Monday, June 11, 2012

6-11-12

Dearest Family,

Wow! What a week we have had! It really was great and ended so nicely with Javier´s baptism. It was really beautiful and the spirit was strong. I can´t get the pictures to load, but they turned out well. He is a cute little 10 year old boy who has just really changed a lot recently. His dad is a member, though less active, but we think that he will really start coming around now that Javier goes. So great! Javier´s mom also came to the baptism and really felt the Spirit. She recently started in an Evangelical church (I think that is what it is called in English... not sure) but she said that she felt much more peace in our church! She agreed to come to the confirmation this coming Sunday! Awesome!

The baptism was right after an awesome stake conference. Elder Chappe, an area 70 came as did President and Hermana Gulbrandsen. We really enjoyed the conference and learned a lot. Elder Chappe talked about how we can be active in the church and not active in the gospel. That was a really powerful thought. He said that it is even possible to fulfil your calling well, go every single Sunday, read your scriptures every day, pray many times a day, and STILL be inactive in the GOSPEL... He talked about it all depending on where our HEART is. Are we doing all these things just to do them? Are we going through the motions? Are we doing it to be seen? Or, are we truly anxiously engaged? Do we do it with a full heart? Do we do it because we love the Lord? What do we do when we are completely alone? Are we truly CONVERTED? Then he talked about three things that we all need to do as members to be truly converted:

1. Increase our personal understanding of the Godhead
2. Base ourselves on our covenants
3. Unite the gospel with The Church... LIVE IT!

What great things! This is truly how to experience and retain conversion. We have to really live the gospel. He asked us a bunch of really probing questions, and I know that I really need to repent... When is the last time we shared the gospel? When is the last time we invited someone to meet with the missionaries? When is the last time we actually GAVE someone a Book of Mormon? When is the last time we really studied the scriptures? When was the last time we visited someone who really needed it because we wanted to, not because we felt that it was part of our calling? I am blessed as a missionary to have the chance to do all these things... but where is my heart?? Also, before the mission, I must admit that I was not the best about ACTIVELY sharing the gospel. I was an "oh, they will see my example" kind of person. I invited to specific activities, but rarely did more. However, I know that we can. We are a missionary minded church! So, challenge to all!!! WHO will you share The Book of Mormon with THIS WEEK?? I want each of you to think about it, pray about it, and DO IT! I will be asking about how it went next week. I know that we all have someone who needs this great gift! Let´s all do it together!

As for the other points, I LOVE them! It really is so important to understand who we are and the relationship that we have with the Lord. We must truly know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is our Savior and elder brother. We must understand the role of the Holy Ghost. As for covenants, everything that we do ought to point us to the Temple. We need to remember that we have taken upon us the name of Christ and promised to follow Him. I know that doing this will guide us and keep us safe and protected. 

Well, the investigators are doing well, but we have really had a hard time with some recently... they just are not progressing. So, after a lot of prayer, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to drop most of them and find those who the Lord is preparing right now to accept this message and progress in the gospel. We are actually really excited and know that we will see a lot of success. We have set goals and formed plans in order to do it and we have a lot of faith. How exciting to be able to find the people that the Lord is preparing! We aren´t worried or down... it will be a challenge, but it will be really neat to see the miracles that the Lord is preparing so that His children can find the truth! 

Thank you all for your love and support! I seriously feel your prayers and couldn´t do this without you! Please pray that we can find the new investigators that will truly progress in the gospel and be baptized. 

I love this work! I love the Church and know that it is true! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and cares about us more than we can even understand. I know that He has a plan for the world, but also a very individual plan for each and every one of us. We don´t have to worry when hard times come, because this plan is so that we will come back to Him... everything that He gives us is to accomplish this magnificent goal!

I love you all so much!

Love,
Hermana Shelley

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