Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me

This past week was super busy! We had meetings, doctor appointments, conferences, exchanges, 8 yr old baptisms, and 4th of July festivities! I always thought that holidays would be awesome finding days since everyone will be home and with their families...........false. NO one was home. And those that were home with their families wanted nothing to do with us.....so it was not as fruitful as I thought it would be! But we made the most of it and still had a great Independence Day! We had to be in our apartment by 7 pm and do studies, but I can say for sure now that Heavenly Father answers ALL of our prayers as long as they are expressed with an ounce of faith. A couple of days before the 4th we had a lesson with a returning Less-Active and in her prayer she said, "And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, help these girls to have their apartment on the right side of the complex so they can watch the beautiful fireworks!!" At 8:30 pm we look outside and BAM! FIREWORKS!! It was so fun to watch her little prayer be answered. I almost cried!

But this week I really learned a lot about the Atonement. We had several lessons about it and Relief Society this week was even about it as well. But my favorite thing that I learned was actually a quote from Preach My Gospel. It says, "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ". We did this object lesson where we hold a glass of water in our hands and ask everyone how heavy they think it is. It's not very heavy, but the longer and longer we hold it up, the more tiered our arm gets. And its exactly like that with the Atonement. The longer and longer we hold those burdens and weaknesses on our backs, the more weak and discouraged we will be. But if we rely on the Savior to support us and use those trials to nourish our thirst, we can be made stronger and the suffer less. No matter what trial we are going through, the Savior will support us. But we have to be the ones to ask for His help. One of my favorite quotes is "Some of our greatest trials can be some of our greatest blessings in disguise" and I know that to be true! Every trial I have experienced on my mission has helped me to grow stronger and to be a better tool in the Lord's hands. In my personal studies I was reading in Matthew 16 and I love verse 24 that says, "Take up your cross and follow me". Then in the footnotes it has a Joseph Smith Translation that says, "For a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself of all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments". The road to eternal life is not always easy. Sometimes we feel like we can't see very far into the distance. Sometimes we feel like we can't even see the step in front of us. But I know that as long as we continue to push forward with faith and rely on our Savior to direct us, He will direct our paths. I am so grateful for my Savior and not a day goes by that I continually strive to become more like Him.

I love you all! xoxo

Sister Morgan