Whew! What a week, what a mission!
This week, we saw many miracles. Martina whose husband previously didn't let her come to church, came to church this Sunday! So did Nydia! She's an investigator, and she decided to come to church because her best friend, who's a less active member, decided to come with her daughter. And Yoni and Nanci, the Guatemalan bread-makers, who are so busy that we visit them as they make the bread, came to church with their daughter, Ashley! Those 5 investigators literally doubled the size of our little branch! It was a miracle.
The second miracle was that for the first time in a long time, there will be baptisms in this area! Last night, Jordan and Elizabeth, whose sister is a member, agreed to be baptized on April 28th of this year. It was so powerful, and we are happy for them! It was extra special for me because that date is also my parent's wedding anniversary.
I must say, this has been the best and also the most challenging 18 months of my life. As I end my service as a full-time testifying servant of Jesus Christ, I would like to share with you all what I've been sharing with everyone I meet for the past year and a half.
The first thing we share with our spiritual brothers and sisters is the solemn principle of their own Divine Identity. The core of our message is that God is our loving, personal Heavenly Father. It's the first thing we teach, even before we teach about the First Vision. It's incredible how many people don't understand that. Heavenly Father has prepared a plan of happiness for us, including happiness in this life and the next. This plan shows us how to align our lives with our Father in Heaven and live with Him forever.
In Sacrament meeting a few Sundays ago, the two speakers both spoke about the Light of Christ. They shared Elder Uchtdorf's talk about the animals who have an instinct for home. The Light of Christ means that people can distinguish between spiritual light and darkness - when they feel spiritual light, they feel hope. They see the light in our eyes and feel the light in our message. They're drawn to it, usually. :) Our message brings hope to people who are trapped through their mistakes. When people feel the light, they want to stop whatever they're doing to step towards it.
We teach them to have faith in Jesus Christ, and in His Atonement. We testify to them that because of His selflessness and obedience, He alone could be sinless so that the law of justice had no claim on Him. I am certain that even before this life, we knew and had faith in Him. He suffered for our sins so that we don’t have to suffer for the actual sin if we repent. He did this out of great love for us, and a desire to be obedient to His Father. Throughout my mission, as I have testified of Him, He has become real to me, for which I am very grateful.
One thing I've learned as I've striven to be exactly obedient is that we have to change our nature if we want to align our will with His. We have to not only stop sinning, we need to change our hearts so that we don't even want to do evil. Changing our hearts is often harder than stopping the sin - just like Elder Oaks said in his talk: "It's easier to clean the leaves than it is to strengthen your trunk." Some may say, "but I like my personality! I don't want to change!" Isn't eternal life and unimaginable progression worth changing your personality? I decided that, at least for me, it definitely was.
I've watched several people enter into the waters of baptism. Something I've noticed is that the Spirit one feels at a baptism is tantamount to the Spirit I personally feel when I partake of the Sacrament each week. When we are baptized, and each week as we partake of the Sacrament, we show Heavenly Father we really mean it - we really want to leave behind our sins. The mental, emotional, and spiritual preparation for the Sacrament needs to be more than a casual thought while we sing the Sacrament hymn. (Although I've been guilty of that.) It needs to be something we do every day as we review our day’s activities in our nightly prayer. We need to be thinking, "How would Heavenly Father have me improve this week?" not just, "How do I want to improve this week?" - although that's a good start. I have tried very hard to do this ever since the MTC, and I've tried to teach it to our investigators. This is the how we keep repentance on our minds all the time. It is not something to be dreaded but should be a thing of rejoicing. It brings great joy to the Savior when we take advantage of His supreme sacrifice, and accept His gift. (That's also why it's so crucial for them to come to CHURCH!! :)
The other day I was reading in Alma 5 and these questions seemed to speak right to me - How can we know if we are repenting? Does our countenance reflect Heavenly Father's? Can people see the change in our eyes? Do we pray when we don’t have to pray, when we don't feel like it? Do we have an inclination to be kinder to our companion? It's not a checklist; it's a change of heart. We maintain this remission of sins by serving others. Seriously, before the mission, I always underestimated the power of service.
I know with all my heart and soul that this Gospel is true. "Gospel" means good news - and isn't it wonderful news? This is eternal life.
I love you all sincerely. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Con todo mi corazon,
Hermana Smurthwaite
