Week 37 - Mission Conference

Hello from Ben Lomond!

Wow what a week!  This week has been a lot warmer then past weeks. It's gotten into the 40s which is so nice...I know crazy, 40 degrees feels warm to me. I'm definitely adjusting to Utah weather. It's so sad to see the snow melt though :( it's beginning to look like spring now which is crazy!

 Here are some highlights:

 - I went on exchanges this week with Sister Nuku! I am her STL and we had such a fun day! She is from Australia and is going to Indonesia on her mission and just got her visa so she'll leave at the end of the transfer. She is an awesome missionary though! She's not afraid to testify and loves to go out tracting! I was really impressed because I don't think I was like that when I was 3 weeks out!

 - In one of the lessons that day with sister Nuku. We were teaching this family and we heard a knock at the door. So the mom goes to answer it and it was the police. They asked her to step outside. So her and the Ward mission leader (thank goodness he was there) stepped outside. We had to keep the 5 kids entertained so they didn't cry. I was so scary because it was like 9 at night! What impressed me the most was the 13 year old daughter who was super calm and was just trying to distract her little brothers. Once the mom came back in she just began to sob. It was so sad. I just hugged her and told her everything is going to be alright. They are strong family and the boy in the family is getting baptized next week!

 - We've been teaching this lady named Bonnie and she is literally the best! My comp and I were knocking doors the first week I got to Ben Lomond and knocked on her door and she told us she was in the middle of something but to come back in 30 minutes. My first thought was darn she's not gonna be there when we come back but sure enough she opened the door and let us in and she told us she wanted to learn more. She had just moved there from Idaho and she said she just felt like something was telling her to move here and then we knocked on her door! She was baptized when she was 8 but doesn't remember it and never went to church after it. We've been teaching her the gospel for about 7 weeks now. She has no knowledge of the bible or Book of Mormon and doesn't even know who Adam and Eve are. We've pretty much had to teach from the basics and go really slow. She's been reading the Book of Mormon and has been coming to church every week! She truly is a star. I love her so much.

 This week someone asked us "Why do bad things happen to good people?" I have had this same question in my life and so I've been studying it a lot this week. This is what I've found:

 "The most important thing is to trust God and obey His will. Suffering in this life will eventually come to an end, and God’s perfect mercy, justice, and judgment will resolve all the “why’s” we wonder about now. The Lord loves us and sees the eternal view, so we can trust Him to guide our lives. He promises that our trials and difficulties can work for our good if we’re trying to live the right way. He promises us peace that transcends the evil of the world (John 16:33)." In Psalms 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

Jesus Christ was the only perfect person who ever lived on the earth, yet He was scourged, smitten, and suffered all things (1 Ne. 19:9).  Because He suffered, we don’t have to be alone in our hard times. He understands the pain everyone goes through and offers peace, healing, and eternal blessings if we endure our trials well. Because of the healing and blessing power of the Atonement, we can see our trials as chances to learn, to grow, and, most importantly, to come unto Christ.

 I just love this gospel so much. It brings me so much peace. This area has been one of the hardest areas for me but I am grateful for it. It has taught me charity, patience, and diligence. I am grateful for the hard times because I know that I can get through them with Jesus Christ by my side.

 I love you all and hope you all have a great week!

 Sister Lowe :)

 

 So all of my pics are pretty much from the mission conference...sorry