Lift

Leih dieh dim a? 

It was just one of those weeks where just about everything happens and you just don't really know where to begin! 

Molo accepted a baptismal date and he's just awesome! We've also got some great people we're starting to meet with that we're excited about! Chung Hing Daih (the LA's father that we thought was his son) is great! Turns out his wife is also LA, but her record is lost somewhere because she stopped going to church like 35 years ago. She's super cool! Super busy with work, but we're excited to get working with her! So just great miracles all around the place!

I guess the best story of the week was Friday. I'm slightly hesitant to share... It will probably lead you to lose all confidence in my abilities as a Sister Missionary, but oh well. It's funny.

So we've been planning this Zone Training for forever, and Friday comes and we got to the Stake Center in Hung Seui Kiu early to set everything up. We wanted to pull out all the stops so we decided to make cookies. We mixed up all the dough and got some baked in our free time during the week but we still had a bunch, and we figured that we could just throw them in the oven while we set up tables and stuff. There are two ovens there, so we were feeling super great about life.

So the kitchen is adjacent to the gym, where we're setting everything up and we're writing stuff on the whiteboards and passing out all the handouts and all that good stuff, and one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Morrell, turns to us and asks us about the cookies.......

Yes. We totally forgot about the cookies.

No. We didn't set a timer.

ROOKIE MISTAKE.

So we run into the kitchen and smell smoke. Lots of smoke... There's already smoke coming out of the ovens, and then Sister Dudley opens one of the ovens and this huge cloud of smoke engulfs her entire body. We we're trying to figure out how to get these cookies - which are now solid black pieces of charcoal - out of the oven, but there's just so much smoke and we're both just crying at this point because there's so much smoke (my eyes are getting watery right now just thinking about it). So we get the windows open and I've got this empty cookie sheet in my hands, waving it around trying to get the smoke out so the fire alarm doesn't go off... because we're toast if the fire department shows up. 

It was quite the scene, as I'm sure you can imagine.

So the Zone Leaders after a few minutes of hearing us yelling for help decide they should probably come see what's going on and walk in on a room full of smoke and us both with tears streaming down our faces waving cookie sheets to just about zero avail because we can't see anything... Elder Boyd happened to be the first one through the door and took a cookie sheet to the shoulder, but he's fine because I didn't hit him that hard and he's like 6 and a half feet tall. 

Needles to say, they were not impressed... I mean Sister Missionaries should at least be able to bake cookies, right? But we got it all under control and no fire alarm went off and we still laugh about it every time we see them! All is well, but there was a lingering smell of burnt cookie throughout the training..

But just so you know, despite our cookie disaster, everything else went great! 

It's a little interesting because you study and pray and fast and study and pray and study some more in preparation for these trainings, but then you get there and sometimes it only feels like you're only able to share just a tiny amount of the things that you learn. But it all works out because the Spirit is the one who directs it all and is really teaching anyways! 

But here are just a few thoughts of things that I learned in preparing.

I'm a little out of touch with the whole outside world, but I think I can safely assume that you've all seen the new Mormon Message 'Lift.' If not, you should watch it right now, so what I say makes sense. 

Link to Video:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-05-003-lift?category=mormon-messages-2015&lang=eng

There are so many different things you can learn and take from this video, but what I want to share with you is this:

These men could not lift for very long, or do it very well on their own. I love how they main guy talks about how he had to have a change of heart. He had to evaluate himself and where he was at.

With no end in sight, these men could not lift for very long or do it very well on their own. It required a change, it required divine assistance, to continue to provide this service of lifting Kathy. 

Well folks. Just like lifting Kathy, missionary work has no end in sight. The fact is, there is no end in sight. We are to be missionaries now, for the rest of our lives and through eternity. It will never end. It is our call as disciples of Jesus Christ to lift, and do good, and encourage and bring others unto Him forever. 

This kind of work can not be done for very long or be done very well when we rely on our own strength.

How blessed are we that we are not required to do it on our own!

"For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God." Moroni 10:25

As we go about doing good, lifting, encouraging and bringing others to come unto Christ, it's comforting to know that we do it by the power and gifts of God! He has given every one of us such unique gifts to enable us to be tools in His hands so that He can bring about His great work.

In Doctrine and Covenants 46:8 we are invited to "seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given."

We all have weaknesses, limitations and challenges but how cool is it that as we seek the gifts and divine assistance from God, from He that has no weakness and no limitations, that He gives us the ability to do whatever it is that He has asked of us.

I know that this gospel is true! The fullness of the gospel has been restored to the Earth today. Heavenly Father loves us. He will enable us, guide us and comfort us as we seek to do his work and serve those around us. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week! It was just cool to think about all the people that I love and all the incredible gifts that you have! Go use em!

Love,

SisMoRob