[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.
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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