I Have Overcome the World

email 11 Jan 2016

Hey y'all! This week was honestly the longest week of my life. I don't know what it was but I feel like it's been FOREVERRRRR. Anyways, It's been a hardworking week for sure. It's the best feeling in the world to come home and just CRASH because you've worked so hard. 

I sent a picture last week of a baptism and I forgot to tell y'all about it! So the family is a family that I taught in Syracuse. The kids really really wanted to be baptized but it was really hard to get them to church and to get the parents involved as well. Well I left the area but the sisters there kept teaching them and helping them. And then THEY FINALLY GOT BAPTIZED. I got to go to and sing at their baptism. Gosh, these kids are awesome. When the little girl got baptized she was scared to go under the water so right before she was dunked she took a HUGE gasp of air. Haha. It was the cutest thing. I love them so much. Now they're all working towards being sealed in the temple as a family. :) it was a good day.

It's tradition to serve a mission and eat exotic foods, right? Well I tried my exotic food from Utah. It was chocolate covered cinnamon bears. First of all, I've never heard of cinnamon bears. And the fact that there's chocolate over it does not sound appealing. I bit into it and it tasted like a candle! It's not even the good cinnamon like Cinnamon Toast Crunch or anything. It's like a breath mint covered in chocolate. Yeah.......if anyone offers it to you.....just beware.

I was actually given the cinnamon bears at a service project for the entire YSA (Young Single Adult) stake. (There are multiple YSA STAKES here in Utah. Crazy, right?) It was an amazing service project though. We were making sanitary kits for girls in Africa. Apparently when they're on their period they have to miss a whole week of school because they don't have anything to help it. So we made them pads that are washable and reusable! It was a pretty fun activity and I know it was very needed for our sisters in Africa. (See this link for more information on how you can help this project. - Ed.)

In this month's ensign I read an article titled "Revealed Realities of Mortality" (link). There was one specific line that stuck out to me:

"To make our time here meaningful, we must live and experience the God-ordained purposes of mortality--fully, completely, and wholeheartedly--rather than becoming distracted by things that are interesting, comfortable, and convenient."

It reminded me of Facebook. A lot has changed since the last time we were on there. I used to go on to see what people's lives were like. Now we go on only to see videos of sped up recipes, life hacks, and other random news. Everything I see on Facebook can be put in the categories of interesting, comfortable, and convenient. Of course there are the exceptions! And Heavenly Father wants us to be on Facebook. He doesn't want us to ignore Facebook, but to use it and mold it into a place where people can uplift one another. And this goes for all social media. Social media is part of God's plan. :) Sometimes I really worry about the direction the world is going. But then I think, it's fine! Because we've been given a promise.

"33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

I've been studying a lot about Lehi's dream (link) lately. I always imagine the iron rod as just a stroll in the park haha like walking down the stairs and holding onto the railing. But life isn't like that so I thought of being on a hike. A steep hike where your life relies on if you're holding on to the rod or not. So I was imagining myself hiking and then the mist of darkness coming over me. I know that my first instinct would be to just stop and stay there and not move out of fear of falling. The mist of darkness represents temptation and I think sometimes it's more of a temptation to stand at a halt and to not progress than it is to drift off into sin. Sometimes it's a temptation to be stagnant or to be content with where we are. But when we keep going, through anything that comes our way, we'll reach the ultimate goal of the love of God. :)

This last week we had a zone conference and Sister Jaggi had us sing the primary song "He Sent His Son". It was really cool because we split up into groups and one group sang as the "investigator" and the other group as the "missionaries". So whenever the lyrics were a question, the investigators sang. And whenever it was an answer, the missionaries sang. It was really cool and I felt the spirit just flood the room completely. I had chill bumps all over. I love being a missionary so much. I love being able to testify every single day. It just makes my heart feel like it's going to burst open!

He Sent His Son 

How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?

He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.

How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?

He sent his Son to walk with men on earth, that we may know.

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?

He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath.

What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?

Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way.

What does he ask? Live like his Son.

Words: Mabel Jones Gabbott,1910-2004

Music: Michael Finlinson Moody, b. 1941

(c) 1982 by Mabel Jones Gabbott and Michael Finlinson Moody. Arr. (c) 1989 IRI. 

I love this work. :)

Love,
Sister Sarlls