Mississippi Jackson: Conference Greetings!

Missionary Lingo:

Prophets: men holding the authority of God, called of God to receive revelation for the world (for example: Moses, Noah, and Abraham)

Priesthood: the power of God; the power and authority to give blessings, heal the sick, cast out demons, and baptize.

Dispensation: periods of time when God has called a prophet

Good morrow, brothers and sisters!

April is one of my favorite times. The sun is shining in Mississippi, the fire ants are in full fighting force, and the world is covered in a thin layer of yellow pollen. I love it! It's exhilarating!

Sister Barney and I have been having a grand time lately. She and I take many photos, and we are constantly talking. She's becoming such a great friend! She's a fantastic teacher, who has so much experience and knowledge of the gospel. She invites the Spirit in every lesson, and I so sincerely love that about her. We've been teaching and working, discovering new ways to teach, and growing closer as time goes on and the transfer comes to a close.

That's right! We're at the end of the seven-week transfer! Next Tuesday will be T-Day, so if I somehow get moved from Purvis, y'all will know!

(Also, here's a shout out to my mom's boss, Gillian! Love ya! Thank you for all the support! My mom will miss you, I know!)

Sometimes I think I know almost everything about the gospel, and then the Spirit comes to me and gently whacks me upside the head and hands me a question that troubles my soul. Questions are a marvelous thing. Our Heavenly Father never discourages us from asking questions. He wants us to study the gospel, to know it, to question it, so that we can come to a better, fuller understanding of the plan He has for us.

This weekend, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held General Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. At General Conference, the world has the opportunity to hear messages spoken from the mouths of inspired men and women called of God, and they even get to hear from our modern-day prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, who holds the same Priesthood keys as the prophets of old. I am grateful to live in the last dispensation. I read in a BYU speech the other day that those of us living in the last days are God's most powerful runners; we are here, chosen to come to the earth at this time because we are His strongest children. We are here to run the race and win for Him.

At General Conference, we have the opportunity to receive revelation for ourselves through the Holy Ghost. Isn't that exciting?! I always like to come to Conference with an arsenal of questions that I have prayed about, so that I know that these are the questions God has prepared for me. At the October 2014 General Conference, I had the question in mind, "Should I serve a mission?" That question was answered multiple times within the first session, and now here I am, testifying that God does answer our questions, and that those answers are for our benefit.

The questions I asked at this Conference were not exactly as life-changing as that one. They were more personal, full of worry of a little kid going to ask her dad a question and being concerned for the answer.

Since serving in Mississippi, I have been taught of my Heavenly Father's love multiple times. As I sat through hours and hours of talks and music, I felt an increasing love in my chest for my Father in Heaven, and then an even more overwhelming feeling that I have a Savior who loves me and wants me to do my best.

I think we sometimes forget that all God asks of us is to do our best. He honestly just asks us to do good, nothing spectacular. To help us do good, He's given us Jesus Christ, whom I mention in almost every letter home. I want to stress the importance of Christ, brothers and sisters. He is my Savior, my Lord, my Redeemer. He is the light at the end of our darkest tunnels; He is the warmth we yearn for; He is the pathway back home.

Heavenly Father wants us to come home. If there's one thing I learned from General Conference, it's that God has provided us with everything that we need to return back to Him. We have prophets, apostles, restored Priesthood keys, scriptures, temples, and a Savior who gave His life for us.

I can't really explain more than that. All I've felt that I should share with you is that Jesus Christ loves you. He has literally engraven you upon His palms. When He sees His scars, He sees you. He feels you. He feels the hurt, the anguish, the turmoil you feel. He knows it. He's been there. Multiple times have I had to remind myself that Jesus Christ is right beside me. When my chest tightens, when it's hard to breathe and the world's noise suffocates my ability to feel love and comfort, the memory of the Atonement comes to me.

You can study the Atonement as much as you want, but you can't know if its fullness unless you use it. Christ did not die so that you could ignore what He did. He died to fix you. He died so that when you break into a thousand pieces, He would be there to slice Himself on your pieces as you put yourself back together again.

This e-mail may be short, only because I think all I can ask of you this week is to utilize the Atonement. Let the Lord encompass you in His winds, and let Him carry you home.

Let Him love you, brothers and sisters. He is there for you.

He loves you.

And I do, too.

Godspeed.

Sincerely,

Sister Rose