Mi familia!
I am just filled
with love and joy and all the good things rights now. I got the
stomach flu this week, really bad, so we had to stay in for a couple of
days, but it gave me lots of time to think and read and pray and also
nap. The good news is I ate real food this morning. Also something
very shocking happened...get ready. So I called the mission nurse and
told her I was sick and she said that 20 other missionaries had called
in the last two days with the same thing, I guess there is a really
contagious virus going around...so she said to get some fluids and easy
things to eat. My companion, being Mexican, asked me if I wanted bread
or rice...I chose rice! I am really becoming Hispanic, its the best.
But the good news is I am all better now!
Like I said, I have been doing a lot of thinking this
week about so many things, and they are all random and scattered. First
and foremost one of our progressing investigators, who rocks, Jesus
Castro, called us and told us that he didn't believe the Book of Mormon
was true, or that Joseph Smith was a prophet...so that was a dagger to
my soul. But after we had a good cry and ate some chocolate I decided I
needed to read my scriptures. I continued my reading in John, and I
had a revelation. How many times was Christ rejected? Literally every
day. Even right after he raised Lazurath from the dead, people would
not accept him as the Christ. There are people who rejected Christ, and
there are people who are going to/have rejected me. But the good news
is, its okay. It is there choice, it doesn't make the things I teach
any less true, its their agency. Of coarse I will do all I can do to
share what I know, and promise blessings, and all that good stuff, but
when It comes down to it, its all okay!
We had a Zone conference this week, which are sometimes
hard for me because they are ALL DAY long, but such is life, I am
getting really good at meetings. But we had a training about prayer.
And I decided to try a little experiment. I have started saying my
personal prayers out loud. It has changed everything. Sometimes in the
past I have said them out loud if I really need help or I am really
emotional, or whatever, but it has really helped me turn my prayers into
an open conversation with my Heavenly Father. Best.
We have really been gearing up for Christmas in our
neck of the woods. First of all it snowed two more days this week, and
it is freezing! So that is really Christmasy. We took advantage of
this and took some awesome Christmas pictures, that I will send you, and
also made a Snowman...best day ever. The snow melts pretty quickly
here, but there is some lingering patches...so that's fun. We also made
gingerbread houses, which are just simply adorable, and this morning I
made a giant batch of sugar cookies to take to zone p-day, so that will
be the best of times. Thank you for all the Christmas stuff mom! I
will show you a picture of our apartment, we put together the whole
Christmas chain, it is just so festive in there.
As for Christmas, I am getting really excited to see you! I am still planning on 12:00
my time! And I don't know if they have a Skype account, it might be
better if you can just set one up for me and then send me the info. We
have been invited to a bunch of people's homes so we are going to go
party hopping and deliver treats and put bows on our head, its going to
be very classic don't worry. Also we are going to read the nativity
together and sing and mostly just be cozy. The sad news is that Hermana
Wyeth is leaving for Argentina, she has just been waiting for her visa,
so she wont be here. But Hermana Penaloza is going to hang with us and
we are going to be a trio for two weeks. So that will be really good!
Also I got the package from Alyse and Chad, but I didn't open it yet, but thank you in advance!
And yes next Monday we will email and grocery shop, but only for like half the day, and then our real pday is on Tuesday, I think so we can romp around and have a good times, and then Christmas is also for enjoying. It will be the very best!
I love love love you guys! I am so grateful for you
and your examples. I am so happy to be a missionary. Thank you for
supporting me in this. Thank you for helping me have a merry Christmas,
even from across the country. I am so grateful for my savior. For his
atonement. For the opportunity that I have every day to be better, to
be more like him. I have figured out that it really is a choice. I can
choose to be more like him, change my desires, give him my will, let
him mold me, or I can do it on my on and struggle miserably. I really
think it is as simple as that, its our choice. I love my savior very
much, and I love this time of year that we have to focus on him, on his
life, and share that with everyone. Have the best week ever!
I love love love you!
xoxo Hermana Riley Jane
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