Happy Monday Everyone!!
How is everybody? I hope you all have had a good week! I feel like February just flew by! Its almost March already. I hit my one year mark last week... crazy! Apparently you are supposed to do something cool or fun on your year mark, but I just taught the gospel:) That was fun enough. We have had some pretty neat things this week!
First off, our teaching pool is growing and we are finding more and more people to teach. They are just coming out of nowhere! Heavenly Father is so good. We are also seeing a change in the members. More of them seem willing to share the Gospel and are excited to do! There has been an increase in the spirit in this area as a whole, and its glorious! You just feel good all the time, for no good reason!
On Friday we had a mission-wide training in Tampa. Elder Zwick of the Seventy came and trained us. It was so good! He touched on so many things, but the purpose of the training was to help us be more effective with the ipads. Its been a year since the trial role-out of the ipads and they have taken all of their data and figured out what works and what doesn't. The main purpose of giving missionary ipads, they said, is to train us how to use the technology in our day. It is supposed to help us build good habits and to avoid excessive gaming, or wasting time on social media sites, and pornography. They told us that the technology of today was revealed by God for the purpose of carrying the gospel into all the world. But since it is capable of so much good the adversary is trying to use it against us, as always. I thought it was interesting that that is their main purpose in giving us ipads. But its so good! Everyone needs to learn good habits! We have another zone conference coming up this Thursday with Elder Zwick. Super excited!
The other fun thing this week, also on Friday, was our Youth Missionary Movie Night. We showed the movie Saratov Approach and the youth all invited their friends. It was so much fun! Afterward we did a Q and A with the missionaries and everyone was able to ask us anything they wanted. The spirit was so strong! We have some pretty incredible youth in this ward. I love them all so much!
This week, we have our Open House. We are pretty excited for that. Hopefully it will have a good turnout! I'll have to let you know next week!
This week I have been thinking a lot about our Savior. On Sunday we had a member who is going through a really hard time. We were sitting in the chapel with her before the meeting started and she was telling us everything that she is going through and how she is feeling. I just wanted to help her but I had no idea what would help. I said a little prayer in my heart, and then my eyes focused just behind this members head on the young men up front putting the white table cloth over the sacrament and tears came to my eyes. I knew right then that the thing this sweet woman needed most, the only thing that would really help her, was the healing power of the sacrament. I testified to her of our Saviors love, and how the sacrament can heal any hurt, and invited her to allow the Savior to lift her burden as she partook of the bread and water today.
I don't know if what I said helped her at all, or made any sort of a difference for her. But when I took the sacrament yesterday, I felt Christ's love. And I felt the love of our Heavenly Father. It was overwhelming. Then I looked around and saw all of the members and even some non-members that I have come to love so much. I watched them take the sacrament and renew those covenants to remember Christ always and keep His commandments. I thought about the gift that we were all promised, that we would always have His Spirit to be with us. It brought so much joy to my heart.
I hope that I can better keep that promise to always remember Christ. And I hope that I can live each day worthy of the Holy Ghost as my companion, so he can purify me, so I can be all that my Father in Heaven needs me to be.
I know that God loves us, and has a perfect plan for us. I know that we can pray to Him anytime and all the time, and He hears and answers. I know that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and through Him we can have second and third and fourth chances. I know that He truly is our perfect example and that striving to live like Him helps us to have incredible love for others. I know that obeying the commandments brings peace. I know that the Book of Mormon, when read and applied daily, builds disciples and makes our hearts happy. I know that there truly is no greater gift than the gift of eternal life, and I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by ancient and modern-day prophets and apostles is the only way to get us there.
I love you all more than words can describe, and I hope that, if you don't already, you will come to know these things too.
Love always, Sister Rowland :)
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| Youth Movie Night |
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