Week 67: Obedience and Becoming a Princess

Another amazing week zoomed by and here I am sitting at the computer trying to figure out how to compact it all down into sentences. I think writing emails home is the hardest part about being a missionary... haha!

Well I celebrated my half-birthday on Tuesday with my district. They didn't know it was my half birthday but they all happily celebrated with me. We brought a bunch of snacks we had left over from Christmas and let the elders chow. They were happy!

I also gave a training in district meeting which was a very cool experience for me. My district leader sent me about 6 scripture references on Friday and then it was my job to read them and pray to figure out how to compile them all into a training for the missionaries. It was really a marvelous experiences to have! I came up with a training about obedience and how it is an eternal principle to be learned now so we can be protected. God has provided us an armor and to wear that armor constantly we need to be obedient. You know this has always an interesting concept for me to learn about... because I was never an obedient child. I am pretty sure when I was a little girl I would tell my mom that I hate rules because I literally did not like having her tell me what I can and cannot do. But NOW I KNOW and UNDERSTAND that rules, commandments, and boundaries are for our safety! My mission has truly helped me understand this principle to the fullest. And I know the Lord has a purpose for me to learn this because my future children are going to be 12x as terrible as I was! :)

Anyways, if you look up D&C 27:15-18 -- we read about the armor of God. We have the helmet of salvation which to me means to keep an eternal perspective, gain knowledge and to keep virtuous thoughts. We next have the breastplate of righteousness which to me is talking about keeping our covenants that we have made at baptism and also our covenants inside the temple. We also have our shield of faith which to me comes from being obedient. In battle, you put the shield in front of you going into oncoming fights having FAITH that the armor will protect you. That is the same thing with obedience. We are obedient because we have FAITH that it will protect us. Last, we have the sword of the Spirit and we need to not do anything to loosen the grip on our sword (the spirit) because we always need it with us to defend ourselves!! I learned so much from this and I hope you can benefit from this message by applying it in your own life!

This Thursday we had an expanded Missionary Leadership Council meeting down at the mission office. Two members of the missionary department came and trained us. And my life was changed! It was all about helping the people that we are teaching to BUILD FAITH! Through personal prayer, scripture study, and church attendance. And that those three things need to be engraved into their hearts before moving on with the lessons. Because of course they feel the spirit when the missionaries are over at their house... but everyone needs to learn how to feel the spirit on their own because that is when progression is made. .

We had A, D, and R all at church on Sunday!! It was a beautiful testimony meeting. A leaned over to me and told me she felt compelled to speak... She recognized the Holy Ghost and followed it and got up and spoke. She looked and spoke so naturally. She bore testimony of Christ's atonement in her life. We are all Princes and Princess' of a King. She said, "As a little girl you always dream of becoming a princess in a beautiful castle but then we grow up... and maybe make a couple mistakes and hurt a couple people and lose trust. Then you become the villain. But because of the beautiful Atonement made by our Savior, Jesus Christ we can always let go of the villain inside us and become the Princess we were meant to be!!" It was marvelous!

I feel so beyond blessed to have these beautiful people in my life and sharing with them what is so near and dear to me. The transformation from the gospel is so real! The change of nature we can have from repentance and obedience is priceless and the reward is JOY! Wow can anything trump that? This gospel given to us by Jesus Christ is without error and can work for anyone no matter the circumstances you are in! It is beautiful.

Also, side note for Scott and Alys McKnight and the Fullmer family! I found Sister Fullmer and got to spend the day with her on exchanges. She is marvelous and an absolutely stunning teacher! She is being trained by Sister Hernandez who I trained back in March! She is in great hands and is being taken care of!! :) God knows what He is doing! She is in the right place!

Anyways, I love you all!! The Church of Jesus Christ is true and perfect! And we all have a Heavenly Father who loves and protects us!!

xoxo

Sister Holt