Love is such a happy thing.
I've learned a lot about love on my mission. About real love.
The kind of love that heals hearts and families and broken spirits. The
kind of love Christ has for every one of us. He is the ultimate healer and
showed us the ultimate expression of love. That is real
love. True, genuine, unconditional, selfless love.
I never really understood that kind of love until I became a missionary, I
still don't always. Its not always easy to love your companion, or your
investigators, or the people that slam the door in your face, but as you learn
to see others in their best light it slowly but surely changes how you love
others. A quote that I love from Jeffery R. Holland says, "Assume
the good and doubt the bad."
What if we all truly applied that?
Every negative thought or rumor about someone, you just doubted it.
And every good thing, quality, action, you just assumed it?
I think that would be such a happy way to live.
What if we all truly applied that?
Every negative thought or rumor about someone, you just doubted it.
And every good thing, quality, action, you just assumed it?
I think that would be such a happy way to live.
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week full of love, and chocolate of
course. :)
This week has been a little rough...
We had some good lessons with some new investigators, but the overall theme
of the week was rejection hahaha.
We had a lot of people yell at us on their doorstep, across parking lots,
and we even got yelled at by Rosa our investigator!
Haha its a long story, but she kind of freaked out at us. She's really
stressed about finding a job and we brought over our ward mission leader to help
her apply online, but she wasn't home! So we left a note and that night she
called us and told us we weren't helping her! And she didn't believe us that we
brought someone with us to help because her neighbor said "only two girls came
by your house". What?? Noooo. Plus then, she didn't understand that we couldn't
use computers as missionaries. She kept saying, "Jesus never said you can't use
computers!" We were trying to even get a word in haha. Then she said she'd come
to church, but that "we shouldn't wait for her"..... we were pretty bummed to
say the least. She didn't come to church and we're sort of giving her a few days
to cool off hahaha :) Still love her though.
Overall, people haven't been super excited to talk to us this week, which
is fine. It comes with the deal! But it got me thinking about persecution as we
live the gospel. I was studying it the other morning and it was cool to see the
blessings that come when we are persecuted for
righteousness' sake.
Matthew 5:10-12
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for
great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you."
Isn't that so cool? We can almost be grateful that we
are being persecuted! It is a price that is paid by all servants of the
Lord. Which reminds me of this next scripture:
3 Nephi 22:17
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their
righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
This is the heritage of everyone who is fighting for the right team! I
think that is so cool. We are a part of the best heritage, club, team, brother
and sisterhood, whatever you want to call it, ever. That is something to be
proud of.
Of course, its not fun to be persecuted, or made fun of, or looked down on
by the world. But in the end, it still has no power to drag us down. We have the
ultimate choice of whether or not we will let the world bring us down with it. I
love Romans chapter 8:35-39.
"Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the
day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
I love that. Nothing in the whole world can separate us
from the love of God. I am so glad that I can get a door slammed on me and still
walk away smiling, because I know whose side I am
on.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and know that I pray for you all and
miss you all! Keep being awesome. :)
Lots of love from way over here!
XOXO, Sister Fowers
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| Just for Dad |
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| Me and the compiiiieeee! |
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