Conference Round 2

Another great week! :)

Last p-day I chopped 5 inches of hair off. It's different to have shorter hair again, but it's still longer than it was when I came out! It grows really fast. 

We've had some really great experiences this last week! Sister Hall and I have had quite a few meetings but the Lord has blessed us for the time that we've had to be out of our area! One of the greatest things about being on a mission is being able to see how much the leadership in the church affects missionary work. We've had correlation meetings with the stake president, we have ward council every week and it's so cool to see how all of those callings impact the work of salvation. 

We were able to have this really great lesson with a couple we're teaching. Their son is a member and lives in Utah and this is the first time that they've looked into the church. Since conference was that weekend we talked a lot about prophets and the Savior's ministry and how He set up His church. It was super neat to be able to talk about it and share my testimony of the prophet and show scriptural references to prophets. As we talked, you could see the lights going off in their heads, but the greatest was when I asked what it would mean for them if there was a prophet today. His eyes got big and he tilted his head a little and said "You know. That's a really good question... I guess that would mean that we'd have to make some changes." The Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a blessing to have in our lives and I can't imagine where my life would be without it.

Of course exchanges are another great part of the work. I got to go with Sister Petersen to PalMac (Palmyra, Macedon) on monday and it was such a great day and it amazes me to see how much we've both grown in the last 10 months. We were kind of step-companions my first 2 transfers since our trainers were sister training leaders and would have exchanges and meetings all the time, so we'd be together a lot. She is such a great missionary and she taught me a lot about charity!:) She is the most loving person I've ever met! I'm really hoping we can be real companions before the end of our missions!:)

Then there's conference!:) There's nothing quite like hearing from the Prophet and apostles. Poor President Monson didn't look too healthy... But WOW! There were so many powerful talks! A couple of my favorite quotes were "I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music." We can be taught how to read our scriptures, how to go to church, how to pray, but in the end WE have to decide if we allow the spirit to bring us the happiness and joy from doing those things. Dancing is pretty awkward if we don't hear any music. Another quote I liked was "A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying." None of us are perfect. None of us will ever achieve perfection in this life. But we can all utilize the Atonement in our lives and try again and again and again to be the best we can be. We can keep trying to reach the potential that our Heavenly Father sees. I was talking to a friend about how a mission is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's hard because I've learned to see these people the way our Heavenly Father sees them. I've learned to love them in a more Christlike way. And my love is only a tiny fraction of a fraction of what our Heavenly Father feels. I know that He loves us. He knows us perfectly and because of that He knows what we need better than we do! So keep trying and rely on Him ALWAYS!:) Only Happiness and joy will come from it!

I love you all!:) Have a great week!:)
Love Sister Nield