Monday, August 24, 2015

Week 8 - The Fire in the Darkness!

Hey everyone! How are all of you? What is the weather like wherever you are? 

This week has been a little crazy! I have been adjusting to the mission life in the field and meeting new people and learning more Spanish! (I have also been trying to eat the right amount of food, but that is harder done than said when there are all these wonderful torillas, if you know what I mean.)

We had my first zone conference this week. To prepare we all had to write five minute talks about this oddly difficult topic, but no one told me about it because I don't have my iPad yet until the night before, so I couldn't write my talk until we were driving to the Zone Conference. In the conference only two missionaries out of the whole zone were randomly chosen to speak, and it was the companion that had a certain topic inside the companionship. And I HAD TO GIVE THE TALK. But I promise that God blesses us! He turned my scribbly bullet points into a really good talk about defending the sanctity of the family as I was saying it. And now everyone in my zone knows who I am now, so that's good too. :)

We had my dear friend named Paty get baptized this weekend! It was a beautiful service that my companions and I sang at 😕 Afterwards we had a fireside with President Mortensen (the mission president) that ended up being in the dark because the power in the church went out. That meant that the AC didn't work, but it was so neat when he held up his iPad and said that the scriptures are one of the greatest sources of light in this world, and his iPad with his scriptures on it was this huge bright light in the darkness. I know that this is true! When I am need an answer to a question or need peace the scriptures illuminate the way. The word of God is powerful and I promise that it changes lives. My favorite scripture (one of them right now) is Alma 29:9 in the Book of Mormon if anyone wants to look it up (you can find it on google too). 

I have been thinking a lot about happiness this week. I have learned that happiness is not a function of our circumstances, but it is a choice that we need to make every day. I am happy. I am happy not because it is hot out, or because I have two awesome companions, or because I am excited to see all of you one day again. I am happy because I know through the opportunity to make covenants with God in this gospel I share every day I can be changed, whole, and complete. I know that my weaknesses and my flaws can be made up, that every hard thing, every challenge I face, every despair I will feel can be swallowed up in the joy that comes from the Savior. I know that He lives just like you and I do. I know that one day I will see His face. I know that He is making a diamond of the coal which is me, and that although it is difficult every step of the journey and every moment in the heat of the refiner's fire is worth it. 

I love you all to the sun and back, (all 93 million miles of it) and I know that our God does too. 
-Hermana McCurdy


 And the bonus picture from I don't know who….
Thank you Random people!!

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