Waddup, y'all! It's Labor Day! We're actually supposed to be laboring today, but since Sister Jones and I are swamped with appointments tomorrow so we received permission from the APs to have P-Day today! Hooray!
Have I mentioned that holidays are just plain weird as a missionary? Nobody's home on the weekends. People go on vacation. Families are together. Yet, we missionaries are just here, still doing our thing, still teaching, still knocking on your door.
Oh, and, didn't a hurricane or something hit Florida? We never hear about these things. Pray for those in Florida. It sounded like it caused a lot of damage. If you can, go out and serve them. They need that service, too.
A lot has happened this week, and I just realized that now! Weird! We ate a lot of awkward sandwiches (meaning: awkward situations), drove a lot of miles, and went less-active hunting. There's a lot to do in Biloxi, which I am very grateful for.
I went on exchanges with the Orange Grove sisters this week! Sister Bennett kept Sister Jones company in Biloxi while I was whisked away to Orange Grove with Sister Conder! It's always fascinating to see the different areas; we aren't too far from Orange Grove at all, but the demographics, opportunities, and scenery are all drastically different. I always learn something new from the sisters, and so I'm grateful for their service, their selflessness, and their love for the work.
Amidst investigators trying to receive their confirmation that the Church is true, people not being home, and diving into family history, I've felt a little thrown about, if that makes sense.
Being a missionary has now just become a part of me. I'm settled into this lifestyle, and I can't imagine anything else. Mississippi has become a part of me, and I do love it -- wasps and banana spiders altogether. I'm ready for the magic of fall, the bone-chilling bite of a humid winter, and the promise of a new year.
In times and a world that's ever-changing, I'm grateful to be a part of a Church that does not change. Because we have a Heavenly Father who does not change. He has not changed how He feels about anything. He has the eternal perspective; we don't. He knows what's best for us, and what will better benefit us in the future, even if we don't get it at the time.
This week, I've been trying to see things from my Heavenly Father's perspective. When we are caught in the thick of trials, it's easy to be surrounded by the mist of darkness that Lehi describes in his vision of the Tree of Life (see 1 Nephi 8). It's hard to cling to the iron rod; it's hard to see the tree at the end of the path.
When trials bear down on our faith, it's easy to falter and doubt. Some people are very strong in their convictions about their doctrines; some people are very set in their ways; Satan knows just what to do to make you doubt. He knows you personally, and that's a scary thing.
As a missionary, we are called to make people feel greatly uncomfortable. The two topics usually shy away from are politics and religion. We don't talk about the former, but I'm supposed to automatically bring up the latter. I'm supposed to ask you about the questions embedded deep into your heart; I'm supposed to be upfront -- bold, but not overbearing. It's fun, but it makes people...angry.
And that's okay! I can see why people might be irritated with us. They say things, throw "doctrine" at us that's supposed to tear us down, but as I've listened, studied, prayed, and worked, I can tell you that everything has further fortified my testimony of the gospel.
As I read and question, I know that the doctrines taught in the restored Church are true. We have doctrines that were lost or misconstrued during years of spiritual doctrines, now back on the earth again -- the doctrine of the Plan of Salvation, for instance. And also, the true nature of God, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
I will testify to all of you that our Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bone. His body is completely separate from that of the Savior's. Their bodies are perfect, glorified, and holy. The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, otherwise, how else would we be able to feel the Spirit's impressions? Christ cannot dwell in us with a body, but He dwells in us through the Spirit. There lies the connection between the Three.
To know that my Heavenly Father has a body strengthens my need to take care of my own. This body is a gift, and without it, I cannot come back to my Heavenly Father. This body is the key; it is what gives us leverage against the adversary; it is what allows us to progress the way our Heavenly Father wants us to.
Christ had to obtain a body to accomplish the Atonement. Have you ever heard of Christ dying again, after His resurrection? What happened to His body after He ascended?
The eternities are not as mysterious as some think they are. I know what I'm supposed to do, and who I'm supposed to go back to. I do not believe that God is some weird, mysterious entity. After combing through the scriptures, I cannot believe that He and Jesus Christ are literally the same person. If I am to rely fully on the Atonement, I must know this doctrine. Christ is my Brother; my Savior; and He has a body, with imprints in His hands and feet where He thought of me, and you, and everyone in all of human history.
These doctrines are centered upon His sacrifice. Everything in the gospel is held together by the Atonement. I know that Christ is my Savior; I know that the doctrines we've learned from the Restoration of the Gospel are what He taught; they are what we need to know and do to achieve the greatest potential in the eternities.
Strengthen your testimony, brothers and sisters. Look for the influence of the Spirit. In Moroni's promise, we know that that is what confirms a witness of the truth.
If you have questions, ask them! Search for the answers. Pray. God has the answers.
Have a good week!
Godspeed!
Sincerely,
Sister Rose
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