First things first... Last week I told you all, "Well, I have doubt
God loves all of you, so when tough times come, know it is for your
good and growth. You were meant to be happy." OK. What I meant to say
was I have NO doubt God loves all of you. What a typo haha. You have to enjoy those little things.
You may have already guessed that my
last few emails will be coming to you on Wednesday. My preparation day
has changed for the last time. It's funny thinking my mission is
coming to an end, but everything has fallen into place perfectly for the
past fews weeks. My companion Sister Nunez is a great
missionary and has kept me going. I don't feel like I am slowing down
at all. The work we are assigned to do just seems to be getting more
and more exciting and enjoyable. One of my favorite quotes is, "be where your feet are," and
that is where I am. We have hard times, of course, but there is so much
to be happy about! We would do ourselves well to be a little more
grateful, loving, forgiving, kind, and obedient. The Book of Mormon
counsels us to, "live in thanksgiving daily," (Alma 34:38). And a
beloved leader of our church, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, has said, “No
matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is
something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each
day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate
it.”
Thanksgiving Day - We ate at the
Polynesian Cultural Center for free. It was a local event put on by a
local church leader and everyone was invited (a great part of
Polynesian culture). There was plenty of food and lots of happy faces.
That night we had a dessert potluck with the Visitors' Center Sisters
and we got to watch the new-ish (I don't know I have been gone for so
long) movie called Inside Out. It was so sweet! It taught that we
cannot know true joy without knowing sadness.
This past Sunday, the Visitors'
Center missionaries put on a musical fireside to kick off the Christmas
season. Everyone sounded beautiful! The Spirit of God and the feeling
of peace and joy was so strong. I am so grateful for Christmas music,
the Christmas season, and our Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives and
loves us.
The miracle I will share from this
week is small. There is someone who I am teaching online who has an
interesting doctrinal concern. I didn't really know how to answer it,
but as Sister Nunez and I were practicing teaching simply one day, the
perfect scripture came to mind! I am not sure what Sister Nunez said
that triggered the thought, but it the thought came and I knew that it
came with help from God. I was really grateful to have a scripture that
I could share with someone who had an honest concern.
I truly feel like I am living in a
"blessed and happy state" because of Jesus Christ. I give all the
credit to him for who I am today, although I have a ways to go. I am
also grateful for so many amazing examples of what God can do for a
person's life that I have met here in Hawaii. Hawaii itself seems to be
a pretty "blessed and happy state" to me.
Life is so wonderful. Heavenly
Father loves us more than we could possible imagine. Let us make a
greater attempt to notice all of the wonderful blessings he has in store
for us.
ALOHA!!
Sister Lindsay Evans
Photo 1 - An Evans family classic.
Chocolate/marshmallow/upside-down-fudge-stripe-cookie pilgrim hats on
Thanksgiving. I am grateful for fun family traditions.
Photo 4 - Banoffee pie. Three hours in the making.
No comments:
Post a Comment