This
week has been one to remember! I have reflected on a lot and wow. The time
flies at times and at times it doesn’t.
But
I remember October General Conference of 2012. I was sitting in my front room
with my family ready with my notebook in hand ready for a spiritual refuel. I
sat there and as president Monson started to speak I remember distinctly the
moment right before he made the life changing announcement for the age change
for missionaries. I was reminded through the spirit that the Lord’s will needs
to be my will. President Monson announced the age change and everyone was
asking if I would be finishing nursing school or going on my mission which had
been my dream for YEARS.
Well, with much excitement and lots of council
from my parents- mainly from my father, yes of course I would finish. But in
this moment, I thought. WHY? After all the plans I made Heavenly Father… I had
it all planed out. Well, this was one of many experiences that I had that the
Lord has HIS time, and when we follow HIS will we are blessed.
Fast forward to October 2014. I was in the CCM/MTC in Lima Peru sitting
on a bench in the patio area talking with my companion. I was mostly crying not
talking if I recall. Oh the emotions. I had just a few weeks into my mission
and it hit me like a block in the face. I could not communicate; I could not
share the gospel because I did not know the language. I sat there wondering and
thinking about how could God do this to me? All I had ever wanted to do was to
serve Him, go on a mission and be His servant. I sat there talking with my
companion about how hard it was for me because I felt like I was being cut
down, once again. Nursing school was already hard enough. Why again?
Well,
not even 10 minutes later we walked into our class and our teacher showed us a Mormon
message about the Will of God, by D. Todd Christoferson. It was an answer to
prayer. I sat there shocked. Heavenly Father knew how I felt.
I want to share a part of the talk that he
gave about this topic, and also the one that was made for the Mormon message.
“I would like to speak of
one particular attitude and practice we need to adopt if we are to meet our
Heavenly Father’s high expectations. It is this: willingly to accept and even
seek correction. Correction is vital if we would conform our lives “unto a
perfect man, [that is,] unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Paul said of divine correction or chastening,
“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6). Though it is often
difficult to endure, truly we ought to rejoice that God considers us worth the
time and trouble to correct.”
“God
uses another form of chastening or correction to guide us to a future we do not
or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way for us.
President
Hugh B. Brown, formerly a member of the Twelve and a counselor in the First
Presidency, provided a personal experience. He told of purchasing a rundown
farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his
property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m)
high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving
only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these
little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say: “How could you do this to me? I was making
such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the
garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were
the gardener here.” President Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am
the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be
a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday,
little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say,
‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”
If
we sincerely desire and strive to measure up to the high expectations of our
Heavenly Father, He will ensure that we receive all the help we need, whether
it be comforting, strengthening, or chastening. If we are open to it, needed
correction will come in many forms and from many sources. It may come in the
course of our prayers as God speaks to our mind and heart through the Holy
Ghost (see D&C 8:2). It may come in the form of prayers that are answered
no or differently than we had expected.”
I
feel like we all have moments that we feel like we are being cut down. It is
because God loves us. He doesn’t want us to only achieve what we think we can
achieve. He knows we can do more. I have shaken my fist at heaven and wondered
why it is so hard. But I will continually understand and recognize it is
because God has a plan for me, for Hermana Frame. He wants me to achieve, to
learn, and to grow. Without correction and being “cut down” I will never
progress. I have remembered this this week as we have been working with the
members and investigators.
Right now we are working with Hermana Yessica.
She is completely ready for baptism. She had her interview yesterday and all we
are waiting on is her husband to return from the jungle so we can do her papers
to get married. Oh, how this week I have thought…Why does she have to wait? She
wants to be baptized. Isn’t that a worthy enough reason for it all to just work
out. But he needed to cut her down, put her though this to realize that she can
do hard things. To have faith and patience is the game we are playing. But
overall we are all learning together that the will of the Lord is everything.
We need to understand how to accept the will of the Lord, and even more yearn
to do the will of the Lord.
I love this gospel and this week remember that
the Lord has a plan for you. He wants to bless you. His pathway is the best way
to go. It doesn’t mean that it will be the easiest, but it is always worth it.
I love this gospel and I am so grateful to be here on my mission. I love it
with all my heart.
Until
next week!
Hermana
Frame
This
week we had Hermana Bazos birthday!
She had a day filled with cakes, parties,
and gifts…
I made sure that even though she was new here in Quilla she could
still feel loved.
So grateful that I have connections-perks of being in the
same área for a long time.
But the hermana leaders were here to celebrate and
we were able to celebrate Hermana Robinsons as well! They had eggs cracked on
their head with flour thrown on them.
Oh the traditions of Peru!
My
hair falls out in handfulls!
It happens to all the hermanas here in the misión!
Pray that I have hair when I get back! Haha!
With
my convert Wendy calling the headquarters of the Liahona
to help set up an
account because her new calling is to help with the magazines.
We listened to
lovely church music as we were put on hold. HAHA!
Listening to hymns in the
middle of Peru on a payphone!
I
learned how to drive Wendy’s moto!
WAHOO!
My companion had a heart attack in
the back seat as I was learning!
We
pass the pool every day and yes,
I sit there gazing at those people that get to
enjoy bliss
as I am sweating my face off…. Haha!
Oh
how I love these two girls!
These two are so rambunctious!!!
But Yessica definitely
loves our help with them in sacrament meeting,
and these pics were when she was
having her interview.
OH THEY ARE SO CUTE!
