So we have officially been sleeping outside every night for a week. The weather is great, and we are taking advantage of it! We've dragged our mattresses out onto our balcony and piled them up with blankets. We love hurrying to get ready for bed as quickly as possible and jumping into bed and telling "secrets" (one of Hermana Wilkins' favorite things) until bedtime.
We tried riding our bikes this week to save miles on our car, and to be able to talk to more people... not that we don't talk to people when we're driving... sometimes Hermana Wilkins just rolls down my window and makes me start talking. Last week at a red light I actually got out of the car and started talking to 2 guys that were in the back of the pick up truck in front of us. I didn't have much time before the light turned green, but I did invite them to the Easter Pageant in Mesa before they pulled away. They'll probably be baptized someday. ANYWAY... being a sister missionary is not conducive to riding a bike. There's just something about skirts, and bikes, and wind, and helmets, and backpacks that doesn't quite look right. I would not recommend it.
Earlier this week we stopped to help some guys that were removing a stump from their yard. We offered help, and as people usually do, they refused our service. We hung around for a little bit and chatted about the gospel and then when they finally got the (HUGE!) stump out of the hole we just grabbed the shovels and started filling it back in with dirt. They objected - it kind of goes against the whole Mexican machismo thing - but we did it anyway. I think they were pretty impressed that we were working so hard... and in skirts!
While we were talking to them, one of our investigators, Joel, showed up out of nowhere and joined in the conversation. He's quite the missionary, even though he has only been taking the lessons for about a month. He started making comparisons to the hole and the gospel, and talked about how if we're close to the edge (of sin/temptation) we can easily fall in, and how we need to stay away from it.
Anyway, I was thinking about that this week, and have also been reading in the missionary chapters of Alma. There was one verse that has been in my mind a lot - Alma 23:6. It talks about the people that Ammon and his brothers taught that changed their names to Anti-Nephi-Lehies and covenant by burying their weapons. I was struck by the strength of their conversion "as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away." I've been wondering what it was about them that caused them to NEVER fall away and what we can do to have the same strength and conviction in our own testimonies.
We tried riding our bikes this week to save miles on our car, and to be able to talk to more people... not that we don't talk to people when we're driving... sometimes Hermana Wilkins just rolls down my window and makes me start talking. Last week at a red light I actually got out of the car and started talking to 2 guys that were in the back of the pick up truck in front of us. I didn't have much time before the light turned green, but I did invite them to the Easter Pageant in Mesa before they pulled away. They'll probably be baptized someday. ANYWAY... being a sister missionary is not conducive to riding a bike. There's just something about skirts, and bikes, and wind, and helmets, and backpacks that doesn't quite look right. I would not recommend it.
Earlier this week we stopped to help some guys that were removing a stump from their yard. We offered help, and as people usually do, they refused our service. We hung around for a little bit and chatted about the gospel and then when they finally got the (HUGE!) stump out of the hole we just grabbed the shovels and started filling it back in with dirt. They objected - it kind of goes against the whole Mexican machismo thing - but we did it anyway. I think they were pretty impressed that we were working so hard... and in skirts!
While we were talking to them, one of our investigators, Joel, showed up out of nowhere and joined in the conversation. He's quite the missionary, even though he has only been taking the lessons for about a month. He started making comparisons to the hole and the gospel, and talked about how if we're close to the edge (of sin/temptation) we can easily fall in, and how we need to stay away from it.
Anyway, I was thinking about that this week, and have also been reading in the missionary chapters of Alma. There was one verse that has been in my mind a lot - Alma 23:6. It talks about the people that Ammon and his brothers taught that changed their names to Anti-Nephi-Lehies and covenant by burying their weapons. I was struck by the strength of their conversion "as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away." I've been wondering what it was about them that caused them to NEVER fall away and what we can do to have the same strength and conviction in our own testimonies.
Several other scriptures in the following chapters offered some examples of some of the things we can do: labor (Alma 24:18), show love (Alma 26:31), and most importantly daily prayer and scripture study (Alma 31:10). This last one is what the Zoramites lacked that caused them to "fall into great errors." These answers are basic and we hear the counsel all the time, but I know our prophet and leaders would not tell these things over and over again if they weren't important. I urge you to make a habit out of daily prayer and scripture study - I've seen the difference it's made in my life. Line upon line we build up that strong foundation that holds us up and prevents us from falling.
Because we are human, we are susceptible to temptation, and will eventually fall one way or another, but fortunately we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a safety net to catch us and lift us up again. If we are doing our best and making our every effort to strengthen ourselves and others we may slip every once in a while, but we will not be trapped in the pit that Satan has dug for us. Stay away from that hole, and you will not fall in. Do whatever it is that YOU need to do to have the same kind of conviction in your personal testimony as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had in theirs.
Much love,
Hermana Richelle Ouellette
Because we are human, we are susceptible to temptation, and will eventually fall one way or another, but fortunately we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a safety net to catch us and lift us up again. If we are doing our best and making our every effort to strengthen ourselves and others we may slip every once in a while, but we will not be trapped in the pit that Satan has dug for us. Stay away from that hole, and you will not fall in. Do whatever it is that YOU need to do to have the same kind of conviction in your personal testimony as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had in theirs.
Much love,
Hermana Richelle Ouellette
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