Last Transfer

Dear Mother,

My week has been super good! I am getting transfered tomorrow to probably my final area!! I got the package! Thank you so much it was amazing! It was perfect! I will definitely join ya'll in fasting! I am glad that I am good for something and every now and then say something inspired. So this was my last week here in the area and it has been a good one. A less-active family we have been working with for the whole time I have been here came to church yesterday! I love this family. They are the Rosas. Pictures will follow next week. They are the last family we will visit tonight! They are the best! I am doing good and super excited for everything that is going on! I love change! Because change puts us out of our comfort zone and "There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the  growth zone"! I love that quote.

So lately as I have been studying the scriptures, I have been keeping a dictionary near by and looking up words. Even if I know the meaning. From this I have found new meaning to words and I have been able to see what the author is trying to teach me. I love this verse in Omni. Its verse 26 it says, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." I love this verse for many reasons but one point I want to point out is the, "Come unto him, and offer your WHOLE souls as an offering unto him." Is what I did this time was look up the word whole in the dictionary. Whole means;  having all the parts : not divided or cut into parts or pieces. So I thought about that and what it means to offer up our WHOLE souls. I thought about this an what are all the parts of offering our whole soul. The answer is in doctrine and Covenants 4, "see that ye serve him with all your HEART, MIGHT, MIND and STRENGTH" That is what it means to offer your "WHOLE souls". These four things are the elements or parts that consist our "whole soul" The two hardest to sacrifice is the heart and mind. When we think about how we do our callings we give ALL our strength and Might into it but we hold back part of the whole offering, our mind and heart. We have the bite the bullet approach. 

Do it and do it well, but in my mind and heart, I want to be somewhere else. For example at church:  How often do we think about other things than that which is shared?  Christ or the Gospel? We instead think about the game thats on, whats for dinner, nap time, and what ever thought that crosses our minds. I don't remember which teacher did this but when I was younger we were invited to write every thought that crossed our minds on a note card. I remember at the end of the day the note card was filled but not with things that pertained to church. There were a couple of things but the majority was worthless things. I remember from that day on I tried a lot harder to keep my thoughts in church. It has been such a blessing. I also love this quote, "if you want to know where your heart is, look to where your thoughts wander" That quote is so true. Try it watch where your thoughts wander and you will be amazed!

 I want to finish with a quote by Neal Maxwell, "Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed!” I know these things are true! Love ya'all!!