There is a sister who just completed her mission this past Monday; her name is Sister Stratton. She was my Sister Training Leader (this is a calling/responsibility in the mission field. She was charged with making sure all the sisters under her area were doing well and working hard. She accomplishes this by talking with them regularly and going on exchanges, which is where we "trade" companions for usually 24 hours) and she became my close friend. I love her and look up to her because of how great of an example she is to me. She actually reminds me a lot of my dad because she is also a convert to the church and their character. She is the only member in her family and she was able to use this experience to help so many out here. Basically, she is amazing and I will miss her so much. BUT, because I know that we both are covenants with the Lord and are striving to live up to the knowledge that we have, that we will able to be friends and sisters for eternity.
I take great joy and comfort from the knowledge that I know families can be sealed together for eternity and that our main goal is to have everyone sealed to each other, so we can always be with each other. This is not only how I handle my friends leaving me, or me leaving them, but how I am able to serve a mission at all because it was so hard to leave my family. I miss them terrible but I am able to focus here and work because I have faith in the covenants they have made and I have made with the Lord. I will be with them again and 1 and a half years is not that long in the perspective of eternity. I can serve others and bring them the same joy I have because of my covenants with the Lord.
So, besides my friend going home (which is actually a good thing, I just miss her), my week has been great. I have seen many miracles. Now, when people think of miracles, they usually only think of the great big and super visual miracles, like Moses parting the Red Sea or Jesus healing the blind and the lame. But the miracles I saw are just as profound, but not as easy to see. For example, I saw an 11 year old girl come to church by herself (she received a ride from a ward member, no worries there =) ). It may not seem like a miracle, but who here could, as an 11 year old, go somewhere new by themselves? Maybe you could've but I know I wouldn't have. It was also a miracle to find her in the first place! We went to her home looking for someone else we thought live there, but had moved. Her whole family is actually interested, but they're all really busy right now so she is the only one making time for us to teach her.
Another miracle I saw was that a member of our ward asked us to go visit someone and this person called her later to ask for help translating something. The member sent us to her right away and we were able to introduce ourselves to someone who we can tell is ready for the gospel. This woman even came to church yesterday without us inviting her! It's hard for us to get investigators to church while inviting them and helping them, but this woman did it all by herself! I am so excited for her and I just love watching her exercise her faith.
Oh, that reminds me of something I have learned recently. Anything is possible if you have faith and act on it. This past week we have mostly been looking for more people to serve and to teach and we have been kinda struggling. But, we had set a goal that, after praying, still felt good about so we knew that God would help us. How we have found these people has been kinda weird (just judging by past experience and the culture of our investigators) so I have no doubt that it was done through the Lord. That kinda reiterates what I said above a out miracles, but the point here is that you have to have the faith to act first, not just to expect. Yes, it does take some faith to expect God to do something, but it takes more faith to act without knowledge of how He'll provide. The more we walk by faith, putting our trust in Him, the more we are guided and can see the miracles He provides.
I know that having faith is challenging at times, I'm working on it now!, but it is possible because we are putting our faith in a perfect and all powerful being. I love this work and I know how blessed I am to be here. I try to say thank you each day for this opportunity because I know none of this would've been possible without the Lord. This work is done by Him, through us, His chosen servants. I know this church is true and that it contains the fullness of Christ's gospel. We can only be truly and eternally happy by living the gospel fully. I promise that as you strive to live the gospel, the Lord will bless in you in amazing and beautifully personal ways. I love you all. Be good and remember who you are!
Love, Hermana Lindh
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