Monday, July 22, 2013

Time flies by way too fast as a missionary sometimes. It seriously felt like it was just preparation day. But I'm not complaining at all :) I'm so glad to hear that Doodle got to ride a horse and Britt got jazz shoes for the organ. I actually own jazz shoes and they're probably in the closet but I don't think Britt and I have the same size feet unless she's grown a bit (granted that is probable). 
Okay, so one big thing about this week is that we had zone conference on Thursday. I LOVE zone conferences and I felt so inspired. The broadcast a few weeks ago inspired President Hall to do the conference on ways in which we as missionaries can better work with members. One of the many great things said was that we should give each of the members a "member missionary preparedness kit" -- a compilation of a Book of Mormon, a few pamphlets, and some pass along cards that every member in the valley can have just in case a missionary opportunity comes. Also, we are to work with the members more to give them uplifting 15 minute thoughts much more frequently and help them set missionary goals which could be anything from something as small as saying hello to someone you don't know at church to sharing a Book of Mormon et cetera. This will help all the members in whatever capacity they're capable of to share the gospel. We're super excited about that and I want to extend that to you, I would encourage you if you don't have some already to get a Book of Mormon that you could give away and some pass along cards just in case the opportunity presents itself so that you're prepared. 
But!! Cool miracle that came from the person we gave one of theses MMPKs to. We were visiting with a recent convert who we're trying to convince to come to the YSA branch and we had just finished up her lesson and gave her a kit and she was saying the closing prayer. Then in the middle of the prayer this guy was trying to get our attention, so we stopped the prayer and the guys asked us what it is that we are promoting, so Erika the member didn't even skip a beat and she gave him some of the pamphlets that we had just given her and a pass along card and she bore her testimony to him about how this is the truth and that she just recently got baptized. We then exchanged phone numbers. It was a HUGE miracle! I think it strengthened her so much to be able to be a missionary like that because she had been telling us how absolutely no one in her family was interested in the gospel at all when she brings it up. 
Another thing about the conference was when Sister Hall was giving a presentation and she made really cool connections with the atonement and taking care of ourselves etc from some like 55 page health manual that we'll evidently be getting in August or September. But she said that using resources that we have helps us rely on the Savior and his atonement who is the ultimate source of help for the demands and stresses we experience. Really, it is by small and simple things that the wise are confounded. So she gave us a list of small and simple things that we can do (our resources) to apply the atonement in that way and one that really stuck out to me was simply "remember what you have learned." That really stuck out to me and so I researched it a bit the next day and learned some things and set myself up a little memory plan. Here is some of what I learned: 
-first of all I think I figured out what remember even means. It is like re- piecing together a member, or a small piece of the whole. You are able to notice the piece and still have it stay vividly there even after you re-put or re-member all the pieces or members together. It is appreciating its correct place in the grand eternal picture. Through remembering you can appreciate the beauty (or ugliness) of the piece but also keep in mind that it isn't everything-- not even close to it! 
-I looked up a lot of scriptures from the topical guide about remembering and they are really good. But it really made me continue thinking about it like a jig-saw puzzle. I learned that you have to remember the ugly parts like the good so you don't continue in the same mistakes (Ezek 16:61- remember thy ways and be ashamed), not remembering is as important as remembering- there are parts you don't have to care about (jer 31:34- I will remember their sins no more), you have to remember parts of other's puzzles if you don't want them in yours (Luke 17:32- remember Lot's wife), We want to have a piece of our hearts to be incorporated and remembered in someone else's puzzle (2 Nephi 3:25- remember the words of thy dying father), it is our destiny to freely choose what our puzzle will become (Moses 3:17- choose for thyself... but remember that I forbid it). Those are just a few examples! 
-As humans we are inherently forgetful. This is in a way a good thing because we have a new shot daily (when we wake up), weekly (sacrament), yearly (new years goals), et cetera. But it is bad when we don't progress just because we forgot to make the change actually happen. 
- We have to remember unto action what we've already learned or it doesn't matter that we ever learned it in the first place. I've noticed that through my mission a lot of times it took something being mentioned several times at different comp studies, conferences, zone training meetings etc before I finally incorporated it into myself. But if we become better at remembering, then we are obviously learning and growing and changing faster to become the people God wants us to be. 
-So I set goals to spend a little bit of time daily remembering what I've learned by going through all my notes like from the MTC, conferences, study journals, et cetera. Then I'm going to set daily goals to help better incorporate that into my life. Then I'm weekly going to review the goals to decide which I want to keep or get rid of and then continue working on the ones I still don't have great. 
-We also have to remember that it is the atonement that makes it all work. Through the atonement we can forget/throw away pieces from the past yet our past is filled in and still complete by the atonement. It is the atonement that gives us strength beyond our own to continue making an ever more brilliant and stunning puzzle of our life with all the pieces. 
Sorry this letter is a little bit more random and different probably than normal but I hope you still enjoy it. If we could only just remember what we've already learned we would be epic. So I want to work on remembering better. 
I hope your week is fantastic and this summer is working out to be the best in the world! 
Tenga el espiritu consigo siempre! 
~Hermana Whetten