Family!
I’m melting, I’m
meeeelting! But life is good. We have actually had some cloud cover this week,
and when I got so hot that I began to wish I would just incinerate and die, I
look at the pretty flowers. Chile has some wild looking flowers. Anywhosies,
life is good.
And you know what? I have some `you know you are a
missionary when...` moments from this week that I am going to share now:
- When you wear your hair in a bun every day for a week, but
you aren’t a ballerina.
- When you have
anxiety for a week straight because you find out on Sunday that President &
Hermana Wright are coming to a Family Home Evening you have planned for
Saturday night. Literally, a whole week of anxiety, haha. It went well, though.
They are so loving and great with everyone they talk to.
- Hunger Games doesn`t exist. Hunger Games = Israelites
without manna, wandering in the wilderness - nothing ELSE.
- The locals start treating you as walking maps.
- When you almost witness death by bus, sort of like in Mean
Girls. Am I allowed to think about that movie on the mission? I don`t know.
But, I was walking along on divisions and my dear companion was about a foot
from being squished like a bug on that windshield. I would like to say I saved
her life, but she saw the bus and just stopped walking as I yelled a naughty
word out of fear. (I hope you aren`t showing this to any general authorities,
Dad). No worries, nobody heard.
There you have it.
Last night the 3 Hermanas that live with me and me were
chatting. Somehow we got talking about Christ`s birth (because in the mission
everything gets relates back to gospel topics), and the silly Mexican said
something that caught us all off guard. First, you must understand that even
though she speaks perfect English, on Sunday night her English leaves, and our
Spanish leaves. So, anyways she says,
¨So, you know when the three wizards visited Jesus Christ?¨ hahahahhaa.
Wizards, wise men, same difference! I just think we are all going through Harry
Potter withdrawals, but that may just be me.
Well, I would like to share a little something that I have
realized these last few months on the mission. A lot of the people that we talk
to tell us that they don´t believe there is a God, because `how could God let
bad things happen to good people?` then they give an example of a people at war
or something. As much as I would LOVE to believe that they are that concerned
for their fellow humans, a lot of the time I think that what they MEAN to say
is `I am going through hard times, but I am a good person...and so I CHOOSE to
not believe in God¨. Our relationship with Heavenly Father is personal. We only
know he exists if we recognize His hand in our lives.
Jesus tells a really great parable in Luke 16: 19-31. Jesus
tells of a beggar, Lazarus, who has some sort of disease that gives him sores
all over his body. Lazarus lays at the gate of a Rich Man, hoping for the
crumbs that fall off of this Rich Man´s table. He never receives food, and more
than that, dogs come and lick his sores. Talk about kicking (or licking?) a man
when he´s down, eh?
Both the men die. The Rich Man, who was happy and
comfortable but never did anything for anyone else, goes to hell. Lazarus, on
the other hand, in comforted in the arms of God. The Rich Man asks God to send
him Lazarus, so that Lazarus can wet his burning tongue. God tells the Rich Man
that he cannot, because there is a gulf between Heaven and Hell. The Rich Man,
then being a little more humbled, asks God to send Lazarus to his 5 brothers,
still living on the earth, to warn them of Hell if they don´t change. God tells
the Rich Man that his brothers have the scriptures and prophets, and to ´let
them hear THEM´. The Rich Man says they won`t listen to the scriptures, or the
prophets, but if Lazarus goes from the dead they will listen!
God says, in closing, that if they won`t listen to the
scriptures of the prophets, they won`t be persuaded by someone who rose from
the dead.
Sometimes, in our lives, (or a lot of times), we think ¨WHY
ME?¨ or we want Heavenly Father to send us signs that make us want to change.
We have our witnesses that God exists, the scriptures and the prophets and the
atonement of his son, Jesus Christ! Are we acknowledging our signs that God
exists? Are we using them to help us get closer to Him, to have a stronger
relationship?
We are promised sooo many blessing. We are going to go
through trials, sicknesses, heartaches...those things are part of what we
signed up for when we chose to come here to earth. BUT we also signed up for
happiness, health, to feel the love of God and have the opportunity to become
JUST like Him.
Whether you relate more to the Rich Man or to Lazarus, just
remember that both of them had the same potential. We need to endure our trials
and count our blessings.
I might not have a turkey or my family with me this year,
but I am grateful for my knowledge that I am a daughter of God. I know that he
loves me. I know that he has a plan for me. I know that I have been prepared
throughout my life for this opportunity to serve a mission, and I know right
now I am being prepared for many more opportunities to serve and grow. I know
that there is a purpose to being here on earth. I know God is always willing to
show us His love if we do the simple things He asks of us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Eat a bunch and take a nice long nap for me! I think I will take my
Thanksgiving nap & drink a Coke today for Pday! woot.
Love you,
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