Monday, August 11, 2014

Week 41 in Thailand. 27 July 2014

Hello Everybody!

Sorry this letter will be short but this week has been great!  It started off with me reading the Book of Job in the Old Testament.  This has been a small part of my personal study for most of the week, and as we say in Thai:  pau dii waa (as fate would have it). This week kind of felt like a “Job” week.

Everything just kind of started falling apart for me and my companion, as far as the work goes.  And much like Job, we were in shock after falling from our state of constantly receiving blessings.  We had moments of wondering what we were doing wrong and questioning why things were happening the way they were.  But, also like Job, we found our answers.

1.  There is always something we need to improve on (I.e. we are never obedient or righteous enough).

2.  God is greater than Man and it’s his purpose to refine us into wise eternal beings.

3.  But I would say the biggest blessing we received was learning how to use the Atonement of Christ.

In Elder Bednars Conference talk, last April, he shared this reminder with us.  Not only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possible the remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities. Most of us know that when we do things wrong and need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has made it possible for us to become clean through His redeeming power.  But do we also understand that the Atonement is for faithful men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully?  I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of the Atonement in our lives and mistakenly believe we must carry our load all alone—through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline and with our obviously limited capacities.

I can truly say that this week, my companion and I learned to rely on the atonement to not only wash away our mistakes become more obedient but to find joy in the work, and receive the strength to carry the load that was placed upon us. I know that through the atonement we can endure all things, and become stronger people.  I know that the loads we are asked to carry will build us.  I know that we through the gospel we can find Joy even when things don' t go our way.  As we except the Lords will in our life and the agency of others we will find peace daily.  Here is to a week of receiving blessings and learning daily.   

 
I love you all and here is a selfie I took with a member!

Love Sister Marina A. Peterson

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