Monday, July 2, 2012

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

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing Sister Record's letters. They are always a boost for me!

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  2. You're welcome. It is so rewarding to serve a mission and experience the tremendous growth the Savior gives to us; it is even more rewarding to watch our children grow and share their testimonies of the restored Gospel as His authorized emissaries.

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