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
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