Tuesday 17 November 2015

If this email is too long, read the last paragraph

So. Yesterday was going to be a really good day. It was the Primary presentation, 3 or 4 of our investigators were going to come (including one, we'll call her Samantha, who has a baptismal date next month and hasn't been to church in forever and really needed to come), and we had been asked to teach the Relief Society lesson on missionary work. We were planning to bring a box of copies of the Book of Mormon for the sisters to write their testimonies in and give to their friends and everything. Then, as we were walking from our apartment to the bus station Sunday morning, we got a phone call from the elders. Guess what?

Church was canceled. 

How devastating!! There was a gas leak in the building, so we couldn't meet there. Sister Cunningham and I ended up going to another ward's meetings in the afternoon with a member from our ward and one investigator. It was still a good day, but not nearly as successful as we had hoped it would be. I am so sad!!! Mostly because of Samantha. It has been such a struggle to get her and her less-active husband to church - and they were finally coming! :( 

But, other than that, it's been a pretty good week. Transfers were this past Wednesday, and two other sisters moved in with us! One is a sister who entered the field with me, and the other was in my district in my last area. It's so fun! 

This week we also acquired a table, two chairs, hand-made soap that may or may not turn our skin pink, and chopsticks from Taiwan and Japan. We didn't buy (or steal) any of these things. People are just really cool.

Speaking of people, I can't remember if I've mentioned this, but I'm keeping a list of countries from which I've met people on my mission. This week, I added Chad (not sure on spelling of that) as country #57. 

One last thing: This morning I read a story that really inspired me. It was about a couple from Singapore who sacrificed and saved money to be able to go to the nearest temple to be sealed as a family and receive their temple blessings. That mother had gone without shampoo for 7 years as part of her sacrifice to save money to go. It got me thinking - how much am I willing to sacrifice to attend the temple, or sacrament meeting, or to read the scriptures? Over the centuries, many people have risked their comfort, health, safety, and lives in order to have these blessings which we sometimes take for granted. I know people who won't commit to going to church because getting up an hour early is too great a sacrifice for them. And that kind of makes me mad. After all that Heavenly Father has done for us, the least we can do is go a little bit out of our way to keep his commandments. Whether it be a 5-hour round trip to the temple, 10 minutes of missed sleep to study the scriptures, or popularity in order to comply with God's standards, it. is. SO. worth. it. Remember the Lord's promise: "Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me"(D&C 97:8).  I'm not saying that I'm perfect - I have a lot of work to do, too. But I encourage you to reflect on how merciful God has been to you, and how you can better show your appreciation to Him.

I love you all! :)

Sister Shaver

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