I am happy.

Hello,

It's been a crazy week. But it's been good. The tornado scares have been something different to get used to. We are finding a few more investigators than usual which is great! I love when we have people to teach. I'll tell you this one story. Sister Stoker and I were going to go visit a LA (less active member) in our area Sunday before church. We get up to the apartment and she wasn't feeling well. As we went back outside, we started talking to these older ladies. One was gardening, one was smoking. Nice ladies. We were able to make them laugh and set a few things straight about what they had heard about Mormons. We invited them both to the VC and left our number. Sunday night after planning, we got a phone call and it was her; the lady we had just talked to that morning who was gardening. She went on to tell us how she really needs a church and even got emotional to us on the phone. We met with her on Monday and she enjoyed the things we read from the Book of Mormon and the God's Plan for His Family tour. We will be seeing her tomorrow. We're really looking forward to helping her build her relationship with Christ again. The journey these people take and being able to witness it is the best part of being a missionary I think. There was another lady who we found by trying to contact a former investigator. Once we got to the house, we found out our former had moved and this lady and her three daughters lived there. That was when Sister Browning was here. Now, we have visited her a couple times, but just this last week she invited us inside and wants to learn more. She's able to trust us now and she is just an awesome lady. We're going to see her tomorrow, too. It's pretty awesome how we receive referrals and visit formers, and find new people who are interested in learning about the gospel. Last Saturday, the Joplin Missouri Stake Institute came all the way up to Independence to see the VC and the jail. I think they were headed to the rest of the historic sites, too. I just fell in love with them. They asked if they could get a picture with me. I made lots of new friends. Then, I heard the tornado, the worst tornado in the history of the US in over several years, hit Joplin. The city was totalled and there were about 124 fatalities when I heard the news. My heart just broke into pieces; it was wrenched. My prayers were answered yesterday night. I found a note on the front desk saying "The Joplin Institute class called to thank us for the wonderful tour, and to say that they are ALL okay". Oh, how great was my joy when I read that. God truly protects His people and answers our prayers.

But yes. Tornado scares. Tuesday we were on shift at the VC and the clouds started getting dark, moving really quickly, and then they started to turn green. That's a bad thing. I attached a picture. That's Sister Loo and her facial expression about what she thinks about this whole situation. If you look carefully you can see the green just over the building in the picture. Also, the sky started to split. There was a distinct line in the clouds and that's really bad, too. No siren or anything though. I ended up going on a tour and when we came back it was just raining. Then... yesterday... we were out tracting and suddenly we heard something loud in the distance. We couldn't tell if it was a siren or not. I then remembered that they test the siren every Wednesday morning. It was Wednesday morning. I figured we were okay. We knocked on this lady's door and she opened it, said she wasn't interested, but told us to take care of ourselves with the siren going off. I asked, "isn't that just the test siren? It's Wednesday morning". She went on to shake her head and said if we didn't have a place to stay we could come inside. Teaching opportunity...? Ha! We ended up going back to the VC as we were supposed to have an apointment there in 30 minutes anyway. The siren went on for a couple hours Wednesday morning/afternoon. The Browns, the senior couple on shift, plugged in the radio and we started listening to the warnings. The VC director called and asked if the Browns were keeping the sisters safe. This was the real deal. We had a few tours in the building, too. We gathered everyone downstairs in the theater room (which is against a hill below ground. Safe place) and started singing hymns. There was some fear in the room. There were about 7 sisters up front leading the hymns with a couple young families and a couple senior couples who were visiting. Side note: a senior couple, the Cluffs, just finished their mission in Manchester, New Hampshire, and were on their way home to Beaverton, Oregon! Awesome! Anyway, as we started "I Believe in Christ", I started to feel fear settle in just a little bit. I glanced up and a young mom caught my eye. She had her two boys, around the age of 10, sitting on either side of her. The boys both wore caps with their faces towards the ground, making it difficult to see their expressions. You could see the young mother's face, though. There was worry and concern, fear and uneasiness as we had been told the tornado was about to hit Independence from the south as one had made contact with the ground. I was filled with emotion for this young mother. However, suddenly she leaned over to one of her boys, kissed the side of his face, and cuddled him, putting aside her fear to comfort her son. Her eyes were wet and yet, she was full of prayer and hope. She listened to the words we sang about Christ and she acted on it. All was doing was loving her boys, but the spirit was strong. It was there. The love that small family held was so dear and I found myself just staring at them half way through the song. My voice was quiet and I started listening to the words. I could feel the Spirit around me. I could feel Christ in my life as I desirest to understand the words which we sang. As we finsihed the song, the fear had vanished. A few minutes later, Elder Brown walks in and tells us the warning for Independence in gone. The tornado was gone. It never hit us.

I'm sending a few pictures home that aren't about the tornado. In the car, that is Sister Stoker and myself right before we headed back to the VC when the siren was going off. My hair is sporting the "curl it in the morning and go tracting in the rain" look. In one, I am holding a hole punch, a key, and Sister Kavea (from Australia) has her hand over her forehead. This morning before laundry, she got her key stuck in the door. it look us 45 minutes to find the hole punch, used them like pliers, and got the key out. I felt accomplished. Ha! Sister Kavea, by the way, is one of the newest sisters in the VC. She's assigned to the Single's Branch, but she's with us today because her trainer is at an all day conference. Then, a couple other cute pictures of us from this morning. Yes, I wear a lot of green and blue.

I am happy. This work is hard, but I am happy. I may or may not have wrote about this a few weeks ago, but an elder once shared an experience about a friend of his who at the beginning of his mission did whatever he wanted. That friend came to the realization one day and goes on to tell the story about the importance of this work and obedience. He said, "I had a lot of fun, but I wasn't happy." Even if I long for my bed every night and my body is falling apart, I am happy. I am coming to know my savior even better.

I had a little bit of revelation that I'd like to share before I close up. Sister Stoker and I were studying charity one morning. Charity is the pure love of Christ, and as Moroni says, charity never faileth (Moroni 7:46). We are to follow the example of Christ and become more charitable. Christ led the perfect example. He was charitable and succored everyone around him. Yet, he still got hurt. He opened his heart and gave everything, and he was still crucified by his own people. We need to expect to get hurt a little bit every now and then. If we don't open our heart, we don't receive anything. That's what life is about. To experience the fulness of joy, we must live life. Go experience life. Get your heart broken. Put yourself out there. Have some experience that shows you know Christ.

I love my Savior. He descended below them all in order to understand us. This is why the Atonement works. It's good to hurt a little bit. That way, you know what your Savior felt and come to know his better. Even though things get hard, we are happy because we have the Savior on our side. I testify to you that the Atonement is real. The Atonement works as we turn our hearts to the will of God's. This church isn't just something to join. This church is a way of life. An eternal family. A piece of our soul.

The Son of God descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

Love,

S.Moore

Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

transfer #2

I don't know what to put in the subject line.

Hello one and all!

Things are well in Missouri. I am emailing on Thursdays now because P-day changed. Apparently, the sisters at the VC have their P-days changed every transfer just to be fair and mix it up. So for the next 5 weeks I'll be emailing on Thursdays at least. I am still in Independence 2nd ward and serving at the VC. My new companion is Sister Stoker from Henderson, NV. She had previously been serving in Hays, KS, the most western part of the MIM. She's only been out a few transfers so we have a couple babies in Independence 2nd ward right now. What were they thinking? She's awesome though - so on top of the work and organized. Makes life easy for me! ;) Because of that I have taken over the area and am learning a lot FAST. I am seeing the Lord work through me and continue to be amazed at how this truly is the Lord's work; we just get a front row ticket to see it.

 

I have come to love the VC. It truly is a home away from home. I consider it my temple. Because we don't get to go to the temple, I crave that spirit and I find it in the VC. The spirit is abundant and peaceful, and we truly have a family there. I'll tell you a crazy story...

 

Yesterday we were in the VC and a man came in. Was not a member but wanted to learn more. Awesome! A new sister in the VC (4 of the 6 brand new sisters in the mission are in the VC now. They are all so amazing. You have to be amazing to come to Missouri, apparently. How'd I get in?) and I took him into God's Plan for His Family and started to introduce the presentation, a basic summary of our beliefs on the family, introduced the spirit and how to recognize it, and then asked him about his family. He continues to tell us some crazy things. He says he was going to go sing on Friday night at some bar and asked if he could sing some "gospel" to us. Before we could answer he starts singing. We made our way through and started the presentation for him. He sleeps through half of it. He woke up and continues to talk about a few things that weren't gospel related. It was definitely an experience. I've never had someone do that. Only in Independence! The Elder of the senior couple of shift saw him out for us because he could tell we were a little overwhelmed. We are taken care of by those people around us and the Lord himself.

 

It's been such a long week I'm not even sure what to write about. I did get to met Sister Browning's family. They are going to get ahold of Mom and Dad one day. Henry will have to cook for them because I told them how amazing my family is when it comes to the kitchen. I like to brag about my family. ;) It was sad to see her and Sister Young go home, though. The bonds you create on a mission are really strong. When you have relationships centered on Christ, they mean more.

 

Oh yeah! So my wonderful companion just reminded me to tell you about Elder Nelson! Last weekend, we had an All Mission Conference out in Lenexa, KS, where Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Twelve spoke along with Elder Clayton, a president of one of the seventies, and Elder LeGrand R. Curtis. We were supposed to have seen Presiding Bishop David Burton, but he was not able to make it. The entire mission got to shake all of their hands. What wonderful men they all are. I learned a lot and cried a lot during those talks, specifically Elder Nelson. Let me share what I learned. Elder Curtis read to us D&C 76: 113-116. He pointed out that they were commanded not to write while in the spirit. We all receive personal revelation for ourselves at different times, based on our preparedness and faith. Some people are not ready to hear what we've learned. We are only able to be understood by the power of the Holy Ghost. When we teach as missionaries and church leaders and teachers, we have to be led by the Holy Ghost and have faith that as we strive to do what's right, the Holy Ghost will witness the truth of what we say to the other person. This is why faith is important. D&C 8:10 starts out saying, "Remember that without faith you can do nothing..." And I testify of this to you all. There is a reason why faith is the most foundational principle of the gospel. Just like I shared a couple weeks ago, faith is believing. Without believing in Christ, how can you know his love for you? We all can know this, but first we have to trust him.

 

Elder Deschlur (I believe he is an area seventy. I didn't actually catch exactly his role in the church. Whoops) spoke as well and talked mostly about Christ-like attributes found in PMG ch. 6. Remember this: We reflect our relationship with our Savior. Charity is truly the most important of them all. Just like in Moroni 7:46 - ...if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth... What do people see in you? What is your relationship like with the Savior? What are you doing to strive to become more charitable? Charity comes through faithful commitment, diligence, and devotion. Never underestimate the power of devotion. In General Conference, Elder Oaks spoke of desire. As long as we have a desire, we can do anything. I am inviting all of you to go re-read/listen to Elder Oaks talk about desire. And think about what you truly desire most in life.

 

Elder Clayton spoke about communication through eyes. I have a few people at home that we can look into each others and know exactly how they are feeling. Even have conversations. I am starting to see that relationship with the sisters and senior couples I serve with. He then went on to talk about angels. Hey guess what, I'm an angel! He shared with us how we as missionaries are angels and that we are to declare repentance and redemption through Christ. D&C 29:42. He then challenged us by asking "when I look in the mirror, do I see an angel? What would an angel do?" We should render service anywhere and everywhere. Keep our thoughts clean and pure and focused on the Savior. We have also been given a gift. 2 Ne 32:2-3 tells how we speak with the tongue of angels with the power of the Holy Ghost. That theme has come up a lot the last 2 weeks - the power of the Holy Ghost and angels. Also, here's something interesting. Elder Nelson shared that they were watching 4 different missions, and one mission was out baptizing the other 3 all put together. Elder Nelson asked the mission president how that was done. The Mission President then responded: "I do not allow my missionaries to ask for referrals". Que?! He wanted his missionaries to EARN the trust of the members, be those hard working young men and women, and to earn the referrals from the faithful members around them. Because they raised the bar they saw the fruits thereof. Awesome, eh? That;s an example of desire.

 

And I learned a ton of Elder Nelson, too. I feel that this email is getting to be lengthy, but that's okay! We're talking about Christ! And I'm running out of time...

Elder Nelson showed this to us which I'll share before I close this note. We as missionaries are to weed out the weak and find the prepared continue to prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah. In Judges 7:2, is told of 300 good vs. 150,000 Midianites, or bad. That is a 1:500 ratio. He then compared that to us. For we to liken the scriptures to us for our benefit, yeah? 1 Ne. 19:23. There are 7 billion people on the earth approximately. There are about 14 million LDS members. Guess what the ratio is? 1:500. In Judges, the 300 won the war. Guess who's going to win the war now?

The Lord is going to accomplish His work. It is our choice if we want to be apart of that or not.

Elder Nelson then spoke of marriage. Yeah, he told us to think about marriage. As missionaries. Weird. Because I'm out of time I'll just share this about what he said. Do not propose/say yes to someone in a proposal for marriage until they love the Lord more than you. I had said something about the strength of relationships centered in Christ. It's because both parties love their Savior more. That is how we find pure happiness. 

I love my Savior more than ever, and I know that that will grow. I see Father's guiding hand in my life daily and know that I am blessed. And one day, I will marry in the temple to that son of God who loves Christ more than me. And that will be a dream come true.

 

My mission is for me. I am blessed and honored and humbled to help others along the way, but this is for me. The church cares about their missionaries because they want us to be the more faithful children of God we can be. As Elder Wirthlin once said, "Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't, as he sees us as the glorious beings we can become". And I am here because of my family. my family now and my family to come. I want to give my all to them. My mission will help me achieve that.

 

Thank you, everyone, for your love and support. I pray for those at home daily and know with all surety that you are watched over, blessed, and protected. I know this church is true. I know this work is real. And I love our Father in Heaven loves us.

 

Love,

S. Moore

 

Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

Week 11... I'm going to eventually forsake this week thing.‏

Hello family and friends!

It's the end of my first transfer... crazy! Can you believe it? To answer my own question, I can't really. I have one transfer down out of twelve. Only 11 left. This is going to go by so fast...

It was wonderful hearing from home yesterday! The family is doing well and I loved hearing what's been going on around the house. Because I shared everything with them I may or may not repeat myself about the past week here... I'll see what I can remember.

 

Sister Browning fell quite ill so we were in the VC for a while. On Wednesday we had exchanges and instead of being on half days, S. Browning and the other sister stayed in the VC all day and my "new" companion and I went out into both areas. My first full proselyting day. We contacted a ton of referrals in my ward and met an awesome and promising new investigator. We had a miracle! They text to us referrals from Mormon.org and we were going to go see a lady in Apt 522. For some reason I read it as Apt 533. We knocked on the door, it was awkward for a moment when we asked if someone lived here, but then shifted right into missionary mode... "Well hi! We're missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...." and so on. She was very interested in learning more and accepted a Book of Mormon and a restoration pamphlet. That was supposed to happen! We were supposed to find her! Sometimes I love my dyslexia (if I can even call it that in this situation). In the single's branch (the other area) we did service rototilling (sp?) the Branch President's back yard. That was so much fun! Why did I miss out on that when I was home? We had a couple of appointments but unfortunately those young men didn't follow through. We ended up giving a church tour and being productive with members in the branch. Because I was companions with the VC Sister Leader, I had exchanges once or twice every week this last transfer. I got to know a lot of the sisters much better because of it and get a lot more experience outside of my own area. What a blessing and jump start for the remainder of my mission! We didn't get out into the area as much as we would've liked, but we did our best. The RM's can understand this next part: I am at the point where I need to make appointments a week in advance, and my planner doesn't go that far! It's a little frustrating! haha. I've mastered the phone and calling people. A lot of times we are stuck places so we set up appointments, share the gospel, and follow up with people over the phone. Technology is quite nice as a missionary.

 

I'm very sad to see S. Browning go home, but I know she will rock the world as a civilian. She's never going to stop being a missionary. She's an inspiration! My new companion and I will join together on Thursday. I will most likely stay here in Independence 2nd ward and the VC, but we'll see. My first transfer call is a little intimidating, but I know they are called of by the Lord. This companionship will be awesome!

 

Ry sent me a hilarious email (sorry Ry, if it was supposed to be serious and uplifting. I was laughing through the whole thing!) and complimented the sisters of the MIM. I know, right? I am surrounded by goddesses and angels constantly. Patience boys... ;) And I got to see Trish and her adorableness! I love how all the answers to the questions I asked Derek appeared in Trish's email. HA! That's teamwork right there! And Will... the detail you shared about the antenna is fascinating! ;) I'm glad you and your boys were good to your wife and mother-in-law on Mother's day. Happy Late Mother's Day to those I love dearly and didn't get to talk to. I thought of you and you were in my heart!

 

What else... Elder Wilde, our district leader, turned into a civilian on Friday. That was weird. I can't even imagine how hard it'll be to see S. Browning and S. Young (another VC sister) go home... I really like them, by the way. And Sister Young is Canadian.. eh?

 

I'm starting something called the "Book of Mormon 60 day Challenge" that President Van Koman extends to all around Christmas time every year. Unfortunately, I won't get that challenge from him but I have taken the initiative and began it myself. We are given 4 non-bleed highlighters and a new Book of Mormon. We are to have each color represent something and highlight as we go through. Pink is Jesus Christ and his Atonement, blue is the gift and/or power of the Holy Ghost, green are things that make me happy or "glad scriptures", and yellow is something of our choosing. I'm going to mark vague things about prophets this time through so eventually I can go back through and study BoM prophets. It's great though because you get a whole new perspective on it. It's only 9 pages a day, for 2 months. Anyone care to join with me?

 

Through the inspiration of talking to Mom about food yesterday (haha), I am going to go back to the no sugar thing and see if that is possible. I know I feel so good after a day with no preservatives and fat... I was reading in 1 Corinthians and came across the awesome scripture in chapter 6, verses 19 and 20: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." Along with not destroying out bodies with drugs, alcohol, coffee, and tea, we are instructed to eat well with fruits and vegetables in season and whole grains. Just as if we pray and read our scriptures everyday to edify our spirits, as we eat well and not take all that junk into our bodies, they will in turn be edified and strengthened, and more blessings will come from that. So... here goes everything.

 

And here's something fun, too. Ephesians 6:11 - "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil". Satan is real. Please don't think lightly of this. Continue to prepare temporally and spiritually, and we will be protected. I testify of this to you.

 

I see miracles everyday. The life you live as a missionary differs greatly than that of when you are home. The protection, the order, the peace, the feeling of accomplishment, and the love is so abundant in your life. We are literally set apart from the world and have that authority and power from God as we remain worthy of it. We are so much closer to our Savior, and it is that reason why missionaries love what they do, if they have their heart in the right place. In the 2 short months I've been a missionary, the change in my mindset is wide and it will continue to grow. I hear a lot of people at home, friends or strangers, are deciding to go on missions. They will make such better people, parents, and children of God as they can truly come closer to knowing what is in store for us in the Celestial kingdom. I love my Father in heaven. I love my Savior and Redeemer. I love the scriptures. I know they are the true words of God and that they were written, preserved, and translated at this time for us specifically. The Book of Mormon is the best manual for life we have. Read it often.

 

I guess I found things to write about. ha! Thank you all for your support and love. Know that I love you and that you are in my heart. Let's continue to walk the straight and narrow together.

 

Shall we not go on in go great a cause? D&C 128:22

 

Love,

S.Moore

 

Week 9: Light & faith; all you need!‏

As I sit here on the computer, I look out the window and see our car with the door wide open, sitting in the parking lot. I guess all the sisters were anxious to write home....

 

Oh Dearest family and friends,

 

This was a good week! They are always good. Lots happened. and I really think I'm older than I appear because I don't remember anything that happened.... no offense my older and wiser counterparts. :)

 

I'll start with what I can remember.

First, I am calling home in 6 days! Wow, that went by FAST! I just talked to you at the airport...

 

Sharon was baptized on saturday... that was really special for me. she was my first baptism of my mission and I got to teach her all the lessons. she did exist before I arrived, but I did all the teaching with Sister browning. I apologize in advance as this keyboard's shift key doesn't like to work very well. she was baptized on Mom's year mark for her baptism. I still remember that day so well, almost as if it were my own. Can you believe it? I also was asked to speak so I got to say a quick diddy on baptism. as we are walking to the stake center for the baptism, Sister Browning turns to me and says, "So, what do you want to do as a musical number?" Talk about impromptu. It went well. Sharon just glows and she's ready to get into the ward and participate. Her family came and was supportive. Here's a cool thing that Sister Browning showed me. While the baptisee is getting dressed after being immersed, hand out pens and paper to everyone in attendance. they write down a thought or a message about how they felt being at the baptisee's big day and then we collect them and will somehow bind those thoughts and present them to Sharon. How cool, eh? As she was confirmed yesterday in Sacrament, I wrote down as much of the prayer as I could. I remember Kimberly doing that for me and I still hold and cherish that. I did that for Mom, too. Did I ever give that to you? Whoops... I hope so :) Sharon just glows and she blows me away. In sunday school, she got up and taught a part of the class about prayer! One hour being a member! she reminds me of Mom a lot, actually. she found something and has been exponentionally growing ever since. She has a blog (I don't think I ever told you, but she found this blog; my mission blog by Googling it! I got called out!) and I'm going to send that to the family in another email. She writes about me and said she'll be putting up pictures... ;)

 

Last week on Tuesday, all the missionaries in the MIM (Missouri Independence Mission) that have been out in the field for 6 months or less had a specialty training out in Olathe, KS. There were about 12 of us that met at the VC and wrote up in the awesome mission van and met other missionaries from all over the mission. It was an all day thing! 8am to 5pm. President Van Komen, President Lineback, and President Wofford all gave training. Sister Van Komen spoke. We also got a training from Elder Holland! :) and when I say that, we watched a talk he gave to the MTC on January 11, 2011. (Go look it up) It was one of the most powerful talks. It focused a lot on how converting the missionaries out in the field before they could go serve the investigators and members in their respective wards is essential. He said something along the lines of "We need to convert the missionaries. the missionaries then figure out how to convert the investigator [by the Holy Ghost]". Something that really took me, too, was a quote from Elder Holland as he spoke about Christ. Jesus Christ has said, "When I asked you to be a missionary, I asked you to be one forever". We are the hope of Israel. We can relate that to anything here in the church. He asked us to be brothers and sisters. Always treat others like so. He asked us to me mothers and fathers. Always be so. He asked us to be the children of God. Let's always be so.

 

I got a haircut! and don't worry Will, the length is still there. We ended up going to the mall in Lee's Summit just outside of our area and that was a very worldly experience. Crazy. Last P-Day, I was picking out a carton of strawberries and an elderly lady walks up and starts talking to me about strawberries. Opportunity.... :) She started to tell me how she was baptized into our church when she was a little girl somewhere in Iowa and how her granddaughter looks exactly like me. I get that a lot. There have been 3 different people that told me I remind them of someone due to my face. come to find out, she is apart of the RLDS faith. But for whatever reason she just fell in love with Sister Browning and me and is going to come back to the VC with her granddaughter sometime. Here's to hoping!

 

Funny story... on Thursday was a sister in the VC's birthday. One of the senior couple's made them a oh-so-good dessert and I, uh, well, couldn't help myself. it got to the point where I turned to this birthday sister and told her to go write a note on top of the dessert saying that I couldn't touch it. I sent you a picture of the note... funny. It was great. This month alone we had 4 birthdays in the vC. I'm running extra hard in the mornings becuse of it... ha!

 

another funny story... poor Sister Browning. At the VC, there are 7 companionships and we all share 4 different vehicles. One of them is falling apart. We were driving home one day after the VC prayer and saw two sisters at the VC and thought they might need a ride. we pulled in and as we did so we saw that they had their car in the parking lot below. well, we didn't turn in time due to that distraction. We hit the curb and the tire blow. The tire pressure was that low. and to make things even better, those 2 sisters we saw had 2 investigators and a members with them, the senior couple was still there, our zone leaders, our district leader and his companion, AND another sister companionship was driving by and stopped. it was a party! I say poor Sister Browning because she was the one driving. Oh, I just love her to death. Funniest/most embarrassing moment in my mission so far. And the best part of all, she did not get red dotted. :)

 

On Friday, the first ever Kansas City Missouri temple run took place. It was a 5K race that started and ended at the temple. Because one of the ladies in charge of it really liked the AP, the elder in her ward, he convinced her and got permission from President for missionaries to go up to the race and volunteer for half the day. we got to wear these awesome yellow jacket things that had the name of the church and "Mormon Helping Hands" on the back of them and did about 5 hours of service there. it was such a great community event.

 

Funny... so, I'm going to share this. Derek wrote and shared some awesome insights from Alma 32. I also studied that chapter in depth this week. I'd like to share a few things I learned. As Derek shared with me, in vs 14, 15, and 16 is tells that those who humble themselves are more blessed than those who are compelled to be humble. Take that first step! it also talks about doing that through the word of God. as we read in John 1:1, it says that Christ is the word of God. We can substitute that for the rest of the appearance of the phrase "The word", "word of god", etc. alma 32 tells of the purpose of faith. In vs 18,. I took away this: If we know something, there is no need to believe. There would be no need for faith. For faith is believing and acting. for which is worse? Knowing the will of God and not doing, or only believing and falling into transgression? And because the scriptures are wonderful, as we keep reading they answer that question for us. "God is merciful unto all who believe on His name". The last part I want to share from the chapter is vs. 27. all we need is desire. that desire, if nourished, will grow into the fruit we most desire, found in the second half of alma 32. I love the scriptures. I have a testimony of them. I know that the book of Mormon is true with all my heart, for I live the teachings everyday and see fruits. I can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost in and around me, simply because I have a desire. If you have a desire, that's all you need. Just keep moving forward and nourish that seed. It will grow, if it is good.

 

And on a prideful note, I was told that I have the light in my eyes again. someone told that to me that came into the VC. It about made my life. I have been striving for that light again for a while. I love my Savior.

 

To make my week complete, I had an inbox full of love this morning. Thank you so much. Derek is right; I don't have to write to all those crazy people at home, I'm serving the Lord! haha, but just give me time. Patience... ;)

 

I love you. Each and every one. thank you for your support and please send my love on to those who I do not communicate with directly. They are prayed for and loved. Until next time.

 

S. Moore