30/12/2013
Hey Family!
Hey Family!
this past week was a mad house. The family we live with has 9 kids and 31 grandkids, and they were all there for the week of Christmas! Like 45 people in one house, it was CRAZY! But it was awesome being around them for the holidays. We got woken up at 5:45 am by the little kids and spent like 3 hours opening presents. One fell asleep by the tree and another started crying and trying to slowly crawl back to his bed. I was all "Me too kid!" :P I already get up at 6:30 am! And most of them stayed in the basement with us, and it was noisy. Sleep deprivation! Thank you for children! It was tiring, nut I loved every minuet of it. The family even did their own reenactment of Luke 2 of Christ's Birth. It was SO CUTE!!! I'm grateful for my family, and friends who sent me mail and goodies. It was spectacular!
We just had interviews with Mission President Ware and his wife, Sister Ware, and I received some council that I feel prompted to share.
Sister Ware talked to me about keeping myself healthy for the work, and that means relaxing when the opportunity is there. To not push myself to the point where I receive injury and can't work to my maximum capacity. She shared with me that my group that came in to the mission was in such contrast to those who'd just left the day before. We were loud and friendly whilst the other group had been quite and distanced from one another. We didn't care if we were with people we didn't know, we got to know them and sang throughout all of dinner (the Sisters did, the Elders rolled their eyes. They'd been going through that the entire time with us at the MTC :P) To be fair, the Mission changed and so some of them had never met before, so it's understandable. However, our spirit and attitudes had an immense impact on her; aka we made a spectacular first impression. She is the sweetest most wonderful lady. She shared that when they were called that President Eyering said that, even before they'd been married, the Lord had been preparing them for this calling and the missionaries who they'd oversee. The Lord is mindful of all and His foreknowledge is absolute. I feel so blessed. When she told me that is peirced my heart and I felt such a strong feeling of love. I knew then that the Lord loved me even more than I'd thought, and that was a lot, because He'd prepared them, these two wonderful and loving children of our Father, for me, to help me become the best I can be.
I know without a doubt that they are the reason I'm in this mission, because they were prepared for myself and the other missionaries here, to aid us in our service to our Father in Heaven. It feels like a family, and I love them so much. It still rings in my soul as I sitting here typing this letter to you all.
Sister Ware talked to me about keeping myself healthy for the work, and that means relaxing when the opportunity is there. To not push myself to the point where I receive injury and can't work to my maximum capacity. She shared with me that my group that came in to the mission was in such contrast to those who'd just left the day before. We were loud and friendly whilst the other group had been quite and distanced from one another. We didn't care if we were with people we didn't know, we got to know them and sang throughout all of dinner (the Sisters did, the Elders rolled their eyes. They'd been going through that the entire time with us at the MTC :P) To be fair, the Mission changed and so some of them had never met before, so it's understandable. However, our spirit and attitudes had an immense impact on her; aka we made a spectacular first impression. She is the sweetest most wonderful lady. She shared that when they were called that President Eyering said that, even before they'd been married, the Lord had been preparing them for this calling and the missionaries who they'd oversee. The Lord is mindful of all and His foreknowledge is absolute. I feel so blessed. When she told me that is peirced my heart and I felt such a strong feeling of love. I knew then that the Lord loved me even more than I'd thought, and that was a lot, because He'd prepared them, these two wonderful and loving children of our Father, for me, to help me become the best I can be.
I know without a doubt that they are the reason I'm in this mission, because they were prepared for myself and the other missionaries here, to aid us in our service to our Father in Heaven. It feels like a family, and I love them so much. It still rings in my soul as I sitting here typing this letter to you all.
President also shared some wonderful council. He told me that I was here for the souls I was the only one who could reach and teach. He counciled me that as I continue to strive and pace myself, as I have been, that I will succeed in the work; but I will even more so if I also strive for the gift of meekness and teachability. He said that I will progress faster and more fully if I strive to "look to heaven" for the words and direction I need, because i have full trust and humility to His will, and I will be showing my faith in Him by doing so. Faith is a principle of action. You have to show it in your actions and do the work so that He knows you have the foundation and trust that allows Him to trust you with more and more guidance and His spirit and power, as you follow Him in all that you do.
"The meek shall inherit the earth" because they are open to the will and power of God. We should all strive to be more like that. "Being a successful missionary= how much you have Heavenly Father's trust". It is also by Sanctifying yourselves that you are successful, not only as a missionary, but as man upon the earth preparing for the day we'll all be resurrected and brought before God. Read the talk by Elder Holland called "Sanctify Yourselves". We must be sanctified, or ready and worthy to act, so that God can work miracles thru us. You are sanctified by your obedience and as you move forward every day, striving, to become more like Christ and excersizing the Atonement.
"The meek shall inherit the earth" because they are open to the will and power of God. We should all strive to be more like that. "Being a successful missionary= how much you have Heavenly Father's trust". It is also by Sanctifying yourselves that you are successful, not only as a missionary, but as man upon the earth preparing for the day we'll all be resurrected and brought before God. Read the talk by Elder Holland called "Sanctify Yourselves". We must be sanctified, or ready and worthy to act, so that God can work miracles thru us. You are sanctified by your obedience and as you move forward every day, striving, to become more like Christ and excersizing the Atonement.
Sister Simmons and I are doing well and growing closer each day. She is loving and is one of the strongest women I've ever known. We both gave talks on "Hastening the Work of Salvation" yesterday, and we both did very well. We love our ward SO MUCH and we want nothing but to leave them better than they were when we came; because then we'll have been successful and the Lord will be proud of our efforts to serve him.
The work is hard, but "doing hard things= happiness" and as we have faith, and decide to be happy; our happiness opens us up more and more to the Spirit, which causes us to act in faith, because we are happy and can feel the spirit and so know what we must do and then do it, whereupon we become happy. It's a round.
I love you all and thank you to those who wrote me or sent cards. I'll try to write back, but we can only write on Mondays and
there's so many people and not enough time to write. But know that even if I don't respond, the words and love of your service to me sustains me and uplifts me more than you imagine. Don't ever doubt it!
I love you!
--
Sister Lisl Karony
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