May 20, 2013

May 20

Hello Family, 

Another week has come and go. Next week I will hit my year mark. I cannot believe how fast time has gone. I have loved every minute of my mission so far and have had great experiences that have helped me grow as a person. There is nothing more fun than being a missionary. 

I picked up my new companion last Tuesday. Her name is Sister Lee. She is from Orem, UT. She is originally from Korea, but moved to the states when she was eleven years old. She is one of the younger generations, but not the 19 year old. She is a lot of fun and and I have enjoyed being her companion so far. We get a long pretty well for the most part. However, our personalities are complete opposite, but because of past companions I am able to deal with the differences that we have and to not let any of that bother me. I really do have a positive out look on things and I have seen that change in me ever since I have been on a mission.  She is a great and wonderful person and will be a great missionary. 

Alright, so things this week have been a little off. Sister Lee came out to the field sick and so all the appointments we had we needed to cancel some of them so that she could get some rest and get better. I have been doing a lot of studying since she has been sick. We did have an awesome experience though with our investigator Alex. So after we had our lesson on the Law of Chasity, he brought up some concerns that he had. He felt like he wasn't doing anything bad being in the same house as his ex-wife because the whole reason why she was is there is to help with their sons situation. He also mentioned that they have been divorced civilly and that they were "married" in the church and so he thinks that that is okay. I have never been asked or have had anyone tell me that before. I didn't know what to do so I talked with my mission President and he said that the marriage in the church doesn't matter. He said that they are still divorced. He wanted me to have another member of the mission presidency come with us on a lesson to help us out with this. President Gutierrez came with us and before we met with Alex we talked about trying to save their marriage and to help him become a better person. During the lesson the spirit was so strong and the whole time the spirit was testifying to Alex that this is the true gospel and that we can answer all of his questions. We shared with him a quote that says something along these lines, "the gospel makes bad men good and good men better." He really enjoyed that. We were able to show him how much he is loved and that his Heavenly Father loves him and is right her to help him in anyway that he needs. It was so amazing and Alex got emotionally and mentioned to us that that is what he wanted. He wants to know how to love and wants to feel that love. I can see the real intent in his face that he really does want to change and to become better. He has gone through a lot and he is ready to start over. At the end Sister Lee and I bore our testimonies and the spirit was again so strong and we were able to testify to him that all that baggage that he is carrying will be lifted up off of him when he gets baptized and that he will be able to start over and to have that love and comfort that he is longing for. I wish you all could have been there. Some of these experiences are just not the same written, but I know that even as I write these experiences down, I still can feel the spirit so strong. 

Seeing Alex so happy and feeling that love and peace has once again reminded me why I am really out here on a mission. I am not out here for me, but I am out here because I want to help those lost sheep find their way. I am here to help them become families forever and to bring the blessings of the Atonement in their lives. There is another quote that I like and it is, "A missionary is someone who leaves their families for a little while so that other families may be with theirs forever." I saw this quote the other day and it really it me hard. I love being a servant of the Lord and helping this great work move forward. My testimony grows so much everyday with every experience that I have. I know that with out  a shadow of a doubt that this is the true gospel. I know that God loves all of us and loves us so much that He sent his only begotten son to Atone for our sins. I know that we are all so special and that we were placed into the families that we are in so that we can all grow and become the people that He knows we can become. I want these last six months to be the best and I am going to work hard to find those people that the Lord has prepared for me to find. I am always so grateful for pray and the inspiration that I get every time that I pray. Without prayer and the spirit this work would not go so well. I am grateful for the spirit that I feel and again I know that this is the only way to find true happiness and peace.

Sorry this email is so short, but I just really felt like sharing this one great lesson that we had this week. This was the highlight of the week and it has made me a better person. I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful week. More miracles to come next week! :)

Love Sister Ackley