I can't believe Monday is already here...each week is passing
faster and faster! We are already half way through the transfer- what in the
world?!
Anyways, this week has been so crazy! Sister Schmoekel and I
have been working hard trying to find new people to teach, using every moment
we can to talk to people. We didn't have many lessons planned throughout the
week, so we had many opportunities!
The work is BOOMING in Lebanon! It constantly amazes me how many
people there are that are being prepared to receive the message of Jesus
Christ. We have so much support from the ward, it is a huge comfort and blessing
to us as missionaries. I don't know why God has blessed us so much- I know that
I have not done anything to deserve or earn it.
Biggest highlight of the week: Lance was baptized! AH, such an
amazing experience! We have been teaching him since we got here (about 9 weeks
ago), and he was so ready! I can't say I did anything to help him be baptized,
he was pretty much handed to us from another ward.
Teaching him actually made me realize how little I know the
gospel. I barely know the scriptures, and I've barely scratched the surface of
the doctrines of the gospel. It has actually been a lot harder than I thought
to try to explain things that you have known all your life. You have to know
the ins and outs and forwards and backwards of so many truths, it's crazy! It's
hard to not know how to answer a specific question, or get tongue-tied on
explaining things simply. Oh the things I have to learn! But that's what amazes
me! There is constantly so much we can learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel.
Spiritual thought of the week:
There's this line in Preach My Gospel that says,
"Successful gospel study requires desire and action". I read this
when I was studying on how I can study more effectively (ironic right?). And
something just clicked!
This is what I wrote in my journal: "As I thought about it,
that meant studying was also repenting. It is part of the repentance process!
If true and sincere study is supposed to help us learn and apply skills and
help us to be better (which it is!), then we are repenting. That is exactly was
repentance is- turning to God and changing our ways to become better. When I
said that, Sister Schmoekel agreed and pointed out that invitations we give to
people are "calls of repentance" to those we teach and most often one
of the things we challenge them to do is study from the Book of Mormon.
Coincidence? I think NOT!"
It is so immensely important to study from the Book of Mormon
each and every day. It doesn't have to be extensively long or thought-out. It's
kinda like brushing your teeth. If you brush your teeth every day for 5
minutes, that's good. But if you brush your teeth only on Sundays for 35
minutes...not good. I don't think many people would want to talk to me if I
didn't brush my teeth. That's like reading the scriptures! Having a daily habit
of scripture study is necessary for our spiritual survival in being able to
resist temptation and feel the promptings and confirming witness of the Holy
Ghost throughout our lives. I know that as we read the Book of Mormon and truly
seek to applying the doctrines and principles we read into our daily lives, we
will continually be refining ourselves to be more like our Savior Jesus
Christ.
I love my Savior, my Redeemer. I know He truly died for me and
my sins, as well as for you and all your mistakes. I know that because He
performed the Atonement, I will never need to feel alone or forgotten. He knows
me! He knows better than anyone else the things I go and will go through, and
because of that, I can draw power from the Atonement of Jesus Christ to
endure!
I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week!
Sister McCown
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