Monday, August 4, 2014

Week 6!!


It's hard to believe it, but my first transfer of sorts is already over, and I've moved on to a second planner.. It's kind of not fair how fast this all goes!

This morning we had the most amazing privilege to spend 3 hours cleaning the Provo temple. We have seriously been so lucky with all of the opportunities we've had while being here. The sisters in our zone all got to clean the chandeliers in the sealing rooms. I just love how thorough everything is. Also, did you know that those chandeliers come apart piece by piece? We took all the crystals down and cleaned them one by one. I can't even describe how just wonderful (for lack of a better word) that experience was. It's so tedious that we didn't even get to put it back together during the 3 hours we were there.

Yesterday we got to skype with people from Armenia! It was so so so wonderful. We talked to Anoush, who is actually living in the Netherlands right now, but is from Armenia. It was so awesome to feel like we could actually kind of talk to people. Emphasis on the kind of, but still. Armenian people are awesome. Elder Gallardo and I also got to talk to Mama Susana from Armenia as well. She was harder to understand, but still so fun. I can't believe we're going to be headed to Armenia in just a few weeks time!
Just a few other things from this week:
We did our first marshutni contacting roleplays this week and I'm so excited for that. I don't know if anyone in Armenia will understand me when I try to talk to them, but I'm sure going to try. We also did some more street contacting roleplays and holy cow, talk about some funny experiences. Elder Gierstch was playing a potential investigator for Elder Williams, Sister Wiederholt, and me. We asked him about his family and he was trying to tell us that his mom had passed away but it was alright. But he couldn't remember the verb for "to die," only "to be killed," and then he put it in the simple present tense instead of the past perfect, so what he actually ended up saying was "my mom is being killed but it's whatever." We all pretty much hit the ground laughing.
Another great moment with that verb in our district: I don't remember if it was this week or a couple before. Elders Lunt and Gallardo may or may not have told an investigator that it was necessary to kill the Spirit to obtain eternal life (the verbs for to kill and to receive are kind of close). But at least we're getting the mistakes out of the way while we're here!
On a more serious note, I just want to say how much I know that there are tender mercies in this life. I mentioned one last week, but this past Sunday I had my first kind of really just rough day. Wow that was eloquent. I was just having a rough time because I just felt so inadequate. It's been kind of interesting because language -the thing I thought I'd feel the most inadequate in - hasn't really been a source of worry. It's dang hard and sure makes my head hurt sometimes, but I know I'm working my hardest and the Lord has definitely blessed me in learning this. Anyway, sometimes the Spirit will remind us of things that we know but need to be reminded of just at the right moment. I'm so thankful for that.
I've also been thinking about the work of salvation as a whole this week, along with what it means to be a disciple of Christ and how those things go hand in hand. I wish I could just explain half of how I feel and what I've learned. Suffice it to say that this work doesn't stop, and that everything - everything that God ever does - is for the purpose of the salvation of mankind. I loved what one of the speakers said in our devotional this week - that our roles may change, but the work never does, and the purpose never does. Bennett, I've been thinking about you with your calling right now, and just how important it is that the work for the dead gets done. I think about how hard missionaries are working right now help people come unto Christ, and I know that there are people on the other side of the veil doing the same thing. I was thinking about that quite a bit in the temple this morning. There are children of God waiting to be about to receive the blessings God has for them. Sometimes I wonder how I couldn't feel the urgency of this work before. I mean, I did, but not nearly in the same way. But it's urgent, people. But I'll stop preaching. Just know that all efforts toward the work of salvation are so so important - missionary work, temple work, raising-family work, and anything-else-that-God-asks-of-us work They're all the same work of God.
I know this is getting long-winded and I just wish I could express to you how much I love this gospel. I know I say it every week but I'm just so grateful. We have infinitely much to thank God for. 

I love you all so much, I hope every thing's going well. Have a fun and safe 4th of July! 
Love,
Sister Kieffer

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