7-30-2012

Our friend Lorena

 Keyra

Lucas

Hermanas!

Wearing scarfs with Jorge

Mis Queridos-

First of all, a big FELICIDADES to mi hermana Missy and her family and their new little baby Benson! Looks like the whole world is just popping out babies these days!! Haha. I´m glad all went well and am excited to meet him when I come home! :)

Well, it was a good week! We have found a few new people to teach and we have a few others that are progressing pretty well. Our investigator Nieve should be getting baptized this week.  We have been working with her for awhile and she never reached any of her baptism dates because she didn´t feel ready and has been very up and down... not doing much of her part to prepare herself.  But the other day we asked her to pray about it and really pay attention to see if it was right or not, and the next day she made the decision and told us she would like to be baptized the 4th--this Saturday.  It was really special, because it was her decision and she put the date and everything, so we are hoping all will go through even though she didn´t come to church yesterday because of the rain/mud.  

This week we were teaching a lady named Rosana who is really interested in learning and studies everything that we leave her, but she has a really hard time paying attention to how she feels.  She wants to know more of the facts but is scared of having to change, so she´s scared to really pray and ask God if it´s right because she doesn´t really want to know.  I shared my testimony with her about how when we put our trust in God, he helps us find his path and do what he wants us to do.  It may not be what we want to do, it may not be our plan, but we need to trust in Him and recognize that even if we don´t realize it, His plan is always better than our plan and will be make us a lot happier than our plan will.  As I was listening to the words coming out of my mouth, I realized that I really needed to take my own advice and apply this to my own life.  I have been thinking a lot about the importance of sacrifice, humility, and faith.  I want to share a little bit about what I learned about that this week.

In True to the Faith it explains sacrifice as ´giving up something that we value for something that has more value´.  Sometimes when I think about sacrifice I just think about giving up something important to me.  But I didn´t realize that we actually give up something for something even better.  A lot of times it is hard for us to sacrifice because we don´t see what we are getting in return for giving up something, because the thing we receive in return is usually something of much more value, but much more long term and something we may not realize in the moment.

I was thinking about the movie Knight and Day... hahah, when Tom Cruise says ´are you with me, or without me?´ and with his hands he knows that ´with me´ is high and ´without me´ is low.  I was thinking about that´s kind of what Heavenly Father does with us, haha.  We have two options... we can choose to do things our way, or His way.  With our way we are going to be happy, we are going to progress, and it´s going to be easy.  His way is harder, but much more worth it... because we are not only going to be happy now, but we are going to receive happiness eternally and a much deeper happiness, we are going to reach our potential and become much more than we could on our own, and we are going to really actually learn and grow... because we had to sacrifice to get there and we had to struggle.  

I decided to make a list about the things I was sacrificing by serving a mission and the things that I gain by serving a mission.  At first I thought I would have a big long list for sacrifices and only a few things on the ´gaining´ side, but that they would be of more value.  I was shocked once I started writing.... this was my list:

SACRIFICING

• time
• energy
• not being able to study/go to school
• not being able to work
• freedom
• money
• friendships/relationships
• hobbies/passions
• health/cleanliness (don´t forget... I´m in the poorest part of Argentina, haha)
• comfort of my own country/culture
• missing big events of family and friends
• the passing away of/funeral of my Grandma
• new nephews being born
• missing weddings (including my best friend´s :( :( :( )
• family get togethers, etc.

I tried but I couldn´t think of any more.  This was my other part of the list...

GAINING

• stronger testimony
• knowledge
• strength/power (for life and eternity)
• patience
• love/charity
• learning to work hard
• blessing for my family
• new skills
• language
• more outgoing
• more courageous/fearless
• able to handle a lot more/more tough
• more friendships/relationships
• more hobbies/interests
• life-changing experiences
• greater relationship with my Father in Heaven and with Christ
• more of a commitment to the gospel
• everlasting happiness
• souls that are saved
• other people that are helped when needed
• inspiration/greater portion of the spirit
• more freedom
• more of a focus on the family
• an eternal perspective
• more of an understanding of the atonement
• teaching skills
• self-control
• example for my future family
• learning about a new culture
• living in a different country
• more people that have the gospel (including the generations of my converts, etc.)

And the list goes on........ looks like I got the better part of the bargain, right?? And what is also funny is the almost all of the sacrifices are things that I´m only sacrificing for a time... things that I had before and that I will have after, and the things that I am gaining are things that are everlasting.  I am realizing more and more that the more humble we are, the more we put our trust in God and not in ourselves, and the more we submit ourselves to Him, the happier we are.  The more we gain.  The more blessings we receive.  By ourselves, we are able to be great people, live great lives, and be happy.  With Him, we are able to be gods, live greatly for eternities, and have the deepest most everlasting joy possible.  Not just by having the gospel, or accepting it, or living it... but by sacrificing, by REALLY giving up ourselves to Him, and following His way.  Doing what He asks.  Really listening intently for the spirit and following what it says.  Obeying all of His commandments.  Not believing what we want to believe, but believing what´s true.  Not making excuses, but finding ways to do everything we should do.  We are just not giving up ourselves and losing ourselves... but by giving up ourselves WE actually gain so much more, as well as everyone else because by giving ourselves we are serving others and also enriching their lives.  What a beautiful God we have!

Well.... hope that wasn´t too long, haha.  Just a little thought for the week since I haven´t written any in awhile :).  Hope all is well!  Time is moving quickly and I am learning so much everyday... pushing through the struggles and relying on my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ to help me, and loving my mission.  Thanks so much everyone for your support and love!

--Hermana Hunt