March 8th, 2013

Dear Family,

Thanks for being so great. Thank you so much for all of the awesome letters you sent (including my awesome friends:). I love how much I can laugh from your letters :) Laughing is something needed here ;) I'll try to write a few individual letters, but my pday is almost over :\ and I still need to go do laundry. I only have 17 minutes left on the comp so I'm stressing because there is so much I want to tell you! 30 minutes is just not enough time to write a weeks worth of thought.

I went to the Drs for a follow up visit with Dr. Parsons. Thankfully he said everything is healing but it's not completely healed. He prescribed me some anti inflammatory sprays. It was super weird being out in the real world and driving past campus again! And it took up most of my pday. Lame.

But this morning we were able to go to the temple. That was a beautiful experience. How I love the temple. It brings so much peace. We were able to do a session as a district and that was awesome.

This week has been so crazy. I can't believe how much I can learn in just 6 days. Wow. Because of the shortage on time, here are some of the highlights:

I was having a pretty rough day on...I don't even remember. Tuesday I think? I wans't feeling like I was making the MTC as good as it should be. I wasn't being effective in my study time. I was getting super distracted. And I was so tired. (I still can't fall asleep for forever every night even though I'm exhausted). Anyways, our teacher, Brother Craft, is amazing. He is such a powerful teacher. He shared somethign with us that just really struck me.

Earlier that day I had been reading in first Nephi and I had been struck by two phrases- Shall we not be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord? And "Let us be dilligent in keeping the commandments of the Lordl." Those both just hit me. And i think I knew that I was getting the message that I needed to be dilligent. Brother Craft then came in and talked to us about an analogy he had been pondering the last few days. He talked about how he ran in high school. He said he remembered the workouts they did. Some were hard, some were easy, some were meduim. But which ones made me strongest? The hard ones. He said he remembers one particular workout they did that was so painful and difficult that he was on the verge of tears. He related that to our missions. This is going to be hard. This is like a workout. But then he said something that I think I'm going to make the motto of my mission: "The Lord will decide when this particular workout is over." How beautiful is that? I hate that I don't have the time to attempt to write it in a better way, to make it closer to how he said it. Because it was powerful. The Lord will decide with my workouts are over. Not me. So I just need to keep pushing and pushing and pushing even if it feels like I can't go anymore. And I can. Because He will help me. And He decides when it has been enough.

Another lesson I have learned is the importance of complete faith. Faith is not just a belief. Faith is a belief PLUS work. We can never know something is true unless we experiment on the word. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine-John 7:17. Faith without works is dead-James 2. You receive no witness until after the trial of your faith-Ether 12(I think)! And one of my favorites-James 2:22-by works was his faith made perfect. Not just a belief. You have to do something abou that first. And then you will believe. I guess this is super obvious but I have been struck with this principle again and again. It is the essence of faith. And that is how we build testimony. That is how we work miracles.The Lord has been trying to tell me something.

Later I was reading in Nephi (I'm still in 1st Nephi, can you tell? ;) and Nephi says that the Lord wrought a change in his heart. Look it up, I don't have time to write it! I only have a minute left. But it is by faith that the Lord changes our hearts. He does it, not us. But he requires our faith. I am trying to increase my faith that I have the ability to be a good missionary. The best that I can be-through Jesus Christ's atonemnet.

I love you all! I'll try to write actual letters.

Favorite scripture this week:  Alma 26:16 I think. Glory in the Lord! Who can say too much of His goodness!

Love,

Sister Andelin