Ahhhh this week… Wow, I am not sure how to express it fully.
I cannot express how amazing things have been with Sister Egbert! I have been dealing with some health difficulties --which I am working on figuring out-- and she has been so patient and loving. We have gotten along very well (per usual) and thoroughly enjoyed the work together.
Although health has not been ideal, we have been out, about, and doing the work! We hit the standards of excellence again this week and it feels so good. Numbers are not what matters, but we have to have clear and SPECIFIC goals (along with clear and specific plans) to be motivated and pushed by, in order to achieve. This is something that I have had difficulty learning, as I am WAYYY not about numbers -- as in, I want to teach and share with individuals meaningfully and personally, not robotically or to add a tally mark to the board. As a result of my strong feelings, I'd previously allowed myself to forget about the importance of setting those kinds of goals (WITH NUMBERS). The goal is to have a clear vision through our numerical goals / standards and to place REAL people behind those numbers -- to envision the wonderful souls that we may come across and have the opportunity to open the doors to a greater grasp of God's love to! Since my adjusting to and focusing on these kinds of goals, we have seen the fruit of our labors.
Sister Egbert and I have decided that our #1 focus is now to unify and support our ward. We have made it a point to do so before, but we are making it an even greater focus. Even in the short amount of time that we have begun to do so, we have seen miracles! Members have given us referrals, seemingly nonstop. We have also prayed fervently for our relationships with leadership to be mended (issues from past missionaries, unfortunately). I know as we work to unify with our ward and leaders and to strengthen each other, everything else will fall into place!
I was studying in the Book of Mormon this week and came across verse 13 in Mosiah 27:
"... the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people."
This only magnified my desire to unify and strengthen our ward! It is of the utmost importance that we are unified in uplifting and strengthening one another as followers of Christ. It is those that have come to know Christ and fallen away that will overthrow His church.
Stake Conference was this Sunday and boy oh boy was it incredible. One of the most impactful moments for my companion and I, was at the beginning of our stake president's address. He mentioned he'd had some important things on his mind lately, of which he wanted to share before he began his planned talk. He invited EVERYBODY to pray for and support the missionaries and he spoke well of our desires and hard work…He said "the missionaries can't do the Lord's work without the support of members and leadership!" His words were seriously an answer to our prayers and efforts -- both Sister Egbert and I were in tears. The air already feels clearer and our hope brighter (: We needed someone well known and respected to help us get members involved in the work -- there is NO WORK without you all!
This also stood out in my studies:
Mosiah 27:14 & 16
"And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith."
"... And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered… "
The Lord ALWAYS hears our prayers, He knows the desires of our hearts! If our desires are righteous, He will ALWAYS grant them (whether in this life or the next). He will not take away the agency of others though, as shown in the story of Alma the younger in the above verses. The Lord heard the prayers of His people and of Alma's father. He sent an angel for the purpose of answering their prayers but it was up to Alma in the end to CHOOSE to be the answer. Had he not chosen to repent and turn to the Lord, the people may never have known that the Lord answered their prayers -- because Alma would not have shown God's answer.
CHALLENGE:
Feed yourself and others spiritually. Ask yourselves: Am I truly converted to the Lord, and to the Lord only? Rather than other members of His church, the organization of the church, or otherwise?
REMEMBER: God hears our prayers, but He will not take away the agency of His children.
Don't be discouraged if you can't see God's answers right now. He may have already answered you, but the choices of others may hide it from your view.
On the flip side: Be the answer to the prayers of others! Act upon promptings, make the needed adjustments in your life to bring you closer to God's will and work for you.
Fun Moment:
For Valentine's Day weekend, Sister Egbert and I gave out flowers to people in our ward and later, to passers-by downtown. It was the most WONDERFUL thing! As missionaries, we have never been treated SO WELL by strangers. There were women AND men that came close to tears when we gave them a flower and wished them a happy Valentine's Day. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! We gave with no strings attached -- just for the sake of giving and to brighten their day -- and people were taken aback. Here's some examples of our encounters:
We met a sweet old man and his dog, Georgie, who we ran into again the entire evening. We held lots of cute and random conversations with him, heheh.
We met Ben, Jesse, and Shaun, along with a few others, who were delighted at our gift and proceeded to flirt with us until they asked our names… which right now, start with "Sister" heheh.
We came across many that were drunk and using who knows what else! They reacted very hilariously. One of them thanked us profusely and as we walked away, he swore and asked what the flower was called. We answered "Carnation!" and he said "Sweet! She'll love this!" As he hobbled across the street. Heheh.
I am going to have to continue doing little things like this throughout my mission and when I get home. We were on such a high after all of that!
So much love and gratitude for you all!
Sister Alger (:
This van reminds me of home!
Short Street (:
I
LOVE
YOU!!!!
Face prints in the snow
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