Taking My Wand for a Nametag

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Chapter 61: "Your Mom Goes to College!"

If you don't know where this quote is from, you may as well stop reading this email.

Just kidding.

But really, I hope all you mothers out there had the best day ever! I know I looooved chatting with the fam on Sunday❤ yay moms! Moms are the best!

We met with a ton of members this week, and set a soft bap date with Carolina! We still have to finish the lessons with her and get her in the habit of coming to church, but she's on the right path! We also spent today's Pday at this famous rose garden hidden at the base of piazzale Michelangelo. It was kinda the coolest.

We also got to meet up a few times with Francesca, a less active a couple years older than us, who wants to start coming back. She's one of those people I just clicked with. Like it took no time at all for me to just love her.❤We've started working with her so that she and her husband can get sealed in the temple soon! Seriously, she is making so much progress and I'm just beyond stoked for her!

We had two baptisms this week!! Not for investigators lol, but for Sara and Katherina! Their families are members, but we'd been doing the lessons with both of them in prep for the baptisms, and it was so fun! Plus a lot of our investigators came to the baptisms which was the best!🤗

We also got a new investigator, Maryam, a friend of some of the college students in the ward! She's been to church the last two Sundays, and we've been meeting with her twice a week! She's originally Muslim, so it's been a challenge. Seriously her lessons have been the hardest I've had on my mission! We always leave them feeling totally drained haha, but she's making progress! It goes a lot slower, given that it took us an entire hour just to explain who God is (and she's still not quite getting it...), but she really is searching for the truth. She came to Sara's baptism, and felt the spirit so strongly she started crying. She kept asking what that feeling was, and how she could feel it again. *cue comp fist-bumping* She also asked for a blessing from the Anziani, and it was super neat!

In other news, we had deep fried Oreos for district meeting. Our district is the same as it was last transfer- us, plus Anz Young, Younce, Challis, and Tumblin. We have too much fun🤷🏼‍♀️ the Anziani bought deep fryers once they found out we were all staying... sooo we've been frying everything😂😅 in unrelated news, Arndt and I have started doing P90X every day...

Aaaaaanyways I've been reading in James lately, where we find the all-famous scripture that led Joseph Smith to ask the question that instigated the restoration of the Christ's church: 

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Something interesting though, is the scripture that follows it.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Joseph didn't merely ask God a simple question; he asked in faith. He asked not "Which church is true?" Instead, the question was "Which church should I join?" He wasn't just curiously seeking a response- he had faith that God would answer him, and he was already committed to act on whatever response he did receive.

That's something we've been working on with our investigators and the others we've been working with. It's essentially just having them ask themselves if they are learning solely out of curiosity, or if there is an intention to act. I feel like that is key anytime we are seeking answers from God. Faith doesn't just signify 'belief'- it's an action word. So surely we are a million more times likely to receive answers and guidance once we've already decided to act on whatever answer God gives us, no matter how difficult it may be.

xoxoxoxoxo
Sorella Smedley 



1-Mother’s Day!   2-4 Sara & Katherina’s baptisms  5- District Mtg.  6- Beautiful Florence  7-10  Pday in the gardens


  

     

  













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