Rachael's Mission

Mexico Torreon Mission October 2015 - April 2017

Rachael's Picture

Rachael's Picture

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Week 4

Hermana Lutze,

I cannot believe you've been gone a month already. It probably seems fast to you and yet at the same time forever... I remember having those feelings! :) I hope you received the previous letters that I sent by e-mail and the attachments. They should have been delivered on Monday. We enjoyed your e-mail as usual. Have you figured out what's wrong with your camera or the computer? I hope you haven't been suffering from diarrhea. Remember it's one Cipro and one twelve hours later at the first sign of diarrhea and then take the Immodium. :) I'm so glad you liked the donuts. They looked delicious! I love how creative your district is in finding fun along the way... homemade balls out of paper and tape, Pringle lid Frisbees... Awesome! 

I enjoyed your comments about being Called to SERVE not just to teach, preach, etc. This is so true! You will discover, as you already have a little bit, that as you serve those you are teaching you truly learn to love them and to see them as Heavenly Father sees them. The Fail Forward or Becoming was also great to read about. Even if we are baby stepping in the right direction we're still moving, still trying and Heavenly Father and His Son are pleased with us. And yes you will want to be someone different, better when you come home, otherwise the time on your mission was not well spent. Emily read a scripture in her class this week that's been on my mind ... John 6:67-69. This occurred after some followers of Christ upon hearing Christ speak of the sacrament and His ascension quit following after Him. "Then said Jesus to the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to who shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." Rachael we must not only believe but then we must act and then we become sure. Serving a mission is action and a way to "be sure." We will all need this kind of testimony in these last days to "stand" like I talked about in my last e-mail. 

Brother Carroll in his gospel doctrine class today mentioned the importance of music in bearing our testimony to others. In Colossians 3:16 we read, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." As you know, music is a powerful way for us to convey our feelings to others and for them to feel the Spirit. Always recognize the power of music on your mission.

Elder Craig B. Terry of the Seventy came to our Sacrament Meeting today (perk for living in Utah and yes they are just jealous) and bore testimony of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. He talked about how the twelve had been attending the temple for months before the April General Conference to know the will of Heavenly Father and His Son... keeping the Sabbath Day holy came from that. As Elder Terry spoke about the Sabbath Day he also talked about the importance of the sacrament. He said this is the only ordinance in the church that we are able to do more than once for ourselves... weekly right and then I thought it is also the only ordinance in the church that we never do for someone that is dead. Thinking of the Sacrament in this way really makes it personal and so very important. I know you've heard me talk about this before... I truly missed partaking of the Sacrament when I worked on Sundays and it was such a blessing when it became available to us. I cherish the sacrament and have been thinking of Neill F. Marriot's talk, "Yielding Our Hearts to God." She said, "During the sacrament, which I call the heart of the Sabbath, I have found that after I pray for forgiveness of sins, it is instructive for me to ask Heavenly Father, "Father, is there more?" When we are yielded and still, our minds can be directed to something more we may need to change-something that is limiting our capacity to receive spiritual guidance or even healing and help." I hope you will use the Sacrament on your mission as a time to help you "Become" what Heavenly Father knows you can become.

Hannah's soccer banquet was on Wednesday and very enjoyable and short! :) She finds out her last ACT score on Tuesday. I'm praying that she improved it. I spent time with Papa at his house this weekend. He really enjoys your letters and told me that you call him your Platinum Papa. :)

We love you and believe in you and know that you are about a great work like Nehemiah. Do you  remember his story in the Old Testament? He was sent to rebuild the walls and gates around Jerusalem and there were three in particular that made fun of him "...they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do?" Nehemiah responded, "The God of heaven he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build." Then in 6:1 we read, "Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein... That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messenger unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. Unlike Lehonti in the Book of Mormon (Alma 47) who did come down eventually Nehemiah never did come down and kept working. These are the stories I thought of as I read what you wrote about not changing the way you are to please other people!

I love you!

Mom

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