Mary Had a Little Lamb

[Mary had a little lamb. The lamb's name was Jesus. After realizing that, the nursery song has more meaning.] 

Hey Everyone! So Sister Smart and I just got transfer calls on Saturday. Both of us are leaving the area, and Williamsburg will be closed for sisters, along with two other areas. Sister Smart is going to be a Sister Training Leader in Newport News, and I am going to Virginia Beach. My new companion will be Sister Evans. Transfers are Wednesday, April 1st. 

Here are some great things about this week:

Last Monday I got a $100 dollar massage for free; that doesn't happen often! Missionary work has caused me to be super sore and I haven't had a massage for about three years. 

There was a miracle that happened last week. One of our appointments fell through and the member that came out with us said we could go and teach her dad. Her dad is a less-active member of the church. When we started to teach the law of tithing, we could tell he was against some of the things we were teaching him. Throughout the lesson, though, I saw his countenance change. I had the faith that this was going to happen, and it did. By the end of the lesson, the spirit was very strong, and he had more light in his eyes. He was more open to the message because the spirit had touched him. The lesson wasn't that long, and it is amazing how quick the spirit can testify of truth. 

Another Miracle - Cecil, one of our investigators, came to church this Sunday. The past two Sundays he didn't come, but when he came, his eyes were so full of light. It was remarkable. 

. . .

I got to watch the Womens' Conference on Saturday, and my eyes sure opened up to the value of women. Before the conference, I thought I knew my worth, but now I know that women are worth so much more than how the rest of the world sees us. We have a divine purpose and we play a big role in bringing to pass God's work (Moses 1:39). The family is very sacred, and families are under attack by Satan. 

I really liked when they said that all those who have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, have the ability to bare one another's burdens, and comfort those who are in need of comfort. I hadn't thought of it that way. Without the Holy Ghost, we couldn't really do much to help someone else. 

. . .

Earlier this morning I thought about the Atonement and what it would be like if I hadn't applied the Atonement into my life. Every one of us commits sin, whither we know it or not, and the only way we can become clean is through applying all of the gospel principles: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. The real trick is to access Christ's Atonement by repenting of our sins, applying His teachings into our lives, and act in accordance to His teachings. We become clean, and even, "born again". The Atonement is more than Jesus dying on the cross. He died for all of the sins we all were going to make. He died, so that we might live, and that we could be redeemed from the fall of Adam and Eve (We are all responsible for our own mistakes, of course). God wants us back into his presence, and He knew we were not going to be perfect. This is why he provided a Savior for the world, so that we can erase our mistakes, and try again. It is also so that we can be resurrected, just like Jesus Christ. We can also overcome physical and spiritual death, because our Savior was able to do that for us. Without this great act of love, all would be lost. There would be no life after physical death, and we would spiritually remain in a state of darkness. Because God loves us, we will not have to suffer that kind of loss. We are provided opportunities each day to become better, and to be forgiven of our wrongs. There isn't a sin or mistake too great that cannot be covered by the Atonement. We don't ever need to say 'all is lost,' or 'there isn't anything that can change this.' With God and Jesus Christ's help, they can change despair into hope; they can make lost things found. They can enlighten a being more than we can do ourselves, and we most certainly can repent of any sin that can be repented of. 

It isn't about the amount of times we have fallen, but about the times we have gotten up. 

It doesn't matter how long we have been on the trail; what matters is the destination we are heading. 

My companion had taught me something that I thought I knew, but she worded it perfectly about learning. I asked her about how she learned how to ride her bike without hanging onto the handle bars. By falling, that is how she learned how to balance. 

I also learned this week that it isn't a sin to be weak. We all have weaknesses. Even Jesus Christ, our Savior, had weaknesses - that is why he relied on God. It's not bad to have weaknesses, but what matters is what we do with our weaknesses. 

[See https://www.lds.org/liahona/2015/04/it-isnt-a-sin-to-be-weak?cid=HP_TH_3-26-2015_dPTH_fLHNA_xLIDyL2-2_&lang=eng ] 

Anyways - I just want you all to know that I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives, and  that he died for each of us so that we can be made whole. Easter is such a wonderful occasion to think about the resurrection of the Savior, and what He has done in each of our lives.  

I have found so much happiness in this work and I have truly felt Heavenly Father's love for each of you, for the people I am around, and the people I am serving. 

You all are blessings to me.

-Sister Marshall 

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Pedometer, Wheat, Pasteurized Milk, Forgiveness, Pride, Sarcasm

Hi, Everyone!

For me, this week was full of learning experiences. 

-Spirit 

Sister Smart and I have continued to teach Cecil. When we first showed up, he wasn't home. His brother told us he went for a walk again. When we found him, we walked back to his house, taking little steps at a time. We learned more about his childhood and his neighbors. 

By the time we went to his house, we taught him the 'Stop Smoking Program' and Sydney, was our member present (she bought the materials needed for the program). She has a strong testimony of the gospel and she, to me, is such a great returned missionary. After the lesson, We hoped he will be able to follow the 'Stop Smoking' steps in exactness. 

-Pedometer

I have a goal of hitting 10,000 steps a day. I have noticed that as I have done this, I have  felt that I have more energy the next day and I don't wake up as stiff. I have also lost some weight, which I feel is good. 

-Wheat

One of the members we had dinner with last Monday taught us something about wheat and commercialized yeast. She said that the reason there are a lot of people who have gluten or wheat intolerance is because of using  commercialized yeast, and bleached flour, over natural yeast and natural wheat. Natural yeast is made my making a Starter, which is just pure ground wheat and water. Overtime, after following the instructions to make a Starter, yeast will duplicate (there is natural yeast on pretty much everything - on grapes, on our bodies, in the air, for example). When we add the made starter into our bread batters, and after letting it sit for a certain amount of time, the natural yeast helps break down the gluten (neutralizing) in the wheat, making it easier for digestion. In the book she gave us, she told us that diabetics could actually eat naturally made loaves without having a sugar spike, and that those with gluten intolerances could eat the bread without any issue. I have this strong desire to make loaves like this, or even baked goods like this, when I have the time (maybe after my mission). There is a great LDS cookbook that has this information in it, and I think it would be great if I could purchase this book later on in the year. Commercialized yeast cannot break down the gluten. Also, when packaged wheat sits on the shelves in the grocery stores, they pretty much loose half of their nutritional value. 

 

-Pasteurized Milk

I have learned from that same member that pasteurized milk kills the good bacteria that helps us digest the milk. She has told me that drinking whole milk can be drank by those who have lactose intolerances because the good bacteria has the bacteria needed to break down the lactose. I had a concern about getting sick from drinking whole milk that has not been pasteurized and she said that her and her son have not had a cold since they started drinking whole milk. Neither one of them have gotten sick from the milk.  

-Forgiveness

In Sacrament meeting yesterday, the topic was on Forgiveness, and how we need to forgive others, and how forgiving others is a commandment from God. There were a lot of people who shared their testimonies of forgiveness in their talks and what joy they have felt as they have forgiven others. 

-Pride

What was taught in Relief Society was about Pride. The member used the talk 'Lord, is it I?' by Dieter F. Uchtdorf from the October 2014 conference.

+Not forgiving others is part of pride 

+ Having that desire to correct others all the time (for the wrong reason) is also part of pride 

+Bullying = Pride

+Looking at others' faults and becoming so absorbed in them while we have faults of our own that may be much worse = pride. 

There are so many great things that this member pointed out in the lesson that I cannot write because I do not have enough time to write them all. 

 

-Sarcasm 

We had a lesson with an investigator a few days ago and somehow we came onto the topic of sarcasm. I had two quotes on me about sarcasm  that meant a lot to me, that I felt inspired to share with her:

"Though often meant to be harmless, sarcasm denotes insensitivity to the feelings of others, stemming either from thoughtlessness or maliciousness. Recall the perverted brand of humor of the soldiers who mocked our Savior by putting a crown of thorns on his head, clothing him in a purple robe, and saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (John 19:2–3.) It is interesting to note that in prophesying of his death, the Lord included the mental torture of mocking with the physical tortures of scourging and crucifixion. (Mark 10:34.) How does a "humorous" remark designed to degrade or hurt another person differ from this? Remember, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matt. 25:40.)"

A Serious Look of Humor

By Peter B. Rawlins

August 1974

The Greek root for sarcasm is sarkazein and means "to tear flesh like dogs."1 One dictionary defines sarcasm as irony designed to "give pain."2 Sarcasm has many uses in our communication: it can convey aggression and insult,3 it can be used to dominate others,4 and it can communicate contempt and anger.5 Not all sarcasm is intentionally sinister, but it has a hypocritical edge because it requires us to say the opposite of what we mean. Some use it for humor, but it often damages our relationships because it leaves our friends and family doubting our sincerity and confused by what we say.

No Corrupt Communication

By Jennifer Grace Jones

Church Magazines 

August 2013

With these things said, I would invite each of you to pay attention to how often you use sarcasm. It is opposite of being sincere and genuine, and it indeed can be hurtful. The Savior would not use sarcasm. Think of ways you can eliminate sarcasm completely and recognize the blessings that you see that develop in your relationships with others. 

- - - 

More Missionary Work:

-We had one investigator come to church this week; 

-We had a member try to pick up Cecil but he did not come. 

-Another investigator did not come, even though she said she would visit our church on the 22nd of March

-Another family with our investigator did not show.

--My companion and I have been tracting a lot more since there is no snow on the ground. We have set up some appointments and we have extended a lot of invitations this week. Our mission President has set the goal that each companionship should strive for 100 IOs each week. 

We had some appointments fall through, and the people were not home. We have some appointments set  for this week, and I hope that most of them work out!

Anyways, this is all I can write for now. I love you all, and I am a day closer to seeing y'all again!

-Sister Marshall 

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A Mission Is Like A New Pair of Shoes

A mission is like a new pair of shoes. At first, the shoes are stiff, and they are not comfortable to walk in. As we continue to walk in the shoes in over a period of months, the shoes become more flexible, and our feet have molded into the shoe. The shoes are comfortable to wear. The shoes become ours, and are personalized to fit our nature. 

As of today, I am in my Eleventh month in my mission out of eighteen. I have completed 61% of my mission so far. I have 39% of my mission left to go. 

Part of the mission visited the [Rolley] Temple last Friday. We left the Williamsburg Chapel at 6:45 in the morning and we drove there with a willing member of our church (our President organized the rides for the whole mission). Missionaries who had not brought their temple clothes to the mission had to borrow from members, or they had to ask their family from home to mail them their clothing. I was grateful that I had already brought mine. 

Being in the Temple with the missionaries, as well as the mission President and his wife, has truly been the highlight of my mission thus far. The spirit was very strong, and having been able to see them all standing there in the last final bit as I entered the room was overwhelming. I felt like I had just entered into Heaven ( Later on, my companion joked with me, and said, "So this is what it feels like to die". I laughed at that one). In the Temple, I can say that I haven't felt such peace in a long time. 

I know how sacred the Temple is. One cannot understand the temple in its fullness by the first visit. It takes multiple times to go, since the understanding of the Temple is given by divine revelation from the Spirit. 

...

After the visit to the Temple, I have been able to see a lot of miracles happen in missionary work here.

There was one instance that happened a few days ago where my companion had this thought to go and bring a member with us to an upcoming appointment that day. We went over to her house, and we told her that the appointment was coming up within [the next thirty minutes]. At her place, was a woman named ['Shuh-ree'], and she had just moved into the apartment complex. We took that opportunity to invite her to check out the family history website and to come to church with us the following Sunday. After the visit with ['Shuh-ree'], the member came with us to the appointment. The woman who answered the door was not happy to see us, and told us she and her family were not interested in what we had to say. After the door was shut, the member, my companion and I went to visit one of the member's friends, and we were able to extend another invitation to her. I think it was about Family History, but I do not remember. My companion and I have definitely felt that God works in mysterious ways to accomplish His work. 

On Sunday, we had another appointment where we invited a member to come out with us for an appointment. When we got to the door, the woman who opened the door was not happy to see us, and told us her husband (the person who wanted to meet with us) was not home. After the door shut, we took the member with us to go tracting, and we did that for over thirty minutes. We went door to door and extended many invitations. During the process, the member had a lot of opportunities to share her testimony about the gospel, which she fearlessly did. I was very impressed  by how comfortable she was in sharing her testimony. I want to try and be more like this member, by not being fearless.  

... 

We had a great Zone Conference after the Temple with President Baker. A lot of great things were said and I am so grateful to have been apart of this conference.  

. . .

Also: Our Week with our Investigators:

Riley's baptism has been moved to April 11th instead of March 21st, since Riley would like to be baptized by his grandfather. The family will have to wait until his grandfather flies in. With that being said, Riley will be baptized in the next coming transfer, and I do not know if I will be staying in this area any longer; neither does Sister Smart. We hope that we can visit and be there when he gets baptized. We are both very excited for Riley!

Beth is still shooting for June 25th to be baptized.

We haven't been able to teach Cecil this week. The last time we tried to see him, he wasn't there and he was on a long walk. We tried to see him the next hour, and he still wasn't back. We are thinking that his baptismal date will be pushed possibly until next month.

. . .

Anyways, this is all I can say for now. 

I love y'all!

-Sister Marshall 

 

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Quick Overview of my Week

Quick Overview of my Week:

- A lot of members forgot or cancelled our dinner appointments this week

- I had a good exchange with the sister Training leaders

- Magnesium Citrate for Multiple Days 

- I feel like I have been trying my best to work hard and to help people come closer to Jesus Christ 

- After a week of not being able to take the sacrament due to bad weather, I feel spiritually renewed, and I feel like I am able to withstand the week.

-Temple trip on the 13th with the whole mission! 

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Virginia Snow

This week had its ups and downs. I cannot believe how fast time is flying!

Monday: I received a package from my grandpa. My companion really liked the gifts! 

We also had a surprise visit from Sisters Griffin and Harrison. It is hard to believe they are companions right now! I was with them both in the MTC and we all flew on the plane together. Our apartment bought pizza and we all ate lunch together. We took some pictures.

Tuesday: We had Restore. We priced paintbrushes for most of the time. 

Thursday: Snowed in! We were home-bound by our Mission President because of how unsafe the  roads were for us to drive on. I was a little devastated, but, it was Weekly Planning and so we were going to be inside most of the days, anyways. 

Friday: Beth invited us over to her friend's house to make home-made pasta. It was a lot of fun; Sister Smart and I had to go after an hour and they both had to finish the pasta for us. 

Later that day, we went tracting around our dinner appointment's apartment complex, and we scheduled an appointment with a woman who was baptist. 

We had dinner with a member; she made a lot of food for us and we got to take some food home. The spirit was present in her home. I appreciate all the work she does for us, and for the time she has spent to prepare that great meal. 

. . .

I continue to make home-made tortillas and I have found out that I can make one in the microwave in 2 minutes. I have also loved to make breakfast tacos, and they are a great asset to my morning <3 

- In Romans 8:16-17 it talks about how we are all God's children, and we are heirs of God. 

-I have learned even more how the spirit is able to work through me as I teach the Book of Mormon using the pictures found in the book. 

This is all I can say for now!

-Sister Marshall 

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