My Yoke is Easy‏

G'day!

I'm going to start this email with a funny story for this week.  We had dinner with the Armstrong and King families last week at the Armstrong's home.  Sister King is the Primary President and Sister Armstrong is her councilor.  While we were eating all of the little kids were talking and joking with each other and the little boy was playing with the baby and said, "It's like she's my own sister."  To which Sister King didn't miss a beat and said, "I have a sister!  . . . An ugly sister."  Again without missing a beat I yelled, "Robots!"  The room got really quiet and then everyone cracked up laughing.  I went bright red and had to explain how much movie quotes are a part of our everyday conversation back at home.  We got a good laugh out of it for the next couple of days. 

This week has been usually humbling.  After our District Meeting last week I just felt like there is more we can be doing out her in Kalgoorlie.  I had a couple things the 2 days following that just seemed to add unnecessary confusion and just overall couldiness (if I can make that a word) in my mind.  I was trying so hard to keep focused on what I needed to do and how I can help the people around me but I was struggling.  During personal study on Friday I just couldn't handle it anymore.  I went in to our bedroom and knelt down by my bed and just began to pray.  I just cried and turned to the Lord to help me.  I don't know why everything seemed to come all at once or why the little things that wouldn't have normally became a irritant to my proselyting efforts but I just needed some extra help.  Prayer works.  If you get nothing else from this email let me stand as a living testimony that God hears our prayers, that the Lord has been down any road that we have been or may be going through, and that through Him we can overcome anything.  I got up from that prayer and felt the power behind the Lord's promise in Matthew 11:28-30 where he said,  "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you crest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  The Lord is so mindful of us.  Each and every one of us.  I know that He is just waiting for us to turn to him.  Even as a missionary we have down days, we have trials, and we need to always remember that we need Him.  His hand will always be stretched out towards us.  We just have to reach up, grab on, and never let go.  If we are farther from God today than we were yesterday we are the ones who have moved.  We may be pretty far off the beaten path but no matter how far we have gone astray the Lords hand is always "stretched out still" (2 Nephi 19:21). 

We had a pretty awesome experience with Brother Timu's friend Andrew this week.  About 4 weeks ago we went to see Andrew.  When we met last time he thought that Brother Timu was joking when he said that he would send us around.  We talked heaps about what we do as missionaries, the sacrifices that we, our families, and friends make to serve missions, and what we do while we are here.  This time when we went he started with, "I just don't see why I can't drink in your church.  Every other Christian faith allows it.  Christ himself turned water into wine at the wedding in the Bible."  After we chatted about that for a minute I said,  "It's not the rule that you have to understand it's where the law came from.  If Moses had come down from the Mount and one of the 10 Commandments was, 'Thou shalt not drink alcohol' would you drink it?"  He replied, "That's different."  I retorted, "It's not!  It isn't the law that you need to look at it is where the law came from.  The Word or Wisdom was given to us from a Prophet of God just like Moses.  You have to find out if that is true.  If you find out that Joseph Smith was a prophet than that law was given to us by God."  He had no come back for that one.  We invited him to church and again had an answer for every single excuse he threw at us.  He didn't end up coming but he did talk to Brother Timu after we left his house.  Brother Timu told us that when he talked to him that Andrew was amazed at how we had an answer for everything.  It felt great to be able to testify not only of the Word of Wisdom and the Prophet Joseph Smith but also about how Christ's Atonement is for everyone and that no matter where you are in your life.  One of my favorite quotes says, "Start where you stand and never mind the past."  

One thing that Andrew asked us sparked an experiment within our companionship this week.  He asked how many people actually open the door for us.  We guesstimated something like 1 in every 5.  He wasn't to impressed.  So when we tracted all day on Saturday I thought it would be neat to keep track of how many doors we knock vs how many scriptures we get to share.  It isn't in our favor.   We knocked on about 118 doors and shared 7 scriptures.  Of those 7 people who were nice enough to let us share a message none were willing to have us back to share more with their families.  I leave a challenge to all member reading this to think of 5 people you know that aren't members and write them down.  The first 5 people that come to mind.  These people mean something to you or you wouldn't have thought of them first.  Pray about those names and give at least 3 of them to the missionaries in your area to visit.  The missionaries don't have to say that you sent them or anything like that.  I can promise thought that if you have been the example you need to be in this troubled world that those people will at least know who the missionaries are because you are a member of the same church.  This work moves so much faster when members and missionaries work together.  Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.  They may not accept but they may come to you later and say, "Hey guess who came to my house the other day, your missionaries!"  And then you have the opportunity to share something with them.  You have nothing to lose. 

  

My last spiritual high for this week came from Sacrament meeting and the Iosefa family.  Sister Iosefa's family had a pretty tragic thing happen to them just before New Years that sent them over to Samoa for a few weeks for a funeral of a couple of family members.  She got home about a week ago and shared a beautiful testimony about how families can be together forever.  It was incredibly touching especially since we had gone over to their house the day after she got home to talk, share scriptures, and give the little comfort we could.  When we visited with her I felt prompted to share D&C 137:10.  That scripture has been with me ever since Grandpa shared it with us at Noah's funeral.   She teared up and told us how one of her cousins that passed away was only 4.  I love how the spirit knows exactly what others need to hear.  When she finished her testimony I saw that her daughter, Sumah, was taking notes of every person who bore their testimony.  She knew every speaker by name and wrote all of the things that stood out to her as they spoke.  Sumah is still in Primary.  When her mom finished I say her write, "Sis Mum - Trip to Samoa means that our family will always be together."  I lost it.  I couldn't help but feel how powerful such a simple sentence was.  The Plan of Salvation isn't referred to as the plan of Happiness for nothing.  The knowledge of where we came from, why we are here, and where we go after this life is what makes everything right.  It is what gives us the determination to carry on.  The faith to take one more step in the right direction.  The eternal perspective that changes everything. 

I love you all!  Keep the faith. 

Much love, Sister Shayne