Did anyone watch the broadcast last night? Several Apostles taught the importance of member missionary work...it was amazing! It might be online :)
Also....Elder Perry announced that, over the next few years, new technology including Facebook and iPads will be phased into missionary work!!!! :D http://s.zbee.me/v40 | http://s.zbee.me/25v When you watch...the last story Elder Anderson tells, there's a video clip that President Summerhays is in! :D
I just wanted to let everybody know that (at least right now) I am NOT being excused from misionary work (ie sent home) on medical (aka psychological). I have another appointment with the mission psychiatrist on Thursday, so I don't know for sure yet. But if I have anything to say about it, I will be in the Tampa Florida mission for 16 1/2 more months!!! :D (Fun fact: Sister N and Elder H go home at the same time, me and Elder P. go home at the same time! We have THE best district!!) Some of you know what a big deal this is for me. My compa and I fasted and prayed...and the rest of our district prayed...for now, I'm staying. Yeah buddy!!!
I have to tell you a very very sweet experience that I had last week. I was having a really really tough time, so I asked Elder Hubbard to give me a blessing, which he was happy to do (the Elders are so amazing!). In the blessing, Elder H said that my struggles would go away and my mind would be cleared from things troubling me. Since that blessing, I have been HAPPY. :D
Yes, I have still struggled, still had random crying spells, still occasionally wanted to come home, but I have been happy overall. What a beautiful blessing! I have testimony that miracles still happen, the Priesthood is the authority to act in God's name, and faith precedes healing. Me coming on a mission and staying on a mission is taking the great black dog of depression, the scary tremors of anxiety, and the troublesome obsessions of OCD...and totally conquering each one! (:
We had zone conference last week, and it was amazing! It was our last time meeting with President Summerhays, so it was particularly wonderful. There was an emphasis on overcoming the critical voice of the Adversary. It was way cool! Here's a blurry pic of our zone with President.
President Cusick gets here in just a few days! I'm excited to meet him...how cool that I get to have TWO mission presidents while I serve!!! :D
Funny story: we were tracting when we came upon a house with a sign that read something like "we have a 357 Magnum and nothing worth stealing." hahaha! I was a littttttle skeptical about knocking that door. XD Another funny story: I always talk to Sis N about alligators, because I reallllly want to see one. We were talking about baby alligators one day and I said "I hope he grows up to have a lucrative alligatoring career." hahaha! I crack myself up!
EXCHANGES TOMORROW!!!!!!! I'm going to "Spanish land" with Hermana Finlayson, while Sis N is staying in Gibsonia B with Hermana Rood. Good thing I got a Spanish PMG at the MTC! This will be....interesting.
Oh, so the subject. My journal is literally falling apart! D: I'm not even halfway through it! What the muffins! It's verrrrry well loved haha and I still need to better about writing. Anyway so I have scotch tape basically holding the binding together...this journal will be an adventure to finish before moving on to my new journal from Lori that is NOT falling apart XD I told Sis N that my journal is falling apart and she said it's a good sign! (:
STUDY: I have been studying many different things during personal study. I finished Alma this week and started Helaman. The war chapters are so beautiful. Read those chapters through the lens of the Atonement of Christ. That's how we should read the entire book, but especially those chapters--since they're otherwise hard to get through. Also, study GRACE sometime. And see if you can find "His Grace Is Sufficient"--a talk by Brad Wilcox given at BYU. Grace is a beautiful thing.
Speaking of which! President gave each of us a new Temple recommend holder when we got to the mission. It has an image of missionaries labouring in a field with FLORIDA TAMPA MISSION on it. Now I have about ~1000000003 temple recommend holders. Haha
Sooooo we were on bike this week. Sis N's bike BROKE. So...we were on foot. That was an adventure. I got a couple of blisters. Weird, huh? Also, my blue sparkly Toms broke. There is literally a hole in the sole. Oops...
We went to visit some 'gators (investigators)...we walked up to the door and heard two people arguing with VERY colourful language....we decided we had better not interrupt.
Oh, our ['gators] the Prentices are golden. They totally want the Gospel, [they] just don't know it yet!! I would looooovvvvve to see them dressed in white, ready to be baptized (: [They] called last week and seemed to drop us. Then they called back a few days later to ensure that we knew that we could still come back. So we're not entirely sure what's going on but we're sure hoping for the best. Sis N and Hmna Rood have an appointment with them tomorrow!
Well I'd better get going, Elder Putnam is patiently waiting to use a computer (there's only 3).
Love you ALL!!!!!!! Jesus lives!!!!!! <3
P.S. This is Tasha's email from like last week, I forgot to post it :/