Here I am! Finally getting to email... Monday was a holiday so the library wasn't open and yesterday we had district meeting so we weren't able to get to the library. The life of a missionary. Never a dull moment. We helped with two funeral luncheons this weekend, our car got grounded so we couldn't go anywhere for a couple of hours, we shoveled sidewalks like crazy on Saturday just to get snow as we walked back to our car.. It's a good life Hazel Grace.
Do you want to know something I realized today and this week? When we are doing the Lord's work and will, we are so much more worthy of the attention of the adversary. That is why when we are going to church, reading the scriptures, following the commandments, etc. we are bombarded with the worst trials. So is the case with Matt and Chrissy. Chrissy is so strong. She believes everything we have taught her. It makes sense. Matt on the other hand is tough. He doesn't have much of a religious background. We are building him up from the fundamentals. It seems that everything was going fine when we first met them. They were seeing the blessings from God because they wanted to be closer to him, but about a week after we met them, they started experiencing the worst trials. Serious things with their family! It's been hard to catch them and have solid appointments. Sometimes I feel it is not worth the time, but then I remember it isn't my time to spend on them. It is the Lord's time. If he wants us to stop by their house every day to try to see them, we will. It is so critical that we remember this life is about preparing to meet God and this mission is about helping others prepare to meet God. Alma 34:32-34 says it perfectly. We cannot waste a single minute on something other than our Faith in Christ. When we do get distracted, we need to focus ourselves on that spirit which leads us to do good things, instead of bad.
Another gem I learned from this week is from Mosiah 20. This is where the Lamanite daughters are kidnapped by the priests in the wilderness and the Lamanite King takes his people to battle against the people of Limhi. After the fighting, they capture the king and take him to Limhi. He explains why he was fighting against them.. "I have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore, in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people." Limhi puts out a search among the people, but is stopped because someone explains that perhaps the priests in the wilderness had kidnapped them. They have that "Ah-hah" moment and change their plans to find them instead. The reason this story stuck out to me so much is because the king of the Lamanites was so quick to anger. He jumped to conclusions before thinking of all the possibilities, actions, and consequences. In Proverbs 16:32, it told "he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty". We are empowered when we slow down to think before attaching feelings to something. It is a practice of our own self-control. We are happier and, like in the story from Mosiah 20, we can avoid much heart ache and agony if we are slow to anger.
Anyway! That is my advice for the week! (: I've had a lot of humbling experiences to bring me back to what truly matters in this life and in my mission. Take a minute to think about the good things in life. Even when everything seems bad, there is always some silver lining waiting for you to see it! CHOOSE HAPPINESS.
Love,
Sister Mondragon <3
Photos:
Gave my first hair cuts, not too shabby.
Guys... I have a problem... Babies. Babies everywhere.
Do you want to know something I realized today and this week? When we are doing the Lord's work and will, we are so much more worthy of the attention of the adversary. That is why when we are going to church, reading the scriptures, following the commandments, etc. we are bombarded with the worst trials. So is the case with Matt and Chrissy. Chrissy is so strong. She believes everything we have taught her. It makes sense. Matt on the other hand is tough. He doesn't have much of a religious background. We are building him up from the fundamentals. It seems that everything was going fine when we first met them. They were seeing the blessings from God because they wanted to be closer to him, but about a week after we met them, they started experiencing the worst trials. Serious things with their family! It's been hard to catch them and have solid appointments. Sometimes I feel it is not worth the time, but then I remember it isn't my time to spend on them. It is the Lord's time. If he wants us to stop by their house every day to try to see them, we will. It is so critical that we remember this life is about preparing to meet God and this mission is about helping others prepare to meet God. Alma 34:32-34 says it perfectly. We cannot waste a single minute on something other than our Faith in Christ. When we do get distracted, we need to focus ourselves on that spirit which leads us to do good things, instead of bad.
Another gem I learned from this week is from Mosiah 20. This is where the Lamanite daughters are kidnapped by the priests in the wilderness and the Lamanite King takes his people to battle against the people of Limhi. After the fighting, they capture the king and take him to Limhi. He explains why he was fighting against them.. "I have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore, in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people." Limhi puts out a search among the people, but is stopped because someone explains that perhaps the priests in the wilderness had kidnapped them. They have that "Ah-hah" moment and change their plans to find them instead. The reason this story stuck out to me so much is because the king of the Lamanites was so quick to anger. He jumped to conclusions before thinking of all the possibilities, actions, and consequences. In Proverbs 16:32, it told "he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty". We are empowered when we slow down to think before attaching feelings to something. It is a practice of our own self-control. We are happier and, like in the story from Mosiah 20, we can avoid much heart ache and agony if we are slow to anger.
Anyway! That is my advice for the week! (: I've had a lot of humbling experiences to bring me back to what truly matters in this life and in my mission. Take a minute to think about the good things in life. Even when everything seems bad, there is always some silver lining waiting for you to see it! CHOOSE HAPPINESS.
Love,
Sister Mondragon <3
Photos:
Gave my first hair cuts, not too shabby.
Guys... I have a problem... Babies. Babies everywhere.