Hello everybody!
Good week here in cheyenne. Last Tuesday was a fun day. We had District p-day, and our whole district plus our zone leaders drove to a state park and went hiking. We hiked all the way back to "hidden falls", which was just a little waterfall. We had to walk our feet through a little bit of water...it was cold but pretty soon my feet got numb and I couldn't feel anything so it was fine! I made a book of mormon joke. I told everyone my feet were named laman and lemuel...because they were past feeling. If you get that and laughed I appreciate it.
Last Thursday we had zone conference which was great. All the missionaries from our zone got together and it lasted like all day. I was able to meet up with elder Gregg (my companion from the MTC). Apparently him and his companion just got emergency transfered into an area. Makes me feel better about my situation being swept in with elder Killian. The theme of the conference was diligence. One thing that really stuck out to me was "diligence is an expression of your love for the Lord and His work". My mind went to the story of Peter after christ had died. Peter and a couple of the disciples went back to fishing. Christ came and visited them and spoke with them. Three times Jesus asks Peter "do you love me". Peter responds yes and Jesus responds "feed my sheep". To show that Peter loves Him peter must "feed his sheep". So leave his nets, work hard, be diligent, and share Christ's gospel. We show our love for the Lord as we share what we know. The conference went on and kinda got overwhelming. There is sooooo much I can improve on and so many things I have to do to be a diligent missionary. Then one speaker got up and toward the end of his message he shared that "the savior looks on the heart...we are not perfect, but can be perfected in Him". Those were words that I needed to hear, and the spirit made them stick out to me. I was reminded that I don't have to worry about doing everything perfectly. I just need to do the best I can and the lord will know where my heart is, and trust me with His work and help me and strengthen me. It was an awesome zone conference. I can't wait until I'm not the greenie at zone conference that nobody knows haha.
Friday was sister Golds birthday. The Golds are the senior missionaries in our district. We all met up for lunch at the Golds, and sang happy birthday to her. They didn't have any candles, or matches, or lighters. So we found a flashlight and she "blew out" the flashlight. From that we went to help someone move. Elder Killian told me this would be my first of many moves. But it was great! I love serving. I love being a missionary. One day we were just sitting in the church building studying (the church has wifi so we're there often). And the stake president walked up to us and told us this old lady and her son, who was disabled, needed help walking to their car. Its awesome being able to have people to come to you for help. If you ever need anything, find the missionaries in your area they LOVE to help.
Yesterday was an interesting day. We got into the car and it didn't start! No lights are anything we're left on. So we called the vehicle coordinator and found a place we could take it to. Then we called someone who could come give us a jump. But before they got to our apartment, I decided I was gonna try 1 more time, and I did and I got the car to start!! Call me Elder car whisperer from now on please. We took it to a place and they told us they only check batteries on Thursdays?? So we called the coordinator again and he told us another place to go to, so we went there and got the battery checked and everything was fine. We needed it to be fine, because last night the members who were feeding us lived like 40 minutes away!! First time we went way out to the outskirts of our area.
Spiritual thought: A couple nights ago I was studying all the accounts of the final two days of the saviors mortal life where he performed his Atonement. The night before his crucifixtion Jesus Christ took upon himself all of our sins, and all of our pains. It was the hardest, most painful suffering anyone has and will ever suffer. In Doctrine and Covenants 19:18-19 we get some information on what his suffering was like. "Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men." In Matthew 26:39 we learn that he went to pray and" fell on his face". Mark 14 describes that His soul was "exceedingly sorrowful unto death" and he cried to God "Abba" which means father. In Luke 22 we learn that his suffering was so great that he was in agony and sweat was "great drops of blood". And that He was in so much agony, that an angel had to appear unto him to strengthen him. Immediately after this, Jesus was betrayed by judas and taken prisoner. Peter attacks one of the servants taking christ prisoner and cuts off his right ear. After this moment of much pain and suffering, and as he is being betrayed and taken to what he knows to be his death, christ touches the servants ear and heals him. He turns outward and cares about the servant. Christ is taken and tried and although guilty of nothing, is taken to be crucified. He was mocked and tortured. Forced to carry his cross to the hill. While walking he was followed by some women who were crying, Jesus tells then to "weep not for me" but to weep for the themselves and their children. Again he thinks about not himself, but of them. While on the cross He says to the Father "forgive them for they know not what they do". He was thinking about the soldiers who were killing him. On the mountain were two men also on crosses. One mocks christ and the other defends him. Jesus tells the one who defended him that "today shalt thou be with me in paradise". He comforts the man on the cross next to him. Finally right before he dies. He sees his mother, Mary. He tells one of his disciples John to take care of her. Then all was finished and he died. Throughout this entire experience christ not once thinks about himself. He does ask the father if it there is any way he doesn't have to do this, but "nevertheless not my will, but thine be done". Constantly he comforts and cares for those around him. Jesus is the Christ. He did what he did for us, for YOU. He doesn't think about himself, he thinks about you. He suffered for you, so you can repent and be forgiving of your sins. He felt your pains so he can help you, comfort you, and enable you as you turn to Him. He died and rose from the grave, so that you can live again! I promise that "all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ". He loves you and did what he did for you. Turn to him to find joy and peace. He is ALWAYS there for you.
Sorry for that spiritual thought that turned into a spiritual novel. I just love my savior and could go on and on about how great He is. God truly does love you so much, he send Jesus Christ and allowed him to suffer for you.
Fun stuff
-while helping someone move, I was having a difficult time following a truck and at one point had to flip a u-turn. My car yelled at me and told me that it was an "aggressive driving violation". Elder Killian told me he was proud of me for getting my first aggressive driving
-also while moving we were behind them and saw a chair that was literally held in by nothing and was bouncing around...we said a prayer together that it wouldn't fall and it didn't!!
-a members old dog who is apparently grumpy and mean to everyone was my friend!! They were surprised that he was being friendly
-I think I've learned more about the gospel in the past couple weeks than I have in 18 years
Elder Milius
Pictures:
-while walking we found a broken statue in the dirt and dug it out, brought it home and cleaned it and glued it together...Ended up being a statue of Mary holding Jesus by Michaelangelo¿(I think)
-when people are bronco fans they aren't just kinda bronco fans. They're decked out car and house and everything bronco fans, even here in cheyenne
-selfie from our district pday
-my very organized study area-lots of personal revelation received here. #makeholytheplacesyoustand
-some pics from zone conference
Elder Killian and Elder Milius
Cheyenne Zone Conference
Elder Gregg and Elder Milius
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