Katie's Mission Blog: March 19, 2024-March 25, 2024-Week 46-David

As all weeks, this was a crazy busy one. We had three exchanges with other missionaries, so we were outside of our area a lot. But, the area is going very well, and we will have a baptism on Easter and then the following Saturday! I think something I have come to learn about a lot on the mission how God doesn't need to speak directly to us to answer us, because He has already given us the answers in so many different ways. For example, with the two friends that will be baptized, they came about because we followed a lot of mission suggestions -- revise your carpeta (she's talking about her area book) and talk with everyone -- and by doing these two things, we found our friend Lis, who had already come to church a lot, and our friend Reinel, by just contacting him in the street. I think about this a lot with scriptures or the words of living prophets. They are means by which we can receive the answers that we so desperately need. God doesn't need to come down from the heavens and knock on our door to answer a prayer, because chances are, He already has.

I don't really have a whole lot to say, missionary work is about the same. I am grateful everyday to be a missionary. I have become so much more converted and centered in the restored gospel, and I know it is the only true and living church. I know we need to live and love our covenants to return happily to Him, and find happiness in the here and now. Something I have been thinking a lot about is two of my favorite words: committed and willing. Being committed is being determined to stick it out to the end, meet the end of your promise, and see it through. Being committed is really good. But being willing AND committed is better. To be willing, you openly, and fairly happily choose to be committed. You choose it because you know His ways are higher, holier, and better than yours. You can be committed to living the gospel, but when you are willing to live the gospel, that's when it transforms you and that's when Christ makes you like Him (1 John 3:2).

I was able to do three exchanges this week, and two of which were divisions (where me and my comp both go to the area and all four of us concentrate all our efforts there). One hermana is pretty sick, and might have to end her mission, so I stayed in the house all day for one. The other one we were able to work hard, but a lot of the hermanas we help are going through hard times now. It was good to go see them in person, rather than just phone call them.

My last thought for the week is that really life is about making the choice to choose Jesus Christ. I was reading in Mosiah 26 and 27 about Alma the Younger. His father prayed very much that he would repent of his sins and come to Jesus Christ, and was visited by an angel. As we know, he came back and allowed Christ to rescue Him from the depths of his sins. "And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them" (Mosiah 27:32). He was truly changed. But, didn't the exact same thing happen to Laman and Lemuel? Their father was a prophet. Their father and family prayed mightily on their behalf. An angel visited them as well. They witnessed miracles. And sometimes aren't we too much like Laman and Lemuel? We need to let Christ rescue us, and come to Him, and repent everyday. The choice is ours.

"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." (2 Nephi 10:23).

My exchange with Hermana Aparicio