Email: 30 July 2012

Hello friends and family!

We got a new sister in our companionship! Sister Fraire (pronounced Friday). She is originally from Durango Mexico but came out from Georgia, about 30 minutes from Grandma and Grandpa! :D She is great! President Taylor is excited for us to be companions and for the work that will happen here in Norman.

This week was the Leadership Training Meeting and it was absolutely incredible! On Tuesday Jeff came and spoke along with a handful of other recent converts. It was so inspiring to hear all the converts speak, as well as Jeff. Everything about the LTM was inspired. I don't know how long this letter will be..... so I apologize. There isn't a lot to say about the LTM because it was a lot of personal revelation for me and for this area. I'll share what I can though. At the beginning President Taylor told us that this LTM would be hard work. It would require us to step it up, not only during the meeting but from here on out. It was very inspiring and gave me the push I needed to be better than I had been. We always need to be doing that.

Sister Taylor loves music! Since she loves music we had 2 special musical numbers each of the four days we were at the LTM. Get this! One of the special musical numbers was done by all the Sister Missionaries. Yes, every sister missionary and that included myself. I sang with 8 others on the stand in front of 50 other missionaries. I never thought I would do that. Granted I didn't really have a choice in the matter. haha! Seriously though, it was fun. I don't think I butchered the song to badly.... and to be honest I don't think I was THAT off. There were a couple notes I couldn't hit, so I wouldn't even try. Don't go expecting me to sing anything in front of people when I get home though. This was only a success because the people I was with could sing (at least half of them could) and the Spirit was there which made up for any lack of talent any of us possessed. ;)

The whole four days were exhausting to be honest. They were amazing, but I was exhausted at the end of each day. I learned a whole bunch of great things and have a nice big list of things to improve on. However, my mission President blessed us that we would be able to accomplish everything we needed to as we went forth with faith. It was pretty intense. :)

We had a great experience that happened throughout the LTM. On the first day when all the recent converts were sharing their testimonies a man came in and sat on the back row. President Taylor didn't recognize him. Afterwards he went to introduce himself and found out that he wanted to be taught by the missionaries. He had just walked in looking for the missionaries. He didn't know we were there. (and what do you know, there were 60 missionaries plus the mission president and his wife.) The Elders in his area taught him the first lesson that day (Tuesday) and invited him to baptized on September 1st, which he accepted. That's pretty incredible, but it gets better.

The next day, towards the end of the LTM he came in looking for the Elders who had taught him. He found them and told them he had been up the whole night reading the Book of Mormon. He came all dressed up to tell the Elders that he knew the Book of Mormon was true and that he was ready to get baptized right then and there. Of course they couldn't do that so President Taylor explained the process to him and that there was still things to teach him. This guy told the Elders he wanted to meet everyday that week. The Elders moved his date from September 1st to August 12th. I was able to meet the man who the Elders were teaching. He is such a nice guy! I am excited for him to be baptized. It was an incredible thing to witness. :)

On Thursday President Taylor had all the sister missionaries teach the Elders about the Role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. We didn't know it until the end of the day, but that guy the Elders started teaching had come in and sat on the back row as we were talking and he was taking notes on what we were saying.

Thanks for sending the testimonies of the people in the ward as well as the Books of Mormon. I'm excited to get them in the mail. :) Thanks for everything!

I just watched this video and read the article by Elder Holland. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how bold he his. I would appreciate if you would post these on my blog. I have a testimony of how important it is to have the Spirit with you as a missionary. The Gospel CANNOT be preached without the Spirit. I love missionary work! I love what I get to help the Lord do. It is an incredible blessing in my life and I have never regretted my decision to serve a mission. I know the message we share is true! :D

I love you! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Record

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/stay-within-the-lines?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/a-message-to-future-missionaries?lang=eng

Email: 23 July 2012

Hello family and friends!

Oh boy! I love being a missionary! This is by far the most rewarding thing I've ever experienced in my entire life. Everything that has happened, the good and the bad, in the last 5 1/2 months has all been worth it to get to this weekend. Jeff was baptized on July 21st and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Sunday July 22rd. It was absolutely wonderful!

Friday after District Meeting we cleaned out the font
(Sister Record and Sister Nelson)

[NOTE: Thanks to Jeff for giving permission to post his baptism photo. Congratulations!]
We've been meeting with Jeff for about two months and before we met with him he was meeting with Elders up in the city. He has been through a lot as he has investigated the church. Last Tuesday he had his baptismal interview and passed with flying colors. It was amazing. Two and a half weeks ago Jeff didn't have a desire to be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, He didn't know if the church was true and he wasn't sure if God was there. Now here we are and Jeff is a member of the Church and is going to do amazing things in the Lord's kingdom. The Lord really does work miracles as we exercise our faith in him. :) 

So the baptism on Saturday was amazing! There were a ton of people there. There were a total of 15 missionaries at his baptism plus all the members who came to support him. The Spirit was so strong at Jeff's baptism! After the baptism Sister Christensen (who got special permission to come to his baptism) asked Jeff how he felt. Jeff said he just felt happy. I wish you could all see the change that has come over Jeff. I don't know how to even describe it.... miraculous, incredible, fantastic, etc. 

Sister Nelson, Sister Record, Jeff and Sister Christensen before the baptism.

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the Gospel of Jesus Christ change somebody you care about so much. We love Jeff so much (or I guess the more appropriate phrase would be that we have "charity" towards him. haha!) and were all so happy to see him take this step in his life towards returning back to his Heavenly Father. Sister Nelson, Christensen and I couldn't hold back the tears of Joy at the baptismal service. 

On Sunday Jeff was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. That was an amazing experience as well. As I looked over a few times during sacrament meeting at Jeff I could see a difference in his countenance. He is a happier person and you can see it in his eyes. 

Yesterday was a great day! We took a member out with us to a lesson which fell through. So we went knocking on doors with her. The first door we knocked on a guy from Africa opened the door. We told him we were representative of Christ and that we wanted to pray for his needs. He went and grabbed his buddy who invited us in. There the three of us were talking to 5 guys from Africa. It was so awesome!! :D They were so nice and had a lot of great questions. One of the guys had actually read parts of the Book of Mormon and was answering questions one of his roommates had about Joseph Smith. It was pretty neat. We set up a time to come back and meet with all five of them next Sunday. Tender Mercy from the Lord? Definitely!!! No doubt about it. 

Later that day we had another lesson and took a member out with us. We met this girl, [Name withheld 2], on Friday and prayed with her and then set up a return appointment for Sunday. So we went to the lesson and it was such a great 1st lesson! [Name withheld 2] was so open to the message of the Restoration. We told her the Joseph Smith story in his own words. As Sister Nelson started [Name withheld 2] interrupted and said, "He saw an angel?" we laughed and told her to hold on a second. haha! :D So we finished the Joseph Smith story and asked her who it was that appeared to Joseph. Of course she knew who it was. Then she asked us if we had seen The Work and the Glory. I told her I had. She went off on that for a minute. She told us how much she loved that movie and that every time she watches it she gets emotional. I asked her how she felt when she heard Joseph Smith's story on the movie and when she heard us tell it. She told us she always wonders if she is going to the right church. 

Like I said, it was such a great lesson! The Spirit was guiding Sister Nelson and I and the entire lesson. He was quite literally "giving [us] the words to speak in the very hour [we] needed them." We were able to set a baptismal date with [Name withheld 2]. She is very interested in continuing to learn about the church. One thing I love about President Taylor is that he really stresses inviting people to be baptized on the first lesson unless the Spirit clearly tells us not to. I have found that inviting people to be baptized the first lesson is my favorite thing to do, especially when the member we take out with us isn't expecting it. :D Even if the person we invite to be baptized says no, because we invited them concerns will come out that we wouldn't be able to find out any other way. 

Okay... going back to Jeff. Last Sunday the APs asked us to ask Jeff if he would share his conversion story at the Leadership Training Meeting (LTM) on Tuesday. Jeff is hitting the ground running! I can't wait to hear him speak at the meeting on Tuesday. Sister Nelson and I and some other sisters got special invites to go to the LTM this week. Neither one of us is in a leadership position right now, but I'm so excited for it! It is going to be so good!

Well... I love y'all very very much! You are great! Keep doing great things in good ole' Utah (and wherever you may be). 

Love, Sister Record

Email: 16 July 2012

Hey everybody! This week has been incredible! For now I will answer the questions you sent.

1) So when exactly are your transfers? Do you get your transfer on Monday (P-day) and then actually move on Tuesday or is there some other set schedule?

Transfers are every six weeks on Wednesday. We get transfer calls the Sunday before transfers and then have a couple days to pack and get ready to leave. Everybody who is being transferred meets in Moore that Wednesday and then finds their new companion and goes to their new area. Transfers usually take all morning and most of the afternoon. The next transfers are on August 15. For fun I will just tell you what day transfer are for the rest of the year. :D August 15, September 26, November 7, and December 19 (I love this area and never want to leave!)

2) What is the funniest thing that has happened this week?

Oh man... so many little things happen that are funny. I have found how important it is to just laugh about things and not take everything so seriously as a missionary. Lets see if I can think of a specific story... I can't think of a really good one right now. Yesterday there was a lady who opened the door with a really funny looking wig on with her gray hair poking out all over the place.

3) What is the greatest miracle you have seen this week?

That is actually what I was going to write about. Be prepared for AMAZING stuff. I will write that last. Oh my goodness! I can't wait to tell y'all about it!

4) What are Sister Nelson's greatest strengths?

Oh Sister Nelson is incredible! I love her so much! She has amazing faith. She is so quick to follow counsel from our leaders and knows we will be blessed from it. So in short faith and obedience are her greatest strengths. She is one powerhouse missionary. :)

5) Do you use your digital voice recorder much? I don't care about audio updates because your email updates are so good, just want to see if it helps much. It's funny. You don't use it much for updates, but Elder Record uses his almost exclusively. I want you each to do whatever you enjoy and find easiest.

I don't really use it much. I have found I prefer to type out my updates rather than record. Mostly because I don't feel I have the time Sunday night to record an update. I will send still send you voice recordings occasionally though. Don't worry. :) I decided this morning I am going to use it to have other people record things on it.

okay... now to answer question #3 are y'all ready for this? Its amazing! First I want to say how much my testimony of how important faith is has grown. I know the scripture from Ether 12:12 is 100% true. It says, "For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith." I have felt a lot like I have had an experience like Ammon and King Mosiah. When Ammon was teaching king Lamoni, they all fell to the earth like they were dead. 

One of the people there who saw this tried to kill Ammon but was struck down. Alma 19:23 says, "Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord." It was because of the faith of Mosiah that Ammon was protected. Now don't worry, nobody tried to kill us. The point is that the FAITH of Mosiah protected Ammon. Mosiah's faith produced miracles for Ammon. 

So where do I start this story? Do you remember how I told you about [Name withheld]? Well he has been meeting with missionaries since November 2011... so about 8 months. He has been struggling to know that God exists. Sister Nelson and I (and Sister Christensen before she was transferred) have been working so much with [Name withheld] over the last two months. 

As we have worked with him we have been able to receive the revelation needed to help him progress. I told you last week how we asked [Name withheld] to prayerfully set his own baptismal date. Well there was a little more to that story. Sister Nelson and I both promised him that if he would set a date, he would be able to know that God was there, that he would have a desire to be baptized, and that he would know the Church was true by whatever date he set. After we left the lesson, the magnitude of what we had just promised [Name withheld] set in. I was just a little worried. Not because I didn't think God could answer [Name withheld], but I was a little worried that we had promised things just because we are so desperate for [Name withheld] to be baptized. Those feelings of worry were quickly replaced with faith and confidence. Since July 7, 2012 Sister Nelson and I have had no doubt he would receive his answer by whatever date he set for his baptism.

Sister Nelson and I were both a little shocked when he told us his date on Saturday. He has chosen the date of July 21, 2012. It was only a week away. [Name withheld] still wasn't sure that God existed. He knew that going to church makes him a better person and that the Book of Mormon contains truth. He also knows that everything he has been learning has made him a better person. He just hasn't been sure if all those things are from God or if he made them up. Anyway... [Name withheld] told us he realized he needed to be more humble and accept the answers he has had. In short... as of Saturday he would not have fully passed the baptismal interview questions. 

He talked to a lot of people inside the church and out of it to counsel about things. On Saturday he asked us two questions. The first was he wanted to know about what we remembered about our baptism. The second one was how we know our answers to questions are from God. We were able to answer those questions for him. 

We went to dinner with [Name withheld] and started planning his baptism for Saturday, and we figured out the whole thing. [Name withheld] chose who would speak, who would baptize him, etc. He had a hard time figuring out songs so he chose the opening song and I suggested the song "I Believe in Christ" as the closing song and he was all for it. 

[Name withheld] did a TON of fasting and praying on Sunday about baptism on the 21st while he was out of town visiting family. Let me tell you... Sister Nelson and I did a ton of fasting and praying yesterday as well. His name has only been off the temple for a week and we put it back on on Saturday. 

It has been a huge test of my faith since he told us about the date he chose. However, I have never felt worried or scared that [Name withheld] wouldn't receive an answer. We were asking so many people to pray for [Name withheld]. I don't think I have ever exercised so much faith in a day and prayed so much for another person. It was incredible! I knew without a doubt that [Name withheld] would be ready to be baptized on the 21st of July. Sister Nelson's faith was just as strong, if not stronger.

 

We got a call from [Name withheld] last night. He told us that he had been praying a lot and fasting. He also told us how he told his family about how the church has made him a better person. He told his family about the Book of Mormon. (This was something he felt he should be able to do before he was baptized). He told us over the phone that after much prayer and fasting he felt that he should go ahead and get baptized on July 21st!!!!! HE IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! :D He sounded so happy on the phone when we talked to him. We asked him when he would like to be interviewed and he said it could be anytime this week. Holy cow! It has been amazing to see how much he has changed in just the last couple weeks. The Lord has been working with him for sure!

After the phone call Sister Nelson and I were both in tears (I was also laughing hysterically). We were so HAPPY! We have both (as well as Sister Christensen) put so much into working with [Name withheld]. Every minute has been worth it! Sister Christensen doesn't know about the baptism yet. We got permission from President Taylor, and then agreed with [Name withheld] that the three of us would call her on Tuesday after he passes the baptismal interview. :) 

When I first came here he wouldn't even consider setting a baptismal date. [Name withheld] has exercised so much faith lately and God is providing miracles! I don't think I have met somebody who wanted to know so desperately if the church was true and if God exists. I don't know if I can adequately express how big of a miracle this is that he is getting baptized. His baptismal interview is tomorrow so please please please PLEASE keep him in your prayers tonight and throughout the week. I know the faith and prayers on behalf of others has so much power and brings about miracles. [Name withheld] is amazing and is going to be one powerful member of the church. 

Now that I've told you the miracle story I can go back to your question about something funny that has happened this week. 

We wanted to call sister Christensen and tell her about [Name withheld]'s baptismal date, but we had to wait until we could talk to the AP's to get permission. We talked to our district leader who told us we should wait to tell Sister Christensen about the baptism and call her with [Name withheld] to tell her about it. Sister Nelson was all for that. I wasn't. I wanted to tell her the exciting new AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (you know me). We finally got a hold of the AP's and Sister Nelson asked what they thought, if we should call her now or wait a couple days. The AP's said we should definitely wait. ugh! that killed me inside! I didn't want to wait. Sister Nelson was laughing at my reaction. I was only bummed out for a few minutes, but it made me laugh. We will be calling Sister Christensen tomorrow to tell her about [Name withheld]'s baptism. :) 

Thanks for all your prayers and keep them coming! :) I love you!!

"If how great shall be your reward in Heaven for the soul that you bring to Christ, how great shall be your remorse for those you don't." --President Thomas S. Monson

Love, Sister Record

Email: 9 July 2012 - transfers, fireworks, music and boys

Hello family and friends! So transfers were on Wednesday. Sister Nelson and I have set a goal to find more females to teach. All of the people we are teaching right now are boys. We have been praying to find a girl to teach who is ready to accept the message of the Restoration. As we have been out actively looking for girls to approach and talk to we realized... THERE ARE NONE! There are only boys here! What the heck? (hence the reference to boys in the subject line of the email) We can't seem to find any girls anywhere. Sister Nelson and I were out knocking on doors on Saturday and found an apartment building with only girls in it. We were so HAPPY! haha! Nothing against boys....I love to teach them too, but we really want to teach a girl too. We ended up finding one new investigator in that building. We are going back to see her on Tuesday.

All the Sister Missionaries in OOCM, Sister Record is in the front middle.

Okay... my 4th of July...I kept forgetting that it was the 4th of July to be honest. My first thought all morning was "I can't believe today is transfers", not "today is the 4th of July!" So we went to transfers, I got to see all my friends. :) Every single sister in the mission was there, which is a rare thing. I will be sending a picture of that. It was a lot of fun. After transfers we went back to Norman and planned for the day. We had a tough time figuring out what to do. We ended up going out tracting. A mission goal was to find one new investigator per companionship on the 4th. The Lord blessed us to find one new person to teach (who is a boy. Go figure. haha!) After knocking on doors for a while we went back to have dinner. We were still stuck on what to do in the evening. Knocking on doors would not be very effective. Our mission got permission from President Taylor to watch fireworks if we had a recent convert, less active member or investigator with us. Sister Nelson and I were able to watch the fireworks with [Name withheld 1] (a guy we're teaching. He is the best!), Bryce (a member) and [Name withheld 2], a recent convert. We went to Reeves Park to watch fireworks. It was a lot of fun. :)

It's funny you mentioned Kaelye in your letter Dad. I have been meaning to tell you about her. She told me yesterday in church that we are third cousins once removed. I think it is really ironic that you were randomly talking to her uncle. I will have to tell her about that when I see her tomorrow. She is giving Sister Nelson and I haircuts. :) She is leaving for the Provo MTC in August I believe. She is serving her mission in CA somewhere.... San Fernando I think.

So many great things have happened this week! I told you about [Name withheld 1]. He is incredible! He agreed to prayerfully set his own baptismal date. He is doing great! I love being in a student ward because I get to teach people who I consider my friends about the Gospel. Not that I can't do that in a family ward. I definitely felt friendship with people in my last area it is just a good experience to teach people my own age.

Anyway, [Name withheld 1] is the President of the Undergraduate Philosophy Club here at OU. Last Tuesday he gave me, Sister Christensen, and Sister Nelson shirts from the club. Then we were officially sworn into the club. It was a bunch of fun!

Sunday was pretty eventful if I do say so myself. Oh where to begin... We were in relief society doing a little missionary moment before relief society. We challenged the sisters to share the Gospel with a friends. We asked if anybody had any missionary experiences last week. Nobody raised their hand. Then two of the girls said they had just had one in the foyer. They told us about how there was a guy sitting out in the foyer. They had come in late and started to talk to him. He told them he was just coming inside to get away from the heat. He has only been in Norman for a week. As we heard about this guy who is sitting out in the foyer Sister Nelson and I had a hard time finishing the missionary moment. We were anxious to go out an talk to him. It made everybody laugh.

Sister Lorielle Record and Carl Bowcut

We went out to talk to him. We learned his name is [Name withheld 3] and learned that he is looking for a job and a home. He told us he knew that God had led him here for a reason. We offered him the Heavenly Gift. As we were praying with him, I realized that I really can't judge this guy and his motives just because he is homeless. I also realized that here is this guy who is going through a rough time in his life and needs the message of the Gospel. I also felt the spirit remind me that he is my brother. After that we were able to talk to him a little bit more about the Gospel and give him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He was very gracious and kept telling us he would work for us or whoever he needed to in order to get food and a place to live. I was reminded of the story of the Prodigal son as we talked with [Name withheld 3]. Our ward mission leader walked out and started talking to him. He offered to give him dinner and invited him to the Utah Valley Children's Choir concert at the stake center. Our ward mission leader offered him a ride and ended up giving him a couple of his shirts he never wears. [Name withheld 3] ended up coming to the choir concert and really enjoyed it and even got a little teary eyed. The ward mission leader was able to set something up through the Bishop to get [Name withheld 3] a motel room for the night. He told our ward mission leader that he had started to read the Book of Mormon and as soon as he was settled in a room for the night we was going to keep reading it. :)

Jodi Wilson and Sister Record

As Sister Nelson and I were waiting for [Name withheld 3] and other members of the ward to get to the stake center I ran into Carl Bowcut! He took a picture of us together and emailed it to you dad. I figured I would see him there because I knew he was involved with the choir. Well I was shocked when I saw Jodi Wilson. I ran up to her and gave her a big hug...and I got a little teary eyed. She had completely forgotten that I was in Oklahoma. Oh it was so good to see Jodi! It made my day! I can't even tell you how happy I was to see Jodi there! She took a picture of us with her phone and posted it on Facebook. haha! Then I saw her daughter Riley who was in the choir. That was a lot of fun. :D I got to talk to her for a few minutes. I felt so much love from the two of them. It was such a tender mercy from the Lord to run into Jodi and Riley. Yesterday was a great day!

I love y'all! Thanks for all your prayers! "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16

Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Record

Picture Time: 2 July 2012

Sister Record with the crawfish... I should have given it a name.

Sister  Christensen being attacked by the crawfish

Sister Nelson with crawfish tails on her fingers

The Gossiping ladies...

Our Distict Leader, Elder Hansen is leaving for home on Wednesday,
hence a funeral picture.

Sister Nelson, Sister Christensen and Sister Record with Kedric.
Such a cool ward member! :D

Email: 2 July 2012

Squirrels

Hey everybody! I hope all is going great back in Utah. I'm sorry to hear about all the fires. That's not fun. I hope they can get everything under control. By the way... there are a zillion squirrels here in Norman (I am sending a picture). I have never seen so many squirrels in my entire life. We got transfer calls yesterday. (they weren't really calls... the Elders came over and told us and we ate cake.) Sister Nelson and I will be staying in Norman on OU campus and Sister Christensen will be leaving and we will not have a new sister come in. It's going to be strange to not be in a trio. I like being in a trio because you don't have to worry about finding another girl to come with you into a guy's home. This will make things interesting since 95% or our investigators are boys. All the guys in the ward tell us we have to find more girls to teach. haha!

I love serving in a student ward. I never want to serve anywhere other than a student ward! (we all know that isn't going to happen.... although, sisters have served in student wards for up to 9 months.) I love the people in the ward and teaching people my own age. It's so much fun!

We are teaching two people right now who are really progressing! It is amazing to see how the atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to change people's hearts. It is amazing! Yesterday one of the people we are teaching came to church. He is so great! Fast and testimony meeting was fantastic and pretty much all centered around Jesus Christ and the atonement. As a missionary you are always a little nervous on fast and testimony meeting that somebody will get up and start talking about something really off the wall. It was an answer to our prayers that people kept their testimonies focused on Jesus Christ and the Atonement. That is the center of this Gospel and this Church. Our investigator really enjoyed church and is excited to meet with us this week. We found out that his mom is actually a less active member but hasn't been in at least 25 years. I guess recently the missionaries got into contact with his mom and do a lot of service for her. His mom has been really receptive to the missionaries providing service. It was because of this that he was so interested in learning about the gospel.

Funny story! Sister Christensen got a package this week and in it is a toothbrush.... not just any toothbrush though. No, it is a Justin Beiber toothbrush that sings Justin Beiber songs. haha! It makes us laugh every time she brushes her teeth. :D

This week has been super warm. The highs have been in the low hundreds. Yesterday it was in the low 90's and it felt SOOOO good outside! It has been quite the week. We ran out of miles on our car this week so we did a lot of biking. Then on Thursday Sister Christensen's bike tire went flat. So we got a lot of rides from members and did some walking. No worries though... I have been drinking a lot of water so no worries. We laughed about how at the end of the day (or at lunch time) we would come into the apartment where it is 80 degrees inside and we feel like we have just walked into an ice box from the 100+ degree weather. :)

Picture #1

District meeting on Friday was fantastic! The pictures in this email go with what I'm talking about here. So doubt and fear are the opposite of faith. Doubt and fear CANNOT be inside us when we have faith. When we have faith we act. Faith ALWAYS leads to some kind of physical or mental action (see Bible Dictionary: faith). This action is made possible through the grace of Jesus Christ that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. (see Bible Dictionary: grace, Ether 12:12)

This faith in Christ brings us to act. The grace of Christ gives us the ability to do those good works which results in miracles. (see Picture #1) On the flip side as we are filled with fear and doubt we can't receive miracles. (see Picture #2 and Bible Dictionary: fear)

Picture #2

I love the doctrine of Christ! We all know what this is. It is the first principles of the Gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism (making and keeping covenants), The Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. It is through the Doctrine of Christ that we can change and become the men and women that God wants us to be. If you want something fantastic to study, study the Doctrine of Christ. We focus a lot on this in my mission. It has been amazing to learn more about it and how to apply it. I am starting the Book of Mormon again and marking all the references/applications of the Doctrine of Christ.

I love being a missionary! I know I say that every email, but it is the truth. I am so thankful I made the decision to serve a mission. My testimony is growing so much. I am learning more than I can even tell, but it's amazing. :) I love this church and the Gospel and I know it is true. I love to learn more about the Gospel and I love teaching it. I love that the Lord can take somebody as inadequate and imperfect as me and us to bring about His purposes. Its very humbling and a privilege to be a representative of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love you very much! I hope this week is a great week for everyone! Keep reading the Book of Mormon. It's the best book ever! :D

Love, Sister Record