50 Mormon.org Cards Every Day! Exercise Faith and Mosiah 4

HELLO MY WONDERFUL FAMILY!!!!

 

Well...I just typed a whole letter to you guys and then the computer crashed....so I am going to do it again and hope that it is as good as the last one. 

 

I am so bummed that the Broncos lost the super bowl.  I have been talking a ton of crap here for the longest time and I don't think that I am ever going to live it down.  I guess I should have learned my lesson a long time ago...but I do learn from the best...thanks dad!! 

 

Jake!!!  You turn old this week!!  And by old, I mean 19. I hope that you have a great birthday and that you do something fun like eat way too much ice cream at Angies or something.

 

This week has been crazy.  Sister Brophy and I are extremely tired but it was all worth it!!   I can't remember how much I told you about our goals for this last week.  But we set a goal to get out 50 mormon. org cards in the hands of other people every single day this week.  At first, we thought that it would be a relatively easy goal to achieve, but after our first day, we realized that we were in for a very long week.  We had to contact around 80-100 people a day to be able to hit our goal because as soon as you start talking to people they give you the card back.  It was so way not cool and it was really frustrating because we were not seeing very much success at all for a very long time.  Until about Thursday. On Thursday, we ran into a man named Sam.  He is super cool and we set an appointment with him on the next day.  We got a joint teach. Had a lesson and he now is preparing to be baptized in March!!!  That was a huge miracle for us this week!!  We also found a very wonderful jovo girl named Petra.  She is super smart, super cool and super curious to find out more about what we believe in and about the church.  She really wants to see if this could be something for her.  In the last few days we have been able to set a lot of appointments and get things set up pretty amazingly here in Apeldoorn. 

 

I learned a lot about faith this week.  I think that for a very long time I have had a inaccurate definition of faith and how we can use it is our lives.  I have learned a lot about how faith needs to be centered in our Savior Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.  I think that I used to define faith as getting out there and doing the work because that is what has been asked of us.  So I have been doing that my entire mission.  The problem is, is that I don't do things perfectly.  I get really down on myself too when I don't do things well.  I beat myself up because I am not doing the work that is expected of me as a missionary.  I saw that a lot this week as we tried to get talking to people.  I think it was about Wednesday that I saw that I was looking at things in the wrong way.  And we saw a very distinct change in our success, at least I did.  I had been contacting people and contacting people but was super angry and frustrated by the end of the day because I was unable to make any appointments with the people that I had talked to.  That really got to me.  And I started to think about it.  I realized that I was only using a portion of faith and that my definition needed to change.  I needed to have trust in my Savior and let Him help me and my efforts.  i realized that faith is getting out there, doing the work, but then asking the Savior for His help when you come too short.  That happens everyday.  I got down on my knees and really had a long conversation with my Heavenly Father.  I let Him know the efforts that we were putting into the work and that I realized that I could not do it without the Savior.  I do not have the ability to do things perfectly and that I need to accept Him in my life and ask for His help.  I was reading in Mosiah 4 this week with the mission book of mormon challenge.  And it really hit me.  King Benjamin talks about how we are less than the dust of the earth.  I think I am beginning to understand what that means.  I felt it in the first half of my week.  I was getting out there, doing the work, but nothing was coming of it.  I was not worth anything.  I am not worth anything without the atonement of Christ.  As I decided to apply the atonement in my life, at that moment my work and life became of worth.  It was exciting and I have been happier the second half of this week that I have for a very long time.  I learned that in order to exercise faith we need to:

1. get out there and work

2. realize that what we do is not perfect

3. Ask heavenly father for help and for forgiveness for our shortcomings and for help to overcome them

4. trust in the savior that he will make up for everything that we were not able to do. 

 

I challenge you all to read Mosiah 4.  And then to really reflect this week on your life. Are you satisfied with the work that you do everyday?  Is it what the Lord expects from you?   Do you realize that what you are doing is not perfect and that you need the help of the Savior?  Do you understand what it means to apply the atonement in your life?  Are you happy and feel successful?  If not, ask yourself why.  Ask yourself how you can become better, how you can apply the atonement in your life and how you can trust in the savior.

 

Why should you do that?  Because that is what brings happiness.  That is what helps us to progress.  As we realize that we need His help, we become more humble and willing and able to learn.  We also gain joy.

 

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!!

 

Rachel, have fun at Allstate.  Make sure and get a cd so that I can listen to it someday!! 

 

Keep on smiling and having fun!!

 

Ik hou van jullie!!!

 

Liefs,

Zuster Israelsen