Today is an awesome day. I got letters from my roommate, Paul and all his roommates, my MTC companion Hermana Brewer, Dad's talk on faith, and emails from each of you. Thanks so much for your love and support. I have the best family ever!
First off, it sounds like the missionary work in the Baltic States is going really well. What did Elder Perry challenge you to do again? 150 baptisms? That's awesome and it sounds like you're off to a great start.
Oh yeah, my schedule. Since there are only four showers in the bathroom some of us get up and get ready and other get up and have personal study first. So we have to be in class by 6:15 but we can go in our gym clothes and then we have time after to get ready. It hasn't been too hard to get up-I think I've been blessed to be more of a morning person than most people
So I did a PRP last week but then I when I was reading in the white handbook I saw that it tells us not to get up early to be alone so I decided that I could to the same activity during personal study in the morning. I felt like the Lord accepted my sacrifice and that it is enough for me to focus on pondering and receiving personal revelation during the normal study time.
I've been thinking a lot about the atonement and the Savior this week. We did an activity to assess our development of Christ-like attributes on Wednesday and one of the things both my companion and I realized we needed to work on was remembering Christ more throughout the day. It seems a little ironic because we're here doing his work but sometimes we get so caught up in working and studying and the schedule of the day that we don't stop to think of him. So we made goals to do things like memorize hymns and scriptures about Christ and the Atonement and to put a mini picture of him on our planners. Right after we made those goals, we both felt so happy. Our day and our lessons went so much better, and I know it was because we were making an effort to focus more on Christ.
A few days ago I was reading in 2 Nephi 27 and I came across verse 27 where it talks about how the unrighteous people will say the works of the Lord are "esteemed as potter's clay." I didn't really understand it so I went the footnote and read in Jeremiah 18:1-6 where it talks about how the House of Israel is clay in the maker's hand because he can destroy and rebuild a "marred vessel" just as easily as he can destroy and rebuild a wicked nation.
That was interesting, but then I really started thinking about the imagery behind Christ being at the potter's wheel. To make a pot he has to get his hands dirty, and his hands always have to be in the clay guiding it on the wheel or it will collapse on the wheel. When the pot is done, his fingerprints are all over it. The pot is like us and our lives. His fingerprints are in our lives just as the marks of our lives are on his hands forever.
Then it made me think of the scripture in 1 Nephi 20:14-16/Isaiah somewhere that mom shared during that first meeting with the missionaries in Latvia. Christ says "I have graven thee on the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me." Everything that stands as a wall or obstacle in front of us is continually on his hands before his face--he never forgets us or leaves us alone.
I know that's true. I love the Christ and his Atonement so much. All that is painful and unjust in this world can be overcome and healed and made right through the atonement. It covers EVERYTHING. I know that with all my heart, and I am so grateful for it.
Today is my last Pday for a while because next Tuesday I'll be on a plane for Panama, but I'll write to you all again as soon as I can. Thanks for your love and support. Miss you and love you all!!
Love,
Hermana Dance
Isaiah 54:10
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