Success, singing, and sacrifice.

email 10 Mar 2015

Howdy howdy! 

Well this week was pretty good! A lot of things have been happening! On Wednesday we had a mission-wide iPad training for 5 hours straight with no break. It was a lot but it was super good! I got to see Sister Hadden there so I was really excited to see her! :) Our mission is doing a pilot program for the iPads. They're restarting everything with a new program. So we're getting new iPads and we aren't going to have Facebook or Facebook messenger for 3-4 months. The training was all about how we can use the iPads and technology in general to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They kept telling us "this training isn't about iPads. It's not about your mission. This is going to effect you for the rest of your life." It was a really spiritual meeting. And it makes me want to use technology more for strengthening others than for Pinterest or googling random things. It's easy to be idle on technology. But there's so much good on there! I'm excited to see what the new program will bring for us to do. :) 

Another thing that we got with the iPads is FAMILY SEARCH!!! I've been bitten by the family history bug! It's so amazing to see the pictures and stories of my ancestors and the things that they've been through. I love feeling that connection with them. It's such a blessing to know that I can be sealed to them for eternity. I've tried to do family history before but I've never been able to find anything. Sister Wharton and I got a little training on how to do it and this week I've probably spent 3 hours on it and I've found 107 people that are ready to have their temple work done! It's been a huge blessing in my life and I know it has been in theirs. I can only imagine what It would feel like to be waiting since the 1700s to be baptized and to be sealed to your family. I'm so excited to be able to give all these people the opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. 


At district meeting this past week, someone said something that stuck out to me. They said "obedience brings blessings. But exact obedience brings miracles." And that's exactly what we need right now are some miracles!!! So we've decided to make "exact attack" sticker charts to make sure we're being as obedient as we can be! And we've been seeing a lot of progression in our area since we've started! We've been able to find some potential people to teach. And I know it's from being obedient! 

We were at a birthday party and I met this lady who was a music major and she offered to give me voice lessons once a week! I AM SO EXCITED!!! I got permission to spend an hour singing. I'm really excited to start working on music again. :) We've been walking around our area while I play my ukulele and it seems to help people feel welcome to talk to us and it's been a cool outlet/finding tool. 


We gave a talk this past Sunday on "Sacrifices that Bring Blessings." There are tons of sacrifices we make. Tithing, fasting, missions, callings, parenting ... all of them sacrifice different things. But the reason we make these sacrifices is the same. It's to strengthen. Whether it's strengthening ourselves or strengthening others. The definition of blessing is "God's favor and protection." Sacrifice brings his favor and protection. Favor can mean favorite. But it also means resemble. As we make sacrifices, we are able to resemble Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The most important thing I think we can sacrifice is our will. I've definitely seen this a lot on my mission. When Christ is in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prays to Heavenly Father. In Luke 22:42-43 it says,

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

He sacrificed His will because he loved us. And because he loved his father. I love the last part that says that angels strengthened him. Sacrifice brings strength. And as we sacrifice our will to His, we will receive strength to get through anything. His will isn't always the easiest. We will all go through our own Gethsemanes. But we will receive strength. And I can promise that. I love this gospel. I love my Heavenly Father. And I love my savior, Jesus Christ. 

Love ya lots, 
Sister Sarlls