Might as well spill the beans now about everything. This area has been spiritually difficult for me in many ways, in regards to heavy addictions especially drugs and alcohol, and in other manners especifically difficult to swallow, such as husbands physically or verbally abusing their wives and children (even in the church!!) and the abandonment and negligance of children and dogs.
Ive been praying and fasting for help from the Lord in seeing this things on a daily basis. The poverty. The dark abyss of addiction. The physical and mental scars of abuse and so on and so forth. Maybe it was around me in Georgia, Utah and Idaho and I just didnt see it, but for some reason here it appears to be ever more prevalent.
And it appeared as if I only had two options:
1.) Harden my heart and become more desensitized to it or
2.) Cry my eyes out every night
Neither one of these two options are very desirable for me.
But lately the Lord has illuminated my mind with a quote from this talk that Id like to share:
You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced. Every one of us, in one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail—spiritually speaking. But the lessons of the winter of 1838–39 teach us that every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through that difficulty. These difficult lessons teach us that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and if we will be humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples.
And so, this is what I have learned so far, my beloved friends and family. That sometimes the Lord allows us a little time in Liberty Jail-- a little mini-Getsemani, to allow us to go through a redemptive experience. My worst times on the mission so far, looking back, I have never been so close to the Savior. The times when we suffer the most, when we are covered in the grime and sweat of misery, it is when our garments are made whiter and purer than ever.
The Lord knows who he wants us to be, and more importantly, He knows how to get us there. So dear friends and family, in the midst of despair, remember that if we are bonded to our Father in Heaven through it all, we will look back and see that we were standing with Him in our own little Celestial room.
I love you all!
a lil explanation about the fotos, so the ones of me with the puppy is a great lil story! I found her by the side of the road and rescued her. I kinda broke the rules here because were not supposed to touch stray dogs but she was just a baby & I couldnt bare leaving her! I named her Annike :) and called a member to come pick her up and take care of her. Now she is with another member who has the means to take care of a dog. This was my lil rescue story for yall!
And the other pics are of me & my comp with our sister training leaders and of the baptism of Bruno from last week.
beijos abraços
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