Hola todos,
Oh goodness! How are you all doing? I pray all is well in your various regions of the world :D Well I am still her in good ol' Kansas city Kansas, loving the work and trying to be better. Being out full proselyting is very different. You know those stories that you have heard about missionaries falling into bed with exhaustion? Well I thought that I had felt that before, yeah...turns out no because I do now. My companion and I really decided to commit to commit ourselves to being missionaries and not just doing things that missionaries do. We read a talk together a few days ago in our companionship study called "The Fourth Missionary" and as we read it I felt such a change come over my mind, a desire to be so much better than I have been. In this talk the author speaks of how there are four different types of missionaries and to sum it up the fourth missionary is the missionary that not only does a ton of good in every area that he/she is in and changes many lives, but the missionary changes as well. The actual character and nature of the missionary changes because he/she is not just doing the work because it is what is asked of him, but because they have given up all of their other desires to serve the Lord while they are out there serving the Lord. They do not think about the things that await them back home but they think with every action that they are taking "Is what I am doing right now helping me to bring others closer to Christ?" Honestly this is sometimes hard to do. Sometimes I let my mind wander to what we will be doing after we get done with the appointment that we are in, or when I will be able to take a rest, or how tired I am. I experimented these last few days on how I could focus more on the work and really BE a missionary. Well I asked myself tons of times through out the day if what I was currently doing was helping others come closer to Christ, and when it wasn't I found something that was. After we both(my comp and I) decided to really re-dedicate ourselves, we really saw the fruits of our labors increase and we both felt such a different feeling, a feeling of REALLY being missionaries! I know that you all are not missionaries but if you have time to read from this talk I still feel like it will benefit you in your lives.
I want to share a couple quotes from the actual talk: "Happiness is the product of righteous desires, desiring what the Lord would have you do." Okay I need to double testify that this is SOOO true. Being on a mission sometimes is the hardest thing that I have ever experienced. And. I LOVE it. I believe it is because I have finally decided that what the Lord wants really comes before what I want in my life. Before I was like "Sure I want what the Lord wants for me, if its something that I like or want to do." Ha ha. Yeah. Well I am finally learning to REALLY want what the Lord wants, whether I think that it is the best thing or not. Um. I guess you could say that I am less of a control freak...or I am getting there. Some days I don't know what to do...not even remotely, but when I clear my mind of all of the things that I want and need to do, He gives me peace and the knowledge of what NEEDS to come first, and the rest follows. All is well, all is well.
Another quote I love from this talk is "You change immediately with each good thought, each good act, every good word changes you for better." muy poderoso no? I love this! So. Will you all commit to ask the Lord what is His will and be willing to do it? I know that the Lord asks us to only do good things, and then with each good thought, each good word, you will be changed and you will help change others.
My area is fantastic. So very different but I love it and I love my companion. My Spanish is improving because I NEED it. We are two gringas walking the streets of little Mexico. I NEED SPANISH. It's an adventure and I feel so blessed to be in this area with these people. They are my people and I have grown to love them with all that I am.
Well, I love you all, please keep the letters coming because it's so nice to get one at the end of a long day. Remember you can email me to:D
Go do some good!!!
con amor,
Hermana Thorne
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