"Well, this has been an exhausting week. Seriously. I feel like somebody took a rolling pin and spread me thin. We have been pulled in every direction this week, but the Lord continues to poor out blessings upon us. I could never include everything that happened this week but I hope you at least gain something by reading this!
I've probably learned more about the enabling power of the atonement this week than ever before. Serving in a leadership capacity gives you many opportunities to see pain, heartache, and guilt first hand. It has opened my eyes to just how much my Savior really suffered for me, for all of us. Without the atonement, without Jesus Christ, all hope would be lost. We would go through life with no help, have no bright future to look forward to, live in our sins and never change or progress. Just thinking about life with out the atonement gives me chills. But on that same thought I think about what helps me to access the atonement. Well the sacrament, making sacred covenants, prayer and priesthood blessings are the first things that pop into my mind. And then I think about the billions of people in the world who don't have access to the proper priesthood authority thereby giving them full access to the atonement. And that, my friends, is why I am on a mission. Not just for investigators, less actives, or members. But for sister missionaries, for my companion, and for myself. This weekend Joe Salas and Bennie Rivera will have the opportunity to have greater access to the atonement through making sacred covenants. Joe will be baptized and confirmed by proper priesthood holders and begin his journey back to the celestial kingdom. Bennie will enter the temple and receive his own endowment and thereby be endowed with power from on high as he promises more fully to keep the commandments. It will be a beautiful weekend, full of so much hope and bright futures!
So we gave a training at New Missionary Training meeting. We went on 3 back to back to back exchanges plus one this weekend. We lost our cell phone for several hours. Oh and we got a flat tire! We were driving down the road and Sister Jennings was talking away like she always does when I heard this faint squishing sound. So when we pulled up to the church I looked at our back tire and sure enough, it was flat. But it still had enough air in it that we could drive around the corner to the gas station and fill it up with air. Poor Sister Jennings was freaking out and had no no idea what to do. Thanks to my Dads training, I filled up our tire with air and saved the day! Well, almost saved the day. Once we put air in our tire you could hear it coming out, fast. So we called our vehicle coordinator and took it to the shop. And the auto mechanics saved the day! The whole time this was happening I just had flashbacks to high school of my Dad pulling up to the school parking lot when I had a flat tire on my pick up truck. And him getting everyone's attention and telling them to remind me to check my tire pressure and embarrassing me in front of all of my friends. I think I was asked once a day by some different every day if I had checked my tire pressure my whole senior year. Obviously these memories are still haunting me. Thanks Dad, I learned my lesson:)
This week I got to serve in Rockford for 2 days in two different areas. I would say the hardest thing about being a Sister Training Leader is being gone from your area so much. I love seeing the members on Sunday's and then they sign up to feed us but one of us can't go because we'll be elsewhere. But it's a sacrifice that's totally worth it! I got to serve in a YSA branch and that was a different but a fun experience. And then I got to serve in another Rockford Ward plus we had a meeting so I was gone 3 days this week, it felt good when I got back home. And then for the first time I got to serve in a trio on exchanges! Trios are so different and I'm pretty glad I never had to be in one. They're pretty exhausting! When Sister Jennings and I were finally back together we had a lot of planning and scheduling to do.
So this week will be just as busy! With exchanges, 2 Zone Trainings, a baptism, a trip to the temple and the dreaded missionary departing testimony. In zone conference President has the missionaries going home bear their testimony. I just can't believe my turn has come. I have no idea what I will say but I hope it impacts the missionaries and motivates them to give it their all.
Well I know this email is shorter but I am out of energy. Plus I need to go start packing... So have a great day and a wonderful week. I love you all!"
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