Dear Family and Friends,
I have a new companion and I love her! Sister Maude is from Alpine Utah. She has a younger brother and younger sister. She's been out more than a year and is going home in February, so in mission lingo I might "kill" her, i.e. be her last companion. She seems really dedicated and I think we are going to be doing some good work here.
We have two new people we are teaching and one of them has a baptismal date! Yay! As far as being busy during the holidays, she said, "Well I am going to be busy, but not too busy, especially for the Lord." Sister Maude and I were both jumping for joy (in our hearts of course).
Sister Howeth (the 80 yr old) is doing great--she came to church on Sunday and last week we finished teaching her the lessons and all the commandments and went over the baptismal interview questions with her. She is all set. Her baptismal date is December 11, so I'm very excited about that. The 9yr old we are teaching has a baptismal date set for Dec. 18 so I'm very excited about that as well. We've gone through the first three lessons and the next two weeks we'll be teaching him all the commandments.
Thanksgiving was great! We spent the afternoon with Sister Reid and then we went to the White’s (the family of the 9yr old we're teaching) for dinner and then taught a lesson to Dakota. And this Sunday the branch had a Thanksgiving dinner after church and that was yummy.
In my studies I have been reading over the General Conference talks and one sentence really spoke to me. "We don't discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves." (President Uchtdorf "Pride and the Priesthood") I found that really insightful and I fully believe it because I have seen that in my own life as I have been here. Hopefully I have gained some humility and whatever I have gained has come because I am trying to be so focused on the needs of other people and not about myself. I have started to see how selfless service really has blessed me. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to learn how to be not as selfish about what I do and how I act.
Another part that spoke to me was in "Be Thou an Example of the Believers" by Elder Russell M. Nelson. He says, "Each Sunday extend a hand of fellowship to at least one person you did not know before. Each day of your life strive to enlarge your own circle of friendship." I mean I know it's good to be friendly but here is an apostle of God commanding us to have more friends. I guess then it's something pretty important. I also loved his story about people playing on the missionary field that made me smile.
Reading through General Conference has strengthened my faith in modern revelation, because not only did the general authorities say what I needed to hear they also spoke things that I know that the people I am teaching needed to hear, in fact even more than that, things the whole world needs to hear.
I also have been doing a more intense study of "Two Lines of Communication" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. Helping people to understand that we need the authority of God ( i.e. the priesthood) is hard for people here to understand, and his talk is perfect. Both really are needed and many people don't seem to know that they can get specific answers to prayers through the Spirit, answers and not just strength. When I've asked people, after they say they have read some of the Book of Mormon, if they have ever asked God if it's his words, or if it's true, they get this look like they never thought to do that. I know that it is so important to go to God to get answers. I love 1 Corinthians 2:9-14. I LOVE the New Testament. I surely don't understand half the things that Paul is saying but there is so much truth there!
It is so important to take the Bible as a whole. To believe everything that is there and not just select passages. For example, in Ephesians 2:8-9 it talks about how we are saved by grace, which we are, we surely don't earn our salvation. But then just a few pages over Paul in chapter 5:5-7 talks about how those who sin and are disobedient won't be part of God's kingdom. So obviously while we are saved by grace, we still have consequences for sin. The Atonement is amazing, I am so glad that I know how to apply the Atonement through faith and repentance in my life.
Sorry if this letter is "preachy" I'm just super excited about all the stuff I'm learning.
Love to you all!
Sister Lila Jenson
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Transfers! Nov 21, 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
Well, guess what!?
My companion is getting transferred! I'm so sad. I've really enjoyed working with her and I've learned so much from her and she is just a super fun companion. After Wednesday morning I'll be companions with Sister Maud. She's been out about 14 months. I met her once a few weeks ago at the leadership training when I was there to get my quarterly interview with the mission president.
So the next two days are going to be crazy-packed--trying to make sure I know what I need to know about the area before Sister Glenn leaves. Thankfully I'll be able to see her next week when we have our Mission Temple Conference on Dec 2-3. It's kind of crazy how as a missionary our life is not in our hands at all.
Transfer weeks are crazy. Thursday we plan through the next Sunday but we never know if we will both be there or not. Sunday night we get the call about what is happening. Monday is P-day so we can pack if need be and then some of Tuesday is often to say goodbye to people and then Wednesday morning is transfers. Everyone gathers in the Moore Stake Center and it's cool to see all the missionaries and their companions who are getting transferred. Then the next week is trying to continue the work and adjusting to a new companion, a new way of teaching together, a new way of doing things and if your leaving a new set of members, investigators, etc.
I guess all in all I'm settling into mission life. I'm so grateful for the person I'm becoming and the work I'm able to do. This last week I have realized how much I love the Book of Mormon! We are teaching an 80 year old woman who is an energizer bunny! She has so much energy and always wants to learn new things. She is going to get baptized in the next few weeks and she LOVES the Book of Mormon. She studies it every night, both reading it and looking up scriptures from the lessons we have taught her and cross referencing it with the Holy Bible. She couldn’t come to church one week and so she looked at the program from church from the previous week which listed the Sunday School lesson that was being taught that day and studied it on her own. We asked her how she was feeling about church and what we had taught her and she told us that she likes it and that it all fits in with what she knows. After the first night of reading the Book of Mormon she said she knew that Lehi's vision had to be from God and that she knew the Book of Mormon was true. It is so amazing to see the gospel work in people's lives. She is the perfect example of how being Christian and being faithful to what you know can really be such a wonderful foundation for the restored gospel. She understands so much already and the skills and habits she has of reading & studying the scriptures and her amazing faith in the Lord and prayer will serve her so well and will help her to grow in the gospel. Seeing her example has really strengthened me and showed me again how wonderful this gospel really is.
I LOVE General Conference! On Friday we got the November 2010 Ensign (finally) and I love reading over those talks. I know without a doubt that the prophet and the apostles are called of God. The things they say are perfect and being part of many people's lives I have seen how widely they apply. The words they say are for everyone and everyone can benefit from them. I have come to see how essential faith is, that it is a principle of action, like people always say, but it really is true. When believe really believe and know that God loves them and that He has given us commandments then it becomes easy to make decisions about what to do and keeps us from being paralyzed by "Why?" question. We can't move on with things we are facing when we are constantly questioning the will of God, it doesn't help us to ask the why question, at all. One line that stuck out to me from a general conference talk was that, we face many decisions in our lives that affect our Eternal Salvation, "none of which are difficult." We often think of decisions as difficult and hard but if we have faith then it becomes obvious the things we should and shouldn't do and we have the motivation to do them as we build our faith in a loving Heavenly Father.
So that's what's up.
Love you all!
Sister Lila Jenson
Well, guess what!?
My companion is getting transferred! I'm so sad. I've really enjoyed working with her and I've learned so much from her and she is just a super fun companion. After Wednesday morning I'll be companions with Sister Maud. She's been out about 14 months. I met her once a few weeks ago at the leadership training when I was there to get my quarterly interview with the mission president.
So the next two days are going to be crazy-packed--trying to make sure I know what I need to know about the area before Sister Glenn leaves. Thankfully I'll be able to see her next week when we have our Mission Temple Conference on Dec 2-3. It's kind of crazy how as a missionary our life is not in our hands at all.
Transfer weeks are crazy. Thursday we plan through the next Sunday but we never know if we will both be there or not. Sunday night we get the call about what is happening. Monday is P-day so we can pack if need be and then some of Tuesday is often to say goodbye to people and then Wednesday morning is transfers. Everyone gathers in the Moore Stake Center and it's cool to see all the missionaries and their companions who are getting transferred. Then the next week is trying to continue the work and adjusting to a new companion, a new way of teaching together, a new way of doing things and if your leaving a new set of members, investigators, etc.
I guess all in all I'm settling into mission life. I'm so grateful for the person I'm becoming and the work I'm able to do. This last week I have realized how much I love the Book of Mormon! We are teaching an 80 year old woman who is an energizer bunny! She has so much energy and always wants to learn new things. She is going to get baptized in the next few weeks and she LOVES the Book of Mormon. She studies it every night, both reading it and looking up scriptures from the lessons we have taught her and cross referencing it with the Holy Bible. She couldn’t come to church one week and so she looked at the program from church from the previous week which listed the Sunday School lesson that was being taught that day and studied it on her own. We asked her how she was feeling about church and what we had taught her and she told us that she likes it and that it all fits in with what she knows. After the first night of reading the Book of Mormon she said she knew that Lehi's vision had to be from God and that she knew the Book of Mormon was true. It is so amazing to see the gospel work in people's lives. She is the perfect example of how being Christian and being faithful to what you know can really be such a wonderful foundation for the restored gospel. She understands so much already and the skills and habits she has of reading & studying the scriptures and her amazing faith in the Lord and prayer will serve her so well and will help her to grow in the gospel. Seeing her example has really strengthened me and showed me again how wonderful this gospel really is.
I LOVE General Conference! On Friday we got the November 2010 Ensign (finally) and I love reading over those talks. I know without a doubt that the prophet and the apostles are called of God. The things they say are perfect and being part of many people's lives I have seen how widely they apply. The words they say are for everyone and everyone can benefit from them. I have come to see how essential faith is, that it is a principle of action, like people always say, but it really is true. When believe really believe and know that God loves them and that He has given us commandments then it becomes easy to make decisions about what to do and keeps us from being paralyzed by "Why?" question. We can't move on with things we are facing when we are constantly questioning the will of God, it doesn't help us to ask the why question, at all. One line that stuck out to me from a general conference talk was that, we face many decisions in our lives that affect our Eternal Salvation, "none of which are difficult." We often think of decisions as difficult and hard but if we have faith then it becomes obvious the things we should and shouldn't do and we have the motivation to do them as we build our faith in a loving Heavenly Father.
So that's what's up.
Love you all!
Sister Lila Jenson
Monday, November 15, 2010
2010 November 15 from Woodward OK
Friends, Romans, Countryman,
So here's some pictures or recent adventures or cool stuff we saw.
Being a missionary is really great, as well as it being hard and lots of work, it's tremendously fun. I still manage to be silly and myself even while being a missionary. I have met so many wonderful people and learned so many great lessons. This week one I learned was how much happier I am when I am focusing on others and how I can help them rather then on myself. At one point this week I was starting to feel a tad bit homesick. We headed off to stop by some less active members and after trying to do my best to help them with their concerns I came out and I realized I wasn't homesick anymore. I know that focusing on others and serving them is how I am happy and I hope to never forget that lesson.
Sister Lila Jenson
- Sister Glenn and I in a cotton field
- Me in a cotton field
- Sister Glenn, some people from the branch, and me at halloween
- Halloween fun
- The doorway to our kitchen on Fast Sunday
- The "Wizard of Oz" house Sister Glenn says it looks like it got brought there by a tornado, it's in the middle of a fiield.
- An awesome plan of salvation lesson that Sister Goodell and I made this week while I was in the city.
- The "Betty Boop" house in our area.
- Sister Goodell, Me, Sister Glenn, and Sister Houstan in OKC this week. This was late one night when we were all about to go to bed.
- Sister Glenn and I at the branch trunk-or-treat
- My messy desk, I felt like lighting a lot of candles that I found the apartment and apparently
- Sister Glenn found it amusing so she took a picture of it. It was a cold-rainy winter-like day and I was drinking hot chocolate so candles (in place of a fire) seemed very appropriate.Me, Sister Boonie Reid and Sister Glenn. Sister Reid is the nicest onry lady ever, she is 83 and is very independent but is pretty much home bound because she can hardly walk, so we go visit her :)
Being a missionary is really great, as well as it being hard and lots of work, it's tremendously fun. I still manage to be silly and myself even while being a missionary. I have met so many wonderful people and learned so many great lessons. This week one I learned was how much happier I am when I am focusing on others and how I can help them rather then on myself. At one point this week I was starting to feel a tad bit homesick. We headed off to stop by some less active members and after trying to do my best to help them with their concerns I came out and I realized I wasn't homesick anymore. I know that focusing on others and serving them is how I am happy and I hope to never forget that lesson.
This week I had a great time going back to the city. I was able to teach a man who I had taught before who got baptized about 2 weeks ago (about 2 1/2 weeks after I left the city). He's in his 60's, fought in the Vietnam war and has been through a lot. We got him a large print triple combination and all of the sisters who had taught him signed it and added their testimonies. I love teaching people because as well as sharing my testimony, I am able to hear their testimonies and faith. Many people I have taught have an unbelievable faith and reliance on God and Jesus Christ. They really do have a personal realationship and dedication to Him, and I learn a lot from their examples. Many people here have amazing faith andrelationship with God and all they are lacking is a little more knowledge and the power of the priesthood to baptize them. Many times we read of Jesus Christ praising Gentiles or Samaratians for their faith and Christ says that he hasn't seen that kind of faith amoung the Jews and I have started to see that as well. Many people have a really deep rooted faith many more then I do or then I see people in the church have.
Sister Glenn learned a lot at this week long Leadership Training that she went to, given by the mission president, with a lot of other missionaries. We are both very excited to impliment the things she learned and hope to give the work in Woodward a kickstart!
Love you all!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Halloween 2010 in Woodward
Dear Family and Friends,
I had a new experience this past week: on the way back from our District Meeting, we got a ride with some less-active memebers and we got to pick cotton!!!! Cotton is really pokey! But it was cool and I have pictures that I will email next week (I forgot the card reader today). Cotton is really soft :) but it has lots of big pits like seeds in it too.
Remember how I told you I got bit by little dogs? We'll we were in the same area on our bikes and those same dogs chased me for FOUR blocks on my bike, and they were trying to bite my heels the entire time!!!
So Halloween was fun, but it was also kind of hard because we couldn't really track much of the 30th and the 31st because many people trick-or-treated on the 30th. But we went to the ward party and that was fun. We handed out pass-along cards with candy on it and told all the kids, and adults that we handed them to, that the candy was for them and the card was to give to a friend. So I was glad we were able to do something missionary related and not just waste 3 hours. Yep, more cool photos to follow from that too.
In the last few days as we have to been talking to both investigators and people we have tracted into, one thing that has been on my mind is the power of God and people not understanding that. I've talked to people who claim we don't need the Priesthood or people with the authority to act in God's name, because all knowledge that we gain can come from the Holy Ghost. But at the same time they want to base whether The Book of Mormon is true on historical evidence, and don't realize that any true witness of truth comes from God. Yesterday we talked to a man who asked us if we thought it was strange (I think he meant suspicious) that no one except Joseph Smith saw the vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that very few saw the plates, and yet there was a lot of historical proof of the Bible and the events that happened in them.
I thought about his question later that night because I wanted to give his opinion it's fair chance. There were many times in the past that a prophet has seen visions that no one else did: Moses and the burning bush, Noah and the revelation to build the ark. I know that the vision given to Joseph Smith is very unique but it is also consistent with how God has worked in the past. Regarding historical evidence and The Book of Mormon I was thinking about how there are still people today who deny the Holocaust even though there is a mountain load of evidence for it. It all comes back to relying on God verses man. To get truth about spiritual things we shouldn't rely on our physical eyes or senses. We rely on our spiritual eyes and on God to give us an answer. I have seen many people who pray for strength or who pray for blessings, but I have come to realize that very few people pray for and expect answers to specific questions. I know that God does have the power to answer questions and that while we do need to study and prepare for an answer, God will always give us one.
Oh, I gave a talk in Sacrament yesterday about D&C 58:26-28. I centered my thoughts on three main topics, agency, the Holy Ghost, and diligence. There is a parable that Elder Bednar used in April 2010 GC about giving someone a fish versus teaching them how to fish and how this is so important when we are teaching children how to grow in the gospel. And it hit me when I was reading it that the Lord is trying to teach us how to fish with this scripture. In this scripture the Lord tells us that it is not good for Him to command in all things but that we should do many things of our own free will. He is teaching us to fish. He even shows his confidence in our ability to fish by saying "For the power is in them, where in they are agents unto themselves." This scripture isn't trying to get us to do more "things" but to become more and better. We have heard many times that this life is not a checklist of things to do but a chance to become like God, and that is what this scripture is encouraging us to do. The power we have to act is amazing, even though as a missionary the principle of agency gets frustrating when people don't choose to follow the Lord, it is a principle that has so much power.
I will end as I ended my talk, with D&C 123:12 "Therefore, dearly beloved bretheren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."
~Sister Lila Jenson
I had a new experience this past week: on the way back from our District Meeting, we got a ride with some less-active memebers and we got to pick cotton!!!! Cotton is really pokey! But it was cool and I have pictures that I will email next week (I forgot the card reader today). Cotton is really soft :) but it has lots of big pits like seeds in it too.
Remember how I told you I got bit by little dogs? We'll we were in the same area on our bikes and those same dogs chased me for FOUR blocks on my bike, and they were trying to bite my heels the entire time!!!
So Halloween was fun, but it was also kind of hard because we couldn't really track much of the 30th and the 31st because many people trick-or-treated on the 30th. But we went to the ward party and that was fun. We handed out pass-along cards with candy on it and told all the kids, and adults that we handed them to, that the candy was for them and the card was to give to a friend. So I was glad we were able to do something missionary related and not just waste 3 hours. Yep, more cool photos to follow from that too.
In the last few days as we have to been talking to both investigators and people we have tracted into, one thing that has been on my mind is the power of God and people not understanding that. I've talked to people who claim we don't need the Priesthood or people with the authority to act in God's name, because all knowledge that we gain can come from the Holy Ghost. But at the same time they want to base whether The Book of Mormon is true on historical evidence, and don't realize that any true witness of truth comes from God. Yesterday we talked to a man who asked us if we thought it was strange (I think he meant suspicious) that no one except Joseph Smith saw the vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that very few saw the plates, and yet there was a lot of historical proof of the Bible and the events that happened in them.
I thought about his question later that night because I wanted to give his opinion it's fair chance. There were many times in the past that a prophet has seen visions that no one else did: Moses and the burning bush, Noah and the revelation to build the ark. I know that the vision given to Joseph Smith is very unique but it is also consistent with how God has worked in the past. Regarding historical evidence and The Book of Mormon I was thinking about how there are still people today who deny the Holocaust even though there is a mountain load of evidence for it. It all comes back to relying on God verses man. To get truth about spiritual things we shouldn't rely on our physical eyes or senses. We rely on our spiritual eyes and on God to give us an answer. I have seen many people who pray for strength or who pray for blessings, but I have come to realize that very few people pray for and expect answers to specific questions. I know that God does have the power to answer questions and that while we do need to study and prepare for an answer, God will always give us one.
Oh, I gave a talk in Sacrament yesterday about D&C 58:26-28. I centered my thoughts on three main topics, agency, the Holy Ghost, and diligence. There is a parable that Elder Bednar used in April 2010 GC about giving someone a fish versus teaching them how to fish and how this is so important when we are teaching children how to grow in the gospel. And it hit me when I was reading it that the Lord is trying to teach us how to fish with this scripture. In this scripture the Lord tells us that it is not good for Him to command in all things but that we should do many things of our own free will. He is teaching us to fish. He even shows his confidence in our ability to fish by saying "For the power is in them, where in they are agents unto themselves." This scripture isn't trying to get us to do more "things" but to become more and better. We have heard many times that this life is not a checklist of things to do but a chance to become like God, and that is what this scripture is encouraging us to do. The power we have to act is amazing, even though as a missionary the principle of agency gets frustrating when people don't choose to follow the Lord, it is a principle that has so much power.
I will end as I ended my talk, with D&C 123:12 "Therefore, dearly beloved bretheren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."
~Sister Lila Jenson
New photos
Pictures
1. All the Sisters at the Mission Conference
2. Sister Glenn and I in our apartment with all the bikes
3. Sister Benett and I (She's from the same BYU ward I was in, but I didn't know her because she moved in after I left, but we have lots of the same friends)
4. Me riding the really old dorky bike (That I love) that I'm using now
5. Sister Glenn and I at the Mission Conference
1. All the Sisters at the Mission Conference
2. Sister Glenn and I in our apartment with all the bikes
3. Sister Benett and I (She's from the same BYU ward I was in, but I didn't know her because she moved in after I left, but we have lots of the same friends)
4. Me riding the really old dorky bike (That I love) that I'm using now
5. Sister Glenn and I at the Mission Conference
Oct 25, 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
The work is going well here in Woodward. Last transfers both of the Sisters here were laid up with health problems and couldn't go out teaching or tracting very much, but my companion is feeling much better and we have been working really hard to get new investigators and catch up with the ones they were teaching before.
This week has been a great crazy week. We are starting to really get the work going and we found a new investigator on Saturday, who came for the last hour of church on Sunday. We just taught him a first lesson and he was welcomed with open arms into the branch. He is here for 6months for a contract job and is from Texas. We were able to feel the Spirit very strong with him during the lesson and really feel he could get baptized. We also taught an investigator who just wanted to bash with us, which was a first for me. It was crazy we were trying to teach her about The Restoration which would really answer her questions, but she wasn't listening to us at all, just looking up the next scripture so she could tell us we are wrong. She did an online search before and was just reading us all these quotes of Joseph Smith from the Doctrine and Covenants and "asking" about them.
Sister Glenn and I learned a lot at mission conference and we are really working to be exactly obedient because we both know that will help us feel the Spirit and strengthen the work. One thing we are trying to do is to refer to investigators by "Brother_____" and "Sister___" Driving home from the conference we realized that both of us had had the prompting to start that, so we are.
Because of our trips to the city and district meetings we have no procelytizing miles (We get 1500 miles a month) so we have been on bikes as much as possible. We have gone through 5 bikes in the last week. We have had a crazy string of problems, like bikes breaking, tires flatt, etc. I got bit by a dog (but it didn't really break the skin) and Sister Glenn almost got run over by a cop (Sister Glenn had the right of way and the cop was turning left and didn't see her till it was almost too late), so it has been a great crazy week.
In my studies I have continued to try and gain a better understanding of the Atonement and also how I can teach the principles more simply, seeing as we are teaching a 9 yr old son of a becoming-active family. I am also reading out of the New Testament and just finished the Gospels. From reading the gospels I have strengthened my testimony in the importance of obedience and how the commandments show God's love for us. In the Book of Mormon I was reading Alma 12 today and something from it really stuck out. Alma is talking to Zeezrom after he starts to be curious about the gospel and in verse 9-10 warns him. Before I never understood why those verses were there until I was studying and thinking about several investigators we have. They are curious about the gospel and some even have desires to have a knowledge of the gospel, but they haven't taken the steps to act on that. They have not given "heed and dilligence" to it. I couldn't have the knowledge of the gospel that I have without my obedience and dilligence to the gospel. So many people want to "know" the truth, but unless they are willing to act on the truth the Lord won't give it to them. I know that as I am better able to soften my heart and be more humble the Lord will be able to bless me with the wisdom and knowledge that I love to learn about.
I know that this gospel is true and I know that God wants all his children to know about it. I know he wants to grant our righteous desires and is just waiting for us to take those steps to come unto him.
Love,
Sister Lila Jenson
The work is going well here in Woodward. Last transfers both of the Sisters here were laid up with health problems and couldn't go out teaching or tracting very much, but my companion is feeling much better and we have been working really hard to get new investigators and catch up with the ones they were teaching before.
This week has been a great crazy week. We are starting to really get the work going and we found a new investigator on Saturday, who came for the last hour of church on Sunday. We just taught him a first lesson and he was welcomed with open arms into the branch. He is here for 6months for a contract job and is from Texas. We were able to feel the Spirit very strong with him during the lesson and really feel he could get baptized. We also taught an investigator who just wanted to bash with us, which was a first for me. It was crazy we were trying to teach her about The Restoration which would really answer her questions, but she wasn't listening to us at all, just looking up the next scripture so she could tell us we are wrong. She did an online search before and was just reading us all these quotes of Joseph Smith from the Doctrine and Covenants and "asking" about them.
Sister Glenn and I learned a lot at mission conference and we are really working to be exactly obedient because we both know that will help us feel the Spirit and strengthen the work. One thing we are trying to do is to refer to investigators by "Brother_____" and "Sister___" Driving home from the conference we realized that both of us had had the prompting to start that, so we are.
Because of our trips to the city and district meetings we have no procelytizing miles (We get 1500 miles a month) so we have been on bikes as much as possible. We have gone through 5 bikes in the last week. We have had a crazy string of problems, like bikes breaking, tires flatt, etc. I got bit by a dog (but it didn't really break the skin) and Sister Glenn almost got run over by a cop (Sister Glenn had the right of way and the cop was turning left and didn't see her till it was almost too late), so it has been a great crazy week.
In my studies I have continued to try and gain a better understanding of the Atonement and also how I can teach the principles more simply, seeing as we are teaching a 9 yr old son of a becoming-active family. I am also reading out of the New Testament and just finished the Gospels. From reading the gospels I have strengthened my testimony in the importance of obedience and how the commandments show God's love for us. In the Book of Mormon I was reading Alma 12 today and something from it really stuck out. Alma is talking to Zeezrom after he starts to be curious about the gospel and in verse 9-10 warns him. Before I never understood why those verses were there until I was studying and thinking about several investigators we have. They are curious about the gospel and some even have desires to have a knowledge of the gospel, but they haven't taken the steps to act on that. They have not given "heed and dilligence" to it. I couldn't have the knowledge of the gospel that I have without my obedience and dilligence to the gospel. So many people want to "know" the truth, but unless they are willing to act on the truth the Lord won't give it to them. I know that as I am better able to soften my heart and be more humble the Lord will be able to bless me with the wisdom and knowledge that I love to learn about.
I know that this gospel is true and I know that God wants all his children to know about it. I know he wants to grant our righteous desires and is just waiting for us to take those steps to come unto him.
Love,
Sister Lila Jenson
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