Life of a Sister Missionary: November 30, 2015

As you all know, last week was really hard for me and while being here I have realized plenty of places where I have seen many weakness. I thought that I knew the Savior before I came on my mission but this week I have learned what it means to truly rely on Him. I rely on Him every single day and I have come closer to Him than I ever have before and I know that I will only continue to draw closer to Him and to learn more of Him each day. During part of my personal study I have been reading "Our Search for Happiness" by Elder Ballard and I have learned a great deal from reading his experiences and how he explains the gospel in such straightforward terms. One thing that has stood out to me this week and has helped strengthen me is when he wrote about how much our Heavenly Father loves us. I know this and even though this sentence is so simple, it means so much to me. As I study the Plan of Salvation and teach it to our investigators, it didn't hit me until today how perfect this plan really is. This plan shows us how much our Heavenly Father loves us. This plan is all about us coming to Earth so that we will be able to receive a body and to learn of the 5 pieces which this gospel entails: Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End, after this we are able to return home to our Heavenly Father and live with him once more. He has provided the way for us and has told us what we need to do in order to live with him again. Not only to live with Him again but also our families. Our Heavenly Father wants the same from us, we are his children and he wants us to return to live with him too. Sometimes I don't think we realize that He is our literal Father and that we have inherited some of his divine attributes, it is for this very reason that we are able to become like Him. We have the potential to be like our Father in Heaven, how amazing this is and this is all possible through the atonement. Jesus Christs Earthly Ministry was to teach his gospel and to do the Atonement. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew that as humans we would fall short and that when- not if- we made mistakes that we would need to be forgiven. Because we have such a loving Heavenly Father, he provided us with a way to be forgiven and because our Savior loves us just as much, he was willing to be the way in which the Father was able to fulfill his plan. We are asked to follow our Savior and his example. We are asked to be perfect even as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect, but even though we are asked this, our Heavenly Father knows that we are not perfect. He only asks us that we try our very best each day and to be better tomorrow then we were yesterday.

I am on a mission to serve others and to bring them the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that even though I don't know everything, I know enough. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and I know that through the Atonement I will be able to do all that the Father has asked of me. For like the Savior I will say, Not my will be done, but thine. I am so grateful for this gospel and even though I fall short sometimes and have my weaknesses, I know that my Heavenly Father will take me where I am and mold me into the person that he needs me to be. He will make me stronger for "when I am weak therefore I am strong" He makes weak things become strong and I will strive to be as Nephi and say, I know that whatever the Lord has commanded of me, I will be able to do. For the Lord has performed many miracles so if he has commanded me to build a ship, I will build a ship. (This is like 1 Nephi 17). I know that the Lord continues to perform miracles even now for he has not forgotten us. If he was willing to perform miracles for the children of men before, why can he not do the same for us?

My purpose for why I am serving a mission is what keeps me going. I am here to share this gospel so that those I share it with will be able to partake of the promised blessings that are in store for us. I have left my home for a short period of time so that other families may be with their family for forever. This is why I am serving. I know this gospel is true with all my heart and I have learned so much since I have been here.