Dear Family and Friends,
Hi! :)
Has this week seemed to just zip by faster than lightning or... is it just me? I swear it was Monday just yesterday! Time goes by so quickly when you are having fun:) and boy oh boy have sis. Osmond and I been having fun!
I don't think a single day goes by that we don't shed tears from laughing so hard. Laughter is the best thing. It keeps the mood light, and the stress levels low. It's nice to be a missionary and to be reverent wherever we go, to be literal representatives of Jesus Christ, and to live by the spirit. But sometimes, people get too serious. Sis. Osmond an I have been able to find a nice balance of things, and I love it! Trevor wrote to me in a card before I left, "Have FUN. If you're not having fun, youre doing something wrong." And I have llived by those words! It is so true!
So now let me take a minute to brag about how awesome it is to be a missionary, and how the Washington D.C. South mission is the BEST mission in the WHOLE WORLD.
On Saturday, all of the missionaries for the d.c. south and d.c. north were able to go to the Washington Nationals Baseball game! woot woot!
It was so much fun! It also was a little unsettling because we aren't really allowed to participate in worldly things.. like listening to music, and sporting events, and loud cheering.... sooo it felt weird. but it was all for a purpose.
there is a national day of service in September, and our church is like, the head of this organization, however its not exclusive to just our religion, but ALL religions and people everywhere. We just organize it. So as a way to advertise, and kick it off, the missionaries attend the Nationals ball game. Their is a player on the team, Bryce Harper, and he is LDS. 21 years of age. and an amazing baseball player! WE go to support him, and to announce the service. it was wayyy fun, and I'm excited that I get to go next year as well:)
In order to get to the game, we had to take the Metro. and that was an interesting experience! Along with the many many hoards of missionaries headed to the game, there were all the Nats fans headed there as well! So the metro was PACKED. Everybody got to know every one else REALLY well... heh heh. just kidding. but we were like sardines.
Pres. Riggs challenged us to give away a Book of Mormon on the metro either to, or from the game... I didn't give one away unfortunately:( I almost did though! I did give them a pass along card and told them to check out Mormon.org. So if they have a true desire, they'll find their way to a book of Mormon eventually:) I hope!
This week we had a Half Mission Conference... which basically means, half of our mission gathers together so the President Riggs can give us a message he feels we need to hear,, ,, and OH BOY did we need to hear what he had to say! This conference was VERY inspired.
At the beginning of the year, this mission made it a goal to have 751 people baptized in 2014.That means in order to reach this goal, we must have 1 baptism, per companionship, per month! I know that it may seem like a crazy hard goal to reach but honestly... its not. IT shouldn't be.
We have been called by a Prophet of God to be fishers of men. In our call letter we are promised that as we serve the lord with ALL our heart, might, and strength, that he will place prepared people in our paths.
He WILL. That's an absolute. It's bound to happen. and it all depends upon our EXACT OBEDIENCE to the missionary handbook, the mission rules, and to our covenants. If every missionary is giving their all, 100% of the time, then they will be able to bring one soul to god every month!
That's what President and Sister Riggs addressed at the conference.
In june, 51 people were baptized, but in july there were only 21. Sister Riggs said we should give 100% every.single.transfer. This is the time of HASTENING THE WORK. We are the generation of the hastening. Not our parents (sorry mom and dad. I love you :)) not our grandparents, but us. the youth serving full time missions currently. And the youth of the church being raised right now [that's YOU abby and ethan!!:)]
So we need to put on the full armor of God and get to work! Don't treat life, and missionary work, as a lovely sunday stroll. In this day and age, the Adversary is using everything he's got to tear apart families, and take down this church, so we need to treat this as a marathon.
Satan is Fighting us EVERY DAY. He never rests. So we ought to fight back! We honestly cant afford to let off the gas and take a break! The work is still being hastened even when we're tired. God is hastening the work WITH or WITHOUT you. So are you on board or not?
Now you may be thinking, "Great Carly. This all sounds very good. but youre the one serving a mission! what has this got to do with me?"
well. We are all children of God aren't we? We are all spirit brothers and sisters. We are all family. We have a knowledge of the goodness of this gospel. We have the gift of the holy ghost. We all have a light. And do we hide that light under a bushel? OF COURSE NOT! the lord expects each of us to LET OUR LIGHT SO SHINE! We can all help the work move along!
"We all have work, let no one shirk, put your shoulder to the wheel!"
Something that I have learned while being out in the field is that we as full-time missionaries can only do so much on our own. We NEED help from the members. I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but the bretheren of the church have asked that a ward council meeting be held every sunday. [[This is a meeting where bishop, yw pres, ym pres, sunday school pres, primary pres, elders quorum pres, missionaries serving in that ward, and the ward mission leaders all meet together to discuss missionary work within that ward.]]
We need the help of the members in order to hasten the work. Members and missionaries must work together! If you see the missionaries sitting at church with an investigator, go introduce yourself and befriend them! Seriously! its the greatest thing! Theres many ways that we can all work together to hasten the work... in fact theres a whole section on it in Preach My Gospel, I ask that you please read through it and discuss as a family what you can do that week to help hasten the work along!
[[family, ask brother glahn if theres anything you can do! he's the ward mission leader and I know he will appreciate the offer!]]
Okay.
I'm going to step off my soap box now.
I wasn't even aware I started to climb on it.. oops!
Now I want to talk about Fast sunday.
I had heard from everyone that fast sunday is the WORST sunday on your mission! Normal sundays alone are long, and stressful.. so to go through that on an empty stomach is torture! So I was full-on expecting to have a horrible time.
Apparently, the lord had other things in mind for me though. Who ever told me that fast sundays are the hardest and the worst, must have been doing something wrong, because yesterday was the most wonderful fast sunday that I have had in my entire life. I felt so close to God. The spirit was abundant in every meeting, every minute of personal study, and throughout our companionship study. Why is this? well this is why I think it is,
"When I am weak, then am I strong" (2cor. 12:9-10)
read those scriptures! [[thanks Jessie!]]
In weakness, we are humbled, and we become submissive to all things, just like little children! and are we not asked in mosiah 3:19 to become like a little child? because when we do, we are more teachable. The spirit can more easier work within us, teach us, enlighten us, send us revelation. It's honestly quite beautiful. Another thing that comes with submissiveness, and becoming childlike, is that we are more willing to be exactly obedient.
That is key.
If we want his blessings, all he asks of us is that we OBEY. just do it. Heavenly father is just WAITING to pour out blessings, but it all depends on our exact obedience to the commandments, and the covenants that we made--both baptismal and in the temple
Obedience takes sacrifice. And that is hard. But jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us. What better way to become Christ-like, than to do as he did, and sacrifice our all? afterall, everything that we have, and that we are, is not truly ours. It all came from god.
>He gave us bodies of flesh and bone. He gave us each spiritual gifts. He gave us talents. Good jobs. Knowledge. The holy Ghost. So many resources and all manner of things.
Think of specific things that he has blessed YOU with.
did you think of something?
Now, relate this to the parable of the talents. There was a man/woman that was given one talent... and they really treasured this talent, so much that they did not want to lose it.. so they buried it.
Others were given a couple, and they used those talents to attain even more!
But the one who buried their talent in the end, still had just one talent.
Are you going to hide your gifts from god? Are you going to keep these means to yourself? I hope that you answered both these questions with a loud and proud NO!
Let's say that you have a really nice and expensive camera that you use to capture beautiful things. It brings you and those whom you share your photos with much joy! You have a friend who want's to be a photographer, and, because you love them dearly, you teach them your best tips and tricks, and even give them your nicest camera!
What if this friend never used the camera? just kept it in a box. or maybe they took a few great pictures, but kept them in an album for only their eyes to see... how would that make you feel?
It would feel like a slap in the face to me.
I think that maybe is how heavenly father feels when he gives us talents and blessings and special gifts, that we don't develop or share.
Heavenly Father has given each of us specific things, not for our own benefit necessarily.. but to uplift and benefit our fellow men!
We are all in debt to Jesus Christ and our heavenly father. We never will be able to pay them back in full.. but I know this for certain; That if we use every effort, and show gratitude to him by sharing what he have, what we know, and what we believe, that after all we can do, that will be enough. Heavenly Father is pleased with our best efforts. But we've got to try.
I am really struggling with this whole concept still. It's hard. Some days I honestly would rather take a nap than go out tracting. I would rather sit in the back of the room than give my insight. But the thing is I'm working on it! I'm trying to be better! And it already is making a difference in my life!
So I guess my challenge this week for all of you is to search out your own meaning of Consecration. Then write down a list of things that you know heavenly father has blessed YOU with specifically! Don't be shy about it, the lord has blessed everyone immensely. Then, choose a couple that you can develop further, and find ways that you can share those gifts and talents to benefit others!:)
I love you all so much and I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers! :)
Love, Sister Lewis
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