Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Defined by Christ

Dear Everyone,
Well this week has been crazy!
Let me start out answering questions!
- Yes it's been getting easier and easier to speak through the spirit. It helps to have a lot of practice and work hard to keep him in my mind constantly.
-My room in the new area isn't too big...it's kind of cluttered with all our stuff, but it does its job ok.
-Our study area is in the living room on a folding table we set up against the wall.
-We use our land lady's kitchen for breakfast mostly, but occasionally for lunch and dinner.
-Yes I have been asked to sing in church, and I will be singing next Sunday in the YSA ward. I'm singing this beautiful song by Janice Kapp Perry called In Sacred Grove. I'm actually singing it with a non-member who picked the song out herself! Crazy right?? We are hoping to start teaching her the lessons. She always feels the spirit really strong when we sing together! I think Satan is trying to get in the way because she keeps missing practices because she's sick and stuff... We'll show him! 
 
 Hope that answered all your questions!
    This week was random. Last p-day we did jousting, like you can see in the pictures I sent. That was a lot of fun and we ended up laughing really hard! We also played live angry birds with stacked boxes and balls and a huge sling shot. We also had a nerf gun war...My district likes to get creative...But it was super fun!
    Then this week we were super successful teaching-wise! We put 4 people on date for baptism within two days! 2 of them were brothers and 2 of them were cousins. I've been teaching the restoration a ton this week also. All 4 people were put on date and it was the first lesson!!  it was our first time teaching with them...and guess what... I'm the one who invited them both times! Most people think that challenging people to be baptized is the scariest part of missionary work. It's actually the most spiritual!  "Will you follow the example that Jesus Christ has set for us, by being baptized by somebody who holds the priesthood authority of God?"....and they are really silent for a moment, they won't meet your eyes, and you just sit there and feel the spirit draped over everything in thick cloud. And then slowly they meet your eyes and simply nod their head yes. I can't explain the feeling that comes with it. The intense and inappropriate urge to jump up and dance around is a good way to explain it... haha but I can just say that the huge grin that Sis Jones gives me and I give back speaks volumes for the way we wish we could sing and shout and dance and laugh and hug everyone in the room. They said YES! They accepted it! They have chosen to follow God's plan! Goodness! I wish I could explain to you all how it feels, how much it just fills you up! Oh man it's been a grand week indeed! haha!
   
On Friday it was Elder Mclaws birthday and we surprised him at our Zone Training Meeting. We got him a space-themed cake, decorated the whole room, got him a gift, got pizza and princess themed cake plates! All the other elders attacked him as he came in the door.  It was funny because once Elder Mclaws was being attacked Elder Mateer just stood there and watched instead of helping his companion even though he had no idea what was going on. When we asked him why he hadn't helped he just said in his British accent "I would have helped him if it was any day other than his birthday..." 
    Zone Training Meeting was cool, because Megan Nielsen is my STL and she helped out with the training and teaching us. I have exchanges with her next week so that should be fun!
     We had another cool experience the other day. We were teaching follow-up lessons to this recent convert. She's only 12 years old and her parents are less active. We were teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ and during the lesson we asked her if she had any experiences yet where the Holy Ghost had helped her. She said no. Then Sis Jones had the spirit prompt her to ask her inactive parents...and her mom started telling an experience about how their son almost died from drowning and the Holy Ghost guided her in helping save him. She was just crying and her husband started baring his testimony about how God loves us all individually and how he is always there to help us when we call upon him. He talked about how he hadn't prayed in years until he was in the car on the way to the hospital after his son had stopped breathing and they were life-flighting him to the hospital. He said he'd never prayed that hard. It was super spiritual and we started talking about God's love for us and eternal families. Then we asked "Have you been sealed?" and it just struck them and they had this shocked face as if they just realized that they hadn't even taken part in that blessing yet. They said no. So we offered to help them get to the temple. And they said YES! I'm so excited for them! We've started teaching them all the lessons again and I'm so excited to see their family welcome these blessings into their lives.
    I had an epiphany this week. A lady at dinner one night let us borrow a CD called Defined By Christ by Toni Sorensen to listen to in the car.
    The very beginning of CD made me think really hard. She started by telling a story about how Christ was being mocked and challenged by the Pharisees. In the midst of it all Christ asks "What think ye of Christ?" and then the author switched the words around and made me think really hard. "What does Christ think of you?" It stuck in my mind. As a missionary I have the beautiful and overwhelming privilege that I have talked about before, to feel what the Savior feels for others; the infinite love and adoration for each of us. I've felt the Savior's love for everyone else...but for me? 
 I feel such a potent and consuming love for so many others through Him...but I've never let myself open up my heart to let Him show me the way he truly feels for me. He loves me. He loves me so much. I've never felt it as strongly as I have on my mission. I know He loves everyone else so much too.  I want to be defined by Christ. Let yourselves be defined by Christ and Christ Alone. I love you all so much! I hope this week is amazing for all of you. The church is true!
Love forever,
Sister Lenise Diane Volmer

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