There is Someone Always Missing You; It's God

When we taught Jorge the Plan of Salvation, he was so grateful to hear about it. He's so genuine and has such a pure heart. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and was so excited to tell us about what he read :) This gospel is exciting! Don't lose that passion! This week I'll start as an ordinance worker in the temple :) An investigator from Guatemala got baptized! Her spirit is so sweet. Sang "Con el Salvador al Lado" (If the Savior Stood Beside Me) with the missionaries for her baptism.

Here are some quotes I found in my personal studies: 

"We feel God every day, more than we recognize. God is every feeling of hope, love, forgiveness, happiness, laughter, comfort...

The blessings in our 'ordinary life' are real blessings from a real God who really does love us and really did those exact things to help us. What an extraordinary life!..

The beginning and end of the solution is charity...

The very wind that caused the mountainous waves to bury the barges also blessed the Jaredites on their journey. [Often we plead] with the Father to calm the wind and waves, but without them, [we] might not reach whatever promised land He was leading [us] to."

Love From Above :)

We went to the Jordan River Temple Open House with an investigator from Venezuela, Jorge. He just arrived this week to Utah and was so grateful for being his friend and helping him come closer to God. He's reading the Book of Mormon and is so excited! The news of the gospel is so exciting! I was so grateful to be called as a teacher for Mission Prep in our stake, and it's so great!

We also listened to Al Fox Carraway speak at a devotional. I love her conversion story and perspective. She says, 

"We only get to do this mortal thing once. Don't waste it dwelling and believing on the bad... 

Forgive yourself as quickly as God forgives you and move on. God has... 

I'm loving this life of mine, not because it's easy or perfect (because it's not) but because it's hand-picked by God... 

Stop yearning and waiting for the future. Today, where you are right now, is a joy. Today, right now, is the best place to be... 

The unexpected is God intervening... 

No matter what, don't stop, even to take a break because the moment you stop is when fear, doubt, anxiety, and temptation start to creep in... 

Trust God with your life. After all, He is the one who gave it to you... 

We can choose to be hurt, doubtful, angry, and confused, or we can choose god. Choose to be faithful. Choose to be trusting. Choose to believe... 

If you feel like God has turned His back on you, turn around... 

Your prayers have been heard, but greater are the things He has in store for you... 

We find what we look for, so look for the good!"

Look for God

Gabe told us he didn't want to get baptized anymore. When he expressed to us his concerns and doubts and fears, we asked him what he does know about the gospel. He knows it's true and that he cannot deny the Spirit he has felt. This is real and if God is real, then this is how we get back to Him, so hold on! I felt God's love for Gabe and knew he was my brother, His son. We invited him to ask his Father in Heaven that night. Making covenants with God might appear tedious, but don't allow that to withhold you from the blessings because Christ has your back, no mater the mistakes you make after.

Sure, it takes humility to have faith. In Matthew 11:29-30, it sounds contradictory to take upon yourself a yoke to lighten your burdens. When we're yoked with Christ, however, this painful mortal experience becomes a blessing. God is every reason to be happy. Your heart is beating right now to glory His name. Right now and forever, God is mindful of you. You are always worthy of His love. 

"It is not enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. in contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something." - Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Love, Hermana Jerman

With God, Life is Perfect

This week, I got to meet Gabe with the Spanish missionaries. The first Sunday he decided to go to church, he woke up to the alarm he set but couldn't move or speak and felt a darkness. He knew the missionaries had taught him to pray. After offering a silent prayer, it went away. He is getting baptized Saturday!! Satan works on the righteous because he knows our divine potential and wants to keep us from the joy and blessings. But with God at our side, he can't touch us. We will always be more powerful than him. 

Recently, I have focused my personal studies on the role and functions of the Holy Ghost. "Recognizing the Spirit takes time and effort and there's a good reason for that. Richard G. Scott taught, 'Our Father expects us to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and in His Holy Son. Were we to receive inspired guidance just for the asking, we would become weak and dependent on Him. He knows that essential personal growth will come as we struggle to learn how to be led by the Spirit.' Even when engaged in the service of the Lord, inspiration will not always be provided. There may be times we don't receive inspiration because what we would naturally do, based on our own experience and understanding, is acceptable to the Lord (D&C 80:3). Perhaps it's not so much a problem as it is evidence of the Lord's confidence in you... Furthermore, we may be left on our own because acting on our own in a particular situation will help us learn an important lesson and/or may be part of the testing experience that life is intended to be (Abraham 3:25).

"When yoked to the Savior we cannot lose (Matt. 11:28-30). Herein lies the opportunity to not worry about things we can't control. Since the one we are yoked to does everything perfectly, and has all power, we can rest assured that whatever He is involved in will ultimately work to our advantage, as well as to the advantage of others we care about. If we are yoked to the Savior, we need not worry about unfortunate present circumstances or unwanted future possibilities, or even problems learning a language. Thanks to the Atonement, after repentance, we need not worry about past mistakes. As long as we are partnered with the Savior and doing our best to follow Him, we need not worry about or fear anything! Nor, as we persistently try to overcome them, do we need to feel guilty or frustrated by our natural limitations.

"Life is like an old time rail journey - delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." 

I started reading Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche. He taught, "If every act of labor were done with love and care, there would be light, even divine light, in the heart and soul enabling us to grab one another's hand and to dance like innocent children, filled with the exuberance of never-ending joy... I don't care what people think I just want to be clean before God... Only what we have faith in, we know for sure. Our reasoning capabilities will not bring us salvation."

Think about being more blessed than stressed :)

Love, Hermana Jerman