Sickness in the Middle of the Night - January 31, 2013

Hola Mi Familia! I am so excited to write to you today! Lots of crazy and awesome things have happened this week so I am going to start off by telling a couple of stories:

Lauren & Her Companion Sister Hansen

Lauren & Elder Solomon - Old time Georgia friend

1. Sickness in the Middle of the Night So around 3 AM I woke up because I was not feeling so well and then I finally fell back asleep and starting having weird dreams about coughing. Once the dorm light was turned on I woke up and realized that the coughing was real and my companion had jumped up and turned on the light and we looked over and saw poor Hermana Dayton throwing up in her bed. The reason I am telling ya’ll this story is because of what happened next. All three of us Hermana Hanson, Hermana Jenson, and I jumped up at 4:30am in the morning and started to help her get cleaned up. We cleaned up the throw up and got her new sheets and then she took a shower and got to lie back down. It was neat how my love for this sister increased as I served her. This strengthened my testimony that serving someone will help you develop a greater love for them. It also satisfied another principle I have learned on my mission: it is all about others. End of the story because that’s how Christ lived his life.

Nemo gets to go to Chile also!

2. Meeting the General Relief Society President Today for Relief society in the MTC we had the privilege to hear from sister Burton who is the general Relief Society President. She talked about how Relief Society is about serving the one and helping sisters and others make and keep sacred covenants. After she spoke my companion Hermana Hanson, and I got to meet her!! Best day ever! She even gave me a hug. I told her I was going to Santiago Chile and she said she had just been there and that is was beautiful and the people are so strong in the gospel. I just love Relief Society so much. Serving as Relief Society president my freshman year was the best calling ever and I miss it so much. I just love those women and I know Relief Society is truly ordained and organized by God and we have a vital purpose as sisters to further Gods work on the earth.

3. My Blessing for my Cough SO here at the MTC I have developed a cough and a cold. Fun stuff.... It is hard for me to sleep and my poor roommates to sleep because I keep everyone up because I cough all night. Today I had a coughing attack in class and left to get some water and my teacher came in and suggested that I get a blessing. So after class I got a blessing from a sweet Elder in my zone. It was such a neat experience. All the other Elders were there so they placed their hands on my head also. The spirit in that room was so strong. The blessing talked about how I would get better with time and that if I am sick again to know that the Lord is always with me and He hears me when I pray. It was such a neat experience to have an 18 year old guy give me a blessing and how the power he held could invite such a great spirit into the room. They truly are men of God and they do hold the power of God, the Priesthood. I know that the power of the Priesthood is real and that blessings given to me are for me and are testaments that the Lord knows me individually and knows what I need and He also knows everyone that way and loves every one of his children individually so very much!

  4. My Study Journal This week my teacher told us about how he organized his study journal and it is the neatest thing!!! I got a small three ring binder, the kind that has the little paper inside, then got 5 dividers and label the first one, “Doctrine”. In this section is my own personal topical guide, on each page I write a gospel topic and arrange them in alphabetical order from Agency to Blessings to Word of Wisdom, etc. It’s the best, so when I am listening to a talk I just flip to the page that has its subject on it at the top and take notes there. If I don’t have a page with that subject I can just add it. It’s great because then I can go back if I have a question or want to study a topic like “Faith” I have my notes from last time and I can find them quickly and easily. The second tab is called “Testimony”. This tab is where I put how my testimony has grown or pretty much any thoughts I have about anything. The next tab is labeled, “Questions and Answers”. When my investigators ask me questions that I don’t know I put them on a sticky note and go find the answer and then write them down on the pages in that sections. Also when I have a question and don’t know the answer I can do the same. The next tab is “Quotes” which is one of my favorites. I write all the great quotes I get in this section. The last section I have titled “Stories”. This is my journal section I write the stories that happened to me and what I have learned from them. I title them and maybe one day my kids can read this and flip through till they find a title that looks like it could help them out in some way. I just had to share that will ya’ll because it really has blessed my life this week. I have already seen the blessing it has brought into my life already. I know it’s important to write down things you learn from the Spirit and it is also important to go back and read them. My teacher has given me a great tool that is organized and that I look back on the insights I have written every day. I love being a missionary and I love being at the MTC. The spirit is so strong here and I learn so much. It defiantly is not easy but it is so worth it. Spanish is coming along great I love learning the language and I can’t wait to speak it to the people in Chile.

So to end off I want to share something I learned about patience this week. Jesus Christ’s life on earth was not spent rushing around attempting to check off things off of his “To Do” list. He purposefully lived each day. He was not impatient, He considered every person who passed his way. I guess in a way patience is in a way of putting others time before yours; likewise we need to place the Lord’s time before ours. The Lord has given us time and we must in return give Him our patience and spend our time improving others. We must patiently wait for our turn when it is the Lord’s time, for it to be our time. I hope that made sense haha but I just have learned that the Lord’s plan for me is more important and better than the plan I had planned out for myself. I love this gospel and I love the Lord and I love love love all of ya’ll!!! Have such a great week! GO make someone else smile!

 Lauren aka Hermana Jennings