansas) and Sister Weber(Hawaii) and they are a blessing in my life. I love being a missionary and wouldn't want to do anything else with my life at this time. I look forward to my journey ahead and I am already learning that as long as I place my trust in god and the Savior that nothing else matters and all will be okay. My scripture of the week is Helaman 5:12 because I know if I build my foundation on my Lord Jesus Christ, I could be penniless and homeless and friendless and I would have everything I need.
Aloha,
Sister Pearson
P.S. the funniest moment of this week was when one of the men we're working with referenced the devil as "el Diablo". For him, it's a "he-who-must-not-be-named situation there. I love being a missionary.
No comments:
Post a Comment