what a week full of adventures!!! i got a call last monday right after we emailed asking if i would speak in church.. so that started my week of JUST GREAT! no really, what a blessing it was for me to truly study the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have been so grateful for the enabling power we can recieve through our Saviors sacrifice for each of us. the Enabling Power was my focus. I always looked at the atonement as if i did something "bad" but NO! it is for each of us. to use, EVERY SINGLE DAY! what a blessing! Mosiah 3:19 says it perfectly. i love the line "and becometh a saint" we dont have to be perfect.. but we get to go from bad to good to better and we get to experience our fallen natures being changed! and we can all become a saint, like our savior, throught the atonement! i am just so grateful. i see it in my missionary work each and every day. when i feel like i dont have the strength to talk to people, to get out of bed, or to darn right keep my thoughts on the work, the lord LIFTS me higher than i can control!!! this gospel is centered in our Saviors atonement! so we better well use it. every day.
MIRACLE OF THE WEEK!! we have been role playing how we are going to get Amanda to pray all week. literally... it has been so hard to even have faith in it. she always says "my brain isn't working today.. maybe next time.. not today..." blah blah blah! but this week sister Van and i WEREN'T letting it slide! so we have prayed, we have pondered, we have role played, we have put ourselves in her shoes, and we put our trust in the Lord! the time came for our lesson last night and we were talking about prayer, the importance of it, and bore such strong testimonies of it. when we were inviting her to pray you should have seen her face.. it was like "uh huh i ain't going to pray" but we ignored that fact and said we are going to pray right now. and after, you are going to pray. AND SHE DID! holy moly were my eyes filled with the spirit of the lord! (aka TEARS!) she prayed family!!!!!! she prayed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is pure joy. and i saw the enabling power of the atonement work right through her :) her wedding is this friday! i am so dang excited i feel like im getting married :) we are doing her hair and make up and getting her all fancy, and setting it all up! they are so cute. they just love the ward. thats basically all who is coming to their wedding! they dont have much help, but that is why this gospel is even more wonderful.. people are always there for us!!!! you should see the ward, i think every one has a part in this wedding! its so incredible. then next week is her baptism! the 12 of september :) :) buuut.. transfers are this week! so sister Van and I are praying none of us leave! or else we would miss all of this!!!!! we are waiting for a call any second actually. for some reason we feel one of us is leaving. its all in the Lords hands, i am at peace knowing where ever i go is where he wants me!!!
the ward is having a barn dance at the end of the month and we are all inviting EVERYONE! (thats how great this ward is.. so missionary minded) it is going to be SUCH a good missionary opportunity. and the barn we are having it in is an investigator family! they have asked me to do some fiddles!!!!!!!!! HOW FUN IS THAT!!!! lol hilarious actually... who needed nauvoo anyway? i can play here ;) except.. we texted president to ask if that was ok last night and he didnt respond.. SO WHAT IF IM LEAVING GUYS!!!!!!!!!! ah. it will be so interesting.
as far as our teaching pool right now.. its all in the process. we have been teaching so many young single moms but out of the blue they have decided to ponder our message. (which is great!) so we do a LOT of finding. but we met so many wonderful people this past week that we are meeting with this week and they will become new investigators :) its all coming along!!!!
it rained one day this week!!! and we just so happened to be far away from our car in the middle of no where tracting :) SO WE WERE DRENCHED and we ran as fast as we could to the closest members home.. hahaha we weren't even wearing coats or our boots! i was literally soaking. and it was so fun. for once, i liked rain and getting wet :)
so as for you all.. are you being true disiples? are you obeying Gods commandment in sharing the wonderful gospel we have?! are you bringing souls unto christ? as we do so.. we will be protected from temptations, because we will be filled with the Holy Spirit. I promise you, as you bring up little gospel conversations to EVERY one you talk to.. you'll become a true disciple of Christ. you'll have his spirit more abundantely and you'll see miraculous blessings! have a moment with your savior each day. and at then end of each day ask yourself "what was my moment with him today?" HE IS HERE! i testify to you all.. HE IS WITH US! reach out to him! and look for him in your life.
I read the most amazing talk this morning in my studies. called "The miracle of a mission" by elder holland in 2000. i want you all to read it!!!! HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO BE A MISSIONARY! one thing i just absolutely loved in that talk was.. "plan right now the stories you will tell your children about your mission. LIVE NOW FOR THOSE GENERATIONS." how powerful, what an inspiration to WORK HARD! so one day i can sit my little boy or girl on my lap and say.. i was so tired, i worked so hard, i gave it my all even when i wanted to give up, my testimony was strengthed every day, and i am SO grateful for my mission. he alslo said "a mission is by definition the most important thing you can do in the world. in time or eternity." and he goes on to say how he and president Hinkley both stuggled, and its okay to stuggle! but keep pushing a long :)
i wouldn't want to be anywhere else. no matter what kind of day i have, when i follow up at night with my Heavenly Father, i am happy as i could ever be. im so grateful for your testimonies, the people you are and who you are becoming. my favorite thing is to testify how this gospel has brought my family so much closer. it has, and it will continue to be our rock. YOU ARE ALL MY BEST FRIENDS! i pray for you day and night, every hour, every second, and it is my prayer you will rely on your Savior. your Redeember. and that he will become "REAL" to you. have a moment with him. i love you all more than words, more than life. keep being you! and i'll keep becoming the "me" that i need to become :)
xoxo babes, sis ovard
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