Dear Friends and Family,
This week has been incredible. I feel as though this great trial
is becoming a thing of the past based on the fondness that I feel for it
already. All of those prayers and hard days were not in vain because one of our
wonderful investigators is getting baptized this Wednesday!! I feel like I can
breathe...Heavenly Father is blessing us and yesterday was a great day.
I will tell you why, but FIRST........THE Sister Johnson (my BFF
from Miami who died the when I was half way finished with being trained and
basically saved me that transfer and is too fun for words) came knocking on our
door on Friday. I geeked out as bad as when KK surprised me in the car when she
came home for a 3 day weekend her freshman year at BYU. Her "baby" is
Sister Albrecht, who dies next week, and she served where I am serving now so
she is in town to see her RCs and visit members. That was a trip!! Hopefully I
can get her to send you a video. It would be good blackmail on me haha. I just
love her! So nice to see her and have her tell me how different I seem/look.
Also she evaded my question of: "so do I look totally tired and trashed
like do I have missionary bags?" She laughed it off and wouldn't answer!
That's a yes but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love losing sleep over
people's salvation. Okay that is a bad way of putting it. I love being
emotionally invested in our investigators.
So.... SUNDAY:
We are excited to see how M.'s baptism influences her family. I
know that the spirit will touch their hearts, and I know that if I am left in
this area another transfer, we will continue teaching them as they are
prepared.
We are also working with a family from El Salvador and
Guatemala. They have two beautiful children and are so receptive to the spirit.
They keep their commitments and are really kind. I am looking forward to seeing
how they progress this week.
In the Book of Mormon, I studied Nephi's psalm this week, which
was good timing because I needed an attitude adjustment. One of my favorite
lines in 2 Nephi 4:
26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in
his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy,
why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my
flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
This really opened my eyes. My gratitude for my Savior and my
mission is immeasurable. I know that things are hard. But why wouldn't they be?
They were hard for the Savior, and being His representative, why should my path
be easy? I read "Lessons From Liberty Jail" by Elder Holland and
realized that a heart wallowing in misery and self-pity is nearly impenetrable
for the spirit. That is why last week was so incredibly hard. However, even in
hard times, a heart filled with charity and faith is one that the spirit can
access.
I am so very grateful for my trials. Some are so hard that they
become sacred. Elder Holland explained that our trials can become
"prison-temples", just like Liberty Jail. Sections 121-123 in the
Doctrine and Covenants are marvelous. However, those revelations came in the
darkest moments of the prophet’s life. Elder Holland explains that even the
righteous, perhaps especially the righteous, must spend a little time in their
Liberty Jail, in their prison-temple. I know that is where I have been for the
past couple of weeks. However, my eyes have been opened as I see that those
trials would have been even harder without the help of the Savior.
I love this work. I love the joy I feel as I am blessed to see
firsthand how the atonement changes people.
I learned in Relief Society yesterday that missionary work is
the last and perhaps the greatest miracle that the Savior has given us in the
last dispensation. I know that to be true.
Thank you for your support, especially when I get wound way too
tight. I am working on it!
Con amor,
Hermana McCormick
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