But this week has been amazing!!!!!!! We saw a bunch of great miracles!!!!!
So Eastern Idaho is on FIRE!!!! Literally and figuratively! Seriously though last time we were updated there was 4 or 5 fires burning here, and you could tell. It literally smelled like a campfire full time here all last week. It was the first thing you smelled when you woke up, and the last thing you smelt when you went to bed. The air was so gross, and visibility was crazy. like was so smoky!!!! Thankfully it's been clearing though and I can finally breathe again, I think most of the fires have been put out now, but maybe not...But this area is on fire!!!!!!! We found 7 new investigators this last week, and all of them have amazing potential!!! They are so cool!!!!! This one lady just yelled at us to come in when we knocked the door, so we did, I think she was expecting us, but she just looked and shrugged her shoulders and said alright well sit down lets talk. BOOM. Miracle, now her and he children are taking the lessons LEGIT! We knocked on another womans door and she opened and was like I've already taken the missionary lessons but I feel lost without God in my life, can you come back and teach me? Well yes, yes we can. Seriously so cool!!!!! It's seriously so insane to get to see the great miracles going on!!! Another amazing one we saw was with this sweet lady named Luna. We were walking by on our way to an appointment and saw her smoking outside, well even though we needed to go something told us to talk to her, so we did. Luna told us about her life, and the struggles shes had, and is still having. She faces alot of medical problems, and she ended up telling us she would give anything to be dead. Not in a suicidal way, but she said she would pray all the time that Heavenly Father would take her. My heart broke hearing this, no child of God should have to live that way. Our Heavenly Father has a greater plan for us than that. Thankfully Sister Hill and I understand that plan, and we shared it with her. You could not only feel the spirit there on the street but the whole situation, including Luna seemed to get brighter as we went on. It was so amazing, she welcomed us back again, and while she still has those feelings she said life seems a little brighter for her, and we know it will only continue to brighten up!!!! She still has troubles to face, but with the Lord all things are possible, and she can endure all things. I cannot wait to keep working with her!!!!
So this week I have really been studying Nephi and his family. I wanted to find something new, something I had never really noticed before, because really lets face it how many of us just fly through it when we start the Book of Mormon because we have read it a million times?! I know I do for sure which is ridiculous!!!!! So this week I was trying not to do that, and I grew tons in my appreciation for him, seriously he's a stud!!!!!!! What I noticed though was that Nephi was obedient. Well duh. But what really stood out to me was that Laman and Lemuel were to. Everything they were commanded they did. Nephi is always praised for his obedience, but I got to thinking of why, why did he get so recognized when his brothers did the same things? It was because Nephi did everything through faith. He wasn't obedient to be obedient like his brothers, because you could tell their true desires, they wanted nothing to do with getting the plates, or moving into the wilderness, so they whined and complained all the time! Nephi he knew and understood that the things he was commanded were important, that they were of God. He had true desires to serve him, and so he worked his hardest and had the faith that he could do anything he was commanded. My whole life I have always related to Nephi on this. The prideful part of me always said "look at how great and obedient you are", for the most part I was pretty obedient. Just think, I was never tempted to break the word of wisdom, chastity not even close to an issue, modesty? I did alright with that to, not dating until 16? Not steady dating? Check, Check. I tried to follow all the commandments given all the time and I was pretty good at it. I could have improved on honoring thy father and mother, but I have plans to improve that (sorry mom). But as I was thinking about Nephi and my own obedience I realized all this time I was not acting like Nephi. I was acting like Laman and Lemuel. I followed the rules, but did I complain on occasion? Heck yeah. There were always moments in my heart where I was just like "Cant I be done already?! This is to much work!!!!" But I always followed. It was a weird reality to recognize my pride and see how I really had been living most my life, which was without faith, without true desires to serve my Heavenly Father I just obeyed because I was told to. But now as I have been looking back on my mission especially, where I have way more rules than ever, I've realized that I have started to become Nephi. I never struggled to follow rules here, but now I not only follow because I have to, but because I want to. Because I have a testimony, just like Nephi that these things will bless me. That I can do all things. That if the Lord commands I can do anything. If I have a will to follow, he will give me the way. It's a small change, because ultimately I do the exact same things, but in my heart, in my spirit it has made a world of difference as I have been on my mission. I am still no where close to perfect, and nor will I ever be, but I am so grateful for the small things, that truly teach me and show me the way to becoming more like my Savior. I will always obey, because that's just who I am, but now I can truly say I wont obey to be obedient, but I will obey to follow my Savior. Because I have a testimony of these things and how they bless my life, I now know and understand the difference and I can guarantee you that this way is much much better!!!!!!
Well I don't have an attention span anymore and really need to go shopping, sorry no pictures this week, but I will try and take a million this week to make up for it!!! I hope all is well and that you are continuing to see the amazing miracles that happen in your daily life!!!!!
Love you lots!
Sister Kaycie Sondrup
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