Mom I believe you told me that if I can make the congregation laugh and cry during my talk then I am a ROCK STAR! Challenge accepted....Challenge PASSED! :)
So.....I spoke in church yesterday. The spirit was so strong! There wasn't a dry eye in the room. So many people LOVED my talk...People even asked for a copy of it...It was awesome! A member from the high council pulled me aside after sacrament... as tears streamed down his face he said " I wish you were not a missionary...I just want to hug you! You are so amazing, I've known it since you stepped foot into this branch. You have a strong spirit about you...and you have the perfect sense of humor... NEVER FORGET THAT.."- Brother Josie.
I spoke on enduring to the end which seemed fitting to come at this time...this week has been really long and one of the hardest weeks thus far on my mission. I've learned so much this past week! I've learned how important it is to seek guidance from my Heavenly Father...I've learned how important it is to "endure"...every moment...good or bad...hard or easy...I've learned how important it is to LISTEN...and how strong I actually am...but most importantly I've learned that "people are placed in my life to teach me what to do and not what to do..." - Brother Belanger.
It's strange to think that we need people to teach us the don'ts...our church is built on the foundation of principles...to be honest, it has A LOT of rules and those rules have regulations and those have footnotes :) The "rules" are to make the choices easier, they say "hey dummy if you do this or don't do that...bad things are still probably going to happen but, maybe not as much, and if you obey, when they do, you'll be strong enough to endure." Seems easy....right?
I've also learned that sadly so many people live in the gray...the I believe, I go to church, I pay my tithing, I pray, I am the bomb at my calling so...WHAT if I break the word of wisdom once in a while...it's not a big deal if I miss church, we are having a "family day"...I only make fun of the super weird people...I don't curse around my children...the gray....this week I've learned that we too easily make excuses as to why we do or do not do things...and as long as we have set it right inside ourselves, mistakenly we believe that it is right with the Lord.
<Insert the people that teach us here> The people that build outer walls to their life mansions, with so much time spent on the designs for others to marvel at, such pains taken to layer the "perfect" thick enough for prying eyes not to see...those with columned, marble castles having put their all into what the world will envy and want...have neglected their being...they have left themselves, the them that IS them...empty of support and foundation...when the storms come...because they always come...there, enclosed in their creation, they will find themselves surrounded by nothing but the darkness of the gray...Those that teach us are such a blessing...there is no happiness in another's pain but, I am thankful for those who learn the lesson, feel the hurt, accept the loss and let me stand safely outside their walls...
If I can say anything to my family, my friends, to those I love...I say, live the Gospel! There is NO gray! You are either living it or you are not...do not excuse away your future, do not hide behind the appearance of a Christ filled life...the Lord knows the true and real us, be who would make our Father in Heaven proud! Live the Gospel, live it with all that you do, with all that you say, live it in each moment of every day in every aspect of your life.
Tell Marianne & Michelle I got their gifts.YAY! Thanks! Love them!
Tell Jane she's awesome, Thanks!
I am so blessed to have you all! Thank you so much for the love, the support and for not forgetting about me! I may be a "senior missionary" but, I still need the from home love - keep it coming!
XOXO
Sis Z
Great blog update!
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