WEEK 13: Be of good cheer, remember that your future is as bright as you faith - Counsel with the Lord in ALL your DOINGS.

Another week down and I'm hitting 3 1/2 months on my mission. This email might be a little short but this week has been crazy!  Lots of good stuff happening.  Sister Snyder and i are busy every day and i'm exhausted every night, but that's good because working hard and being busy is the BEST!

When I first got here I was so worried about being in the country, stinky cows and bugs :)-I know I'm so silly.  It really is so beautiful here... I love the cows and I am always trying to touch random Farmers' cows on the side of the road...I'm WEIRD - they always run away from me.

Missions are nothing like you expect, mission prep class only touches the surface of what you do each day, what you teach, what you go through and experience so just do the best you can with your prep time-don't waste it, take it seriously...get a solid testimony and learn to work hard!  

I think sometimes we get caught up too much in the negative and the bad that we miss the good and don't recognize it every day. Something I've been studying a lot is Prayer, and importance of Sunday worship and keeping it holy. A scripture that I love about prayer is in Alma 37 v37, go take a look and let me know what you think!  "Counsel with the Lord in ALL your DOINGS".  As we council with the Lord and thank him everyday for the things, the people that he has put in our lives that day, we are able to recognize the miracle and what he is giving us.  At the end of the day we pray on our knees for what he gave us that day.  I find myself sometime repeating the same things in my prayers. Since I've been here in Missouri I have found my relationship growing with my Heavenly Father and things are more personal when I pray at night. I just love it! 

Sunday we had an amazing lesson given to us about Sunday and the Sacrament and I want to share something that has helped my heart heal. I have had a lot of people hurt me in my life and that has led to not trusting people.  As Sister Speaks gave her lesson she made an amazing point about the Sacrament and what Sunday is for. Yes Sunday is meant to be a day of rest, a day of HEALING and POWER.  As we let the Sunday heal us and we give everything to the Lord that has happened in 7 days.. from the last 7 days, so much power and healing of the heart can be done.  

Jesus Christ already atoned for our sins, sorrows, pains, heartache, sickness - everything. We really don't need to let what others have done carry on longer than 7 days.  Sometimes it does.  People have agency and we don't always understand why people do what they do. Take everything that has happened to you from Sunday to Sunday and pour it out during sacrament and the whole Sunday.  Let your day be of rest but don't forget that Sunday is a different day from the rest of the week.   It's a whole day we can feel the Power of Healing and Allow the Lord to Heal us to go on to the next week. I am so thankful for this lesson and I hope this all made sense. 

We have found a lot of new Investigators through fellow shipping and helping the less actives and matching them with families that are active.  Lots of fasting and praying for those we work with and the ward members who are helping us.  We have 5 Less actives families at church yesterday and that was amazing.  It's slowly happening and I'm excited to see what happens. 

The anti-things that people come up with are insane.  It's been so sad to see people fall away or see why people have left the church.  May we not judge and love those who are struggling. 

Also everyone go ready Spiritual Eclipse talk that was given in 2017 conference. AMAZING talk and it has been another thing i studied this week. 

I LOVE YOU ALL

Remember to love, serve, live your life and be you.