In a couple days we will get our travel plans to leave for
Paris on April 1st, the day after Easter. I look forward to calling
my family from the airport and flying to France with the group of missionaries
here that I have really come to love. Soeur Linton’s mom recently sent us a
bunch of blankets and fun stuff for a "missionary slumber party";
it was so much fun and we were all eating popcorn and just being goofy.
Congratulations to one of my closest friends, Nicole Smith,
on her mission call to Reno, Nevada! I am so excited for her, and I have
family there, so hopefully she will look for the Manning family and my cousins
will look for Sister Smith this summer! I learn more and more every day that
lowering the mission age was so inspired and that so many lives will be
blessed because of the hundreds of young men and women who have answered that
call to serve. When we all gather in the auditorium/gym for a devotional, I get
the chills as I look around and see thousands of missionaries, especially the
tons of sister missionaries! It is truly incredible.
Every week, I write down a few quotes from Elder Kochel in
our district. He is the one that reminds us all of Nacho Libre; haha. He's
hilarious and his stories from the farm are just too funny. He told us this
week that, "One time, one of our cows fell into the splits on the ice ... so
we had to shoot her." Come ON! hahaha Another time he told us that when he
was 12 he accidentally wore his mom's white blouse to church with a tie instead
of his white shirt! It's hard to describe, but he just makes me bust up
laughing sometimes. We've all decided we want to have a mission reunion at his ranch in Canada after
we all get back.
This past week I have really come to understand how important
it is to have strong faith in Jesus Christ. In one of our devotionals, the
speaker asked us to take a moment and think about the end of our missions, 17
months from now, in Fall 2014. He asked us to think about what we want to be
like and to set goals for ourselves. In my journal, I wrote the following:
"At the end of my mission ... I want to be fluent in
the French language. I will be completely changed and converted to the Lord. I
will have overcome many difficult trials and will have put my trust in God
during those times. I will have fallen in love with the country of France and
the culture there. I will have made eternal friendships with the special people
I have taught and helped baptize/convert. I will be determined to apply what I
learned from my mission to the rest of my life and feel satisfied knowing the
Lord accepted my missionary service. My weaknesses will become strengths. I
will be more like the Savior and will continue working on being a powerful
servant of the Lord."
He then told us the way to get there is by turning our will
over to the will of the Lord and accepting that, which is NOT easy, especially
when things get hard. The world often looks at humility and submission as
weakness, but God sees it as power. He uses that time to strengthen us and mold
us into the person we can BECOME. In order to do this, we must turn outwards.
When we search for what OTHERS need, we end up finding what WE need. Fear and faith
do not exist in the same person at the same time. Whenever things get hard or I
am uncertain of what the future holds, I must make that decision to have FAITH
instead of FEAR.
We also watched a Mormon Message this week called,
"Mountains to Climb" by President Henry B. Eyering. It was
INCREDIBLE. I strongly encourage you all to watch it (attached below).
"You never realize how strong you are until being
strong is all you have left." I know that if I really trust Heavenly
Father, it doesn't matter what I don't understand. "Being brave is just
acting on faith". I would encourage you also to read Matthew 14:22-32 in
the Bible. It's the story of the apostles of Christ and the amazing faith Peter
had to step out of that boat and onto the water to meet the Savior. Peter
didn't know he could walk on the water until he DID it. How strong are WE? Do
we have that faith to step off that boat and make those changes in our lives? I
often wonder if I would have had enough faith to REALLY BELIEVE and have enough
faith to trust God and step off the edge of that boat. Would I have taken that
step, or would I have doubted and plunged down into the depths of the sea
because of my lack of faith?
One of our teachers, Frere Wilcox said, "Don't limit
what the Lord can do by the lack of YOUR faith." His lesson was life-changing for
me; I felt the Spirit so strongly and things were making more sense to me
than they ever had before. It was one of those "defining
moments" in my life when I really reflected on where I stand with my
testimony and conversion to Christ.
In my journal that night, I wrote:
"Tonight I had one of those 'defining moments'. Tears
come to my eyes and the Spirit fills my heart as I reflect on the feelings I
have and the Spirit I felt while in that class with Frere Wilcox tonight. Up
until this point, my life has been relatively easy. I grew up in a wonderful
family, with righteous parents who taught me the gospel. I've had my share of
trials - ones that have shaped me into the person I am today - but none that
have been ridiculously hard or where I didn't see the light at the end of the
tunnel.
I'm on a mission for the Lord now. I know this next year and
a half is going to be the hardest 18 months of my life. Trials WILL come, but
after sitting in that class tonight, I KNOW I will be able to get through them if
I truly rely on my Savior Jesus Christ and, as I learned tonight, He will NOT
forsake me.
I don't know what I am going to face on my mission or during
the rest of my life, but tonight I felt a deep conviction and strong
confirmation in my heart that I will not give in when things get hard. No
matter what happens or what mountains I have to climb, I will be able to endure
them well through my unshakeable faith and complete conversion to Christ. We
are instruments for the Lord. He is building us. I know I must change and
become more Christ-like, and I am extremely excited for the opportunity I have
to serve others around me in France soon. It's exciting, it's scary, and it's a
daunting task, but I know the Lord has called ME to serve there, and He will
not forsake me. He is aware of me, and will bear me up when things get hard so I
can serve people around me and bring them unto Christ."
I love this gospel. I know it’s true and that you can find
out that it is true for yourselves. Those of you thinking of serving a mission … DO
IT! You will never regret it. I am so blessed and am so grateful for each and
every one of you. I would encourage you to develop and strengthen your faith in
Christ this week by TRUSTING him and accepting him as your Savior. Take care,
and God bless! Have a wonderful week ... I am thinking and praying for you all!
Love,
Soeur Madeline Vance
