I have come to a momentous part of my mission!
I have memorized the first vision in English 0.0
We were walking the other day and I decided it was probably a good
idea to figure it out once and for all and so we just told each other
Joseph Smith's account of the first vision back and forth.
Everyone! It is amazing.
I saw a pillar of light. Exactly over my head. Above the brightness of
the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the
light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory
defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake
unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, "This is
my Beloved Son. Hear Him!".
A little while later we got a call from President Neilson from the
mission presidency and he asked us to speak with him in our stake
conference. He asked us to share the message of the restoration with
everyone. And standing up there with Sister Paschal in front of the
whole stake was such an amazing experience. The pillar of light that
Joseph saw changed the world. There is a God who lives and who has
sent His Son to save us, to help us, and to heal us. We sat back down
and Elder Evans of the Seventy got up and told us about a lady who
didn't believe in God, and especially didn't believe that Joseph Smith
saw Him. The missionaries who were teaching her sang her a song:
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah... And while I was sitting
there listening to Elder Evans talk about this lady's experience --
there it was: the spirit with an answer. "It is all true".
Truth feels like light. It feels like joy. It just feels so good.
"The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin..." Exodus 34: 6-7
We met with the kid who helped us catch the run away dog this week.
His name is Kayden. We also met with his dad Jason. The lesson was so
awesome, we practiced and practiced before we taught it and then the
spirit was right there helping us. Except Kayden was really shy and
didn't talk very much during the lesson and so I started having doubts
about inviting him to be baptized (BAD) and so I didn't. And then
Sister Paschal swooped in and invited him at the end of the lesson.
The spirit was so strong!! And the words just were carried by the
Holy Ghost. Almost before she finished the question Kayden was nodding
his head yes. And his dad, who has been less active his whole life,
said that he felt the spirit and knew God was aware of him and his
kid.
We are teaching a family I love sooo much. It is amazing to me how so
many people just feel certain of a living God who loves them. They
don't know why and they don't understand how, but they just know it
and can't deny it. Destiny is a 13 year old who hasn't ever really
been "taught", but she prayed for a dog and knew God would answer her.
Her parents didn't want a dog and didn't really even know how much
Destiny wanted a dog but they just felt like it was something they
needed to do one day. And Consuelo, the mother, has always wanted her
daughter believe in God and then to hear Destiny say that her prayer
was answered by the dog just touched her so much. I want this family
to know Jesus Christ so badly, and I know it's going to happen because
this family is so loved by God. Families are important to Him :)
It was service week- we painted ceilings and fed horses and put
stickers in library books. I love the missionaries I serve around.
Especially my comp!!
And I don't know what else to say so that's usually when it's time to
say that I know that Christ lives and that this is His church. Every
day is another day to experience His atonement and feel the joy of
forgiveness and redemption- of feeling close to our Heavenly Father
despite weakness hardship and sorrow.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3
Love y'all.
Hermana Ogden
I have memorized the first vision in English 0.0
We were walking the other day and I decided it was probably a good
idea to figure it out once and for all and so we just told each other
Joseph Smith's account of the first vision back and forth.
Everyone! It is amazing.
I saw a pillar of light. Exactly over my head. Above the brightness of
the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the
light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory
defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake
unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, "This is
my Beloved Son. Hear Him!".
A little while later we got a call from President Neilson from the
mission presidency and he asked us to speak with him in our stake
conference. He asked us to share the message of the restoration with
everyone. And standing up there with Sister Paschal in front of the
whole stake was such an amazing experience. The pillar of light that
Joseph saw changed the world. There is a God who lives and who has
sent His Son to save us, to help us, and to heal us. We sat back down
and Elder Evans of the Seventy got up and told us about a lady who
didn't believe in God, and especially didn't believe that Joseph Smith
saw Him. The missionaries who were teaching her sang her a song:
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah... And while I was sitting
there listening to Elder Evans talk about this lady's experience --
there it was: the spirit with an answer. "It is all true".
Truth feels like light. It feels like joy. It just feels so good.
"The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin..." Exodus 34: 6-7
We met with the kid who helped us catch the run away dog this week.
His name is Kayden. We also met with his dad Jason. The lesson was so
awesome, we practiced and practiced before we taught it and then the
spirit was right there helping us. Except Kayden was really shy and
didn't talk very much during the lesson and so I started having doubts
about inviting him to be baptized (BAD) and so I didn't. And then
Sister Paschal swooped in and invited him at the end of the lesson.
The spirit was so strong!! And the words just were carried by the
Holy Ghost. Almost before she finished the question Kayden was nodding
his head yes. And his dad, who has been less active his whole life,
said that he felt the spirit and knew God was aware of him and his
kid.
We are teaching a family I love sooo much. It is amazing to me how so
many people just feel certain of a living God who loves them. They
don't know why and they don't understand how, but they just know it
and can't deny it. Destiny is a 13 year old who hasn't ever really
been "taught", but she prayed for a dog and knew God would answer her.
Her parents didn't want a dog and didn't really even know how much
Destiny wanted a dog but they just felt like it was something they
needed to do one day. And Consuelo, the mother, has always wanted her
daughter believe in God and then to hear Destiny say that her prayer
was answered by the dog just touched her so much. I want this family
to know Jesus Christ so badly, and I know it's going to happen because
this family is so loved by God. Families are important to Him :)
It was service week- we painted ceilings and fed horses and put
stickers in library books. I love the missionaries I serve around.
Especially my comp!!
And I don't know what else to say so that's usually when it's time to
say that I know that Christ lives and that this is His church. Every
day is another day to experience His atonement and feel the joy of
forgiveness and redemption- of feeling close to our Heavenly Father
despite weakness hardship and sorrow.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3
Love y'all.
Hermana Ogden