It's weird to think, A year ago I still hadn't left the MTC yet, but this is my second Easter out in the mission field. :p but I do get 4 conferences. Like an Elder.
HAPPY EASTER!!!!! It's been so awesome to be a missionary during Easter time!! We've been getting questions like, "But I don't get it, why did He have to go through that? Why was it necassary? I've heard all my life that 'Jesus died for our sins,' but I don't get how that works." Testifying of the Atonement, what Christ's sacrifice does for us, is teh best part of being a missionary. It's so great!
Also, Conference was AWESOME!!!! Maaaan!!! If you missed it, WATCH IT https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions?cid=HP14GC&lang=eng I can't even say which session was my favorite, it was all just so good!
I really loved the talk about learning to hear the music, because if you don't hear the music, dancing is awkward and you don't really know why everyone's doing it. Also, if you hear a beat, you feel an urge to dance, even if you don't know the steps yet. Definitely seen that happen as a missionary. They feel the Spirit, and they're ready to dance, but they don't know how yet and are eager to learn. Super good!! (Was that Elder Rendlund? I forget who it was)
Also, as a missionary I enjoyed being told not to "swan dive back into Babylon," LOL. in my notes I drew a little picture of that, with a sign that said "Water too shallow for diving." *giggle* Seriously, though, I'm super pumped to be an awkward RM. Before my mission I reallydidn't want to come back an awkward RM, and I was determined to not do that. But now I want to. It shows that I was changed by my mission. I don't want to go back exactly like who I was, that'd be kinda sad to spend an entire 18 months serving the Lord and the people here and not be affected.
I have forever left, though. 6 months. ^^ Still basically a greenie.
Conference pumps me up. I feel like I can punch a shark in the nose. Let's do this. Let's tell everyone about Jesus.
And having Conference on Easter is just the best. I love it when that happens.
Oh, and the Easter Pageant!!! It was so, so, so good!! We got to take one of the families we're teaching, and it was so much fun! It was cute, the three-year-old kept shouting, "JESUS CHRIST!" If Mesa Easter pageant isn't on your bucket list yet, put it there. It's really something.
btw, there's a new motto for our mission: "If nothing changes, nothing changes." think about that one for a minute. :p
So the mission's basically been turned upside down and we're doing all sorts of crazy things we've never done before because if nothing changes, nothing changes!! Haha. I think that's partly why our mission got to have a little sisters conference. Anyway, we still take it seriously, but it's been said so often that it's now a bit of a joke. We make breakfast for dinner and said, "if nothing changes, nothing changes!" haha.
It's true, though. If anything's going to change, something needs to change.
One thing I loved about conference was that thread of agency and choice all throughout the talks (oh, real quick, Elder Holland's talk. LISTEN TO IT!! It so perfectly helps explain Christ's role in our lives as our Savior! Also, he's just an amazing storyteller. I didn't take many notes that talk because I was just riveted the entire time. So good!). We have the power to choose and not be acted upon. When we go through ahrd things, we get to choose whether we want to grow or shrink. We can go to God and ask Him for help. Not to ask Him to remove the trial, though that's not a sinful prayer. After all, the Savior Himself asked God if there was any other way, so since Christ was without sin and was completely perfect, we know that's not a bad thing to ask. But if we ask Him how we can use this to become better, then He can help us become strong enough to handle it. And that's how we can become awesome. It's a choice, to grow or to shrink. I don't know why that was such a relief for me to realize, it technically wasn't really anything new I learned, but sometimes you relearn things and it actually finally clicks.
Sorry, I spent too long talking about General Conference....it was so good though. That was the best way to spend Easter weekend, just soaking in talks about theSavior and His Atoning sacrifice. Also, sis Prieto and the hermanas and I dyed eggs. :p now we don't know what to do with them, though.
Happy Easter!! I love you all!! <3 Thanks for writing and for praying and for everything else!! <3
-Sister Stratford
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