This week I was reading "Because of your Faith" by Elder Holland, and I thought about you guys. I thought about all of the sacrifices you are making for me to be here on this mission and I just wanted to thank you guys! Thank you guys for your amazing faith in the Lord.
As for school. You are right. It is probably the smarter way to go. Thank you for researching for me and getting that done. Let me know what I have to do to make it all work out. Trayser's pictures turned out good! I am really missing my camera this week.... I hope I still have some people wanting pictures when I get back!
This week was crazy here! We went and visited a lot of members before Sorella O'Connor left, and then we were busy with transfers! Sorella Kippen arrived safe and sound and we are already seeing lots of great things together.
Last PDay with Sorella O'Connor - at the Trevi Fountain
This week has been a really great week, spiritually. My heart is just so full of love toward the Savior and the gospel.
I asked Sorella Kippen, "what have you learned from your mission" and she said "I have learned that it is impossible to always be happy, that sometimes you have to fake it, especially as a missionary." I thought about that and took it in. And all week I have been trying to see if what she says is true. And I came to the conclusion that it IS possible to always be happy. Because I am. I am so. Happy. And it is not because everything is sunshine and flowers. Every once in a while I get some rain on my parade. But I am happy. I am content. And I'm not perfect, but I am trying...everyday. And I am happy, because I feel like Heavenly Father is content with the progress that I am making. And just like my favorite song says "perché Gesù sorride a me, mi da luce ed amore" (There is sunshine in my soul today.) "Because Jesus smiles at me, he gives me light and love".
President Waddoups thinks that I am the happiest missionary in our mission. haha... I am happy because of the.....I guess you could call it wisdom...that I have received on the mission. I have learned so.much. And as I was contemplating my wisdom and happiness, my mind started to wander. To all of the things that I still haven't done in my life! And then my wisdom seemed like nothing at all! I still need to go to college! Date! Marriage! Family! Callings! Work! Retirement! Senior Couple Mission! Grandkids! and the list of things that I still need to do in my life could go on and on. And I got a little discouraged. I want this happiness that I feel as a missionary to go on forever and ever. But when I go home, I'm going to have to take off the name tag. And the Lord is going to worry more about all of the other missionaries in the world. And I am going to have to be selfish and think about what I want to do. Where I want to go to school. What I want to study. Who I want to date. Where I want to live. I I I I I I. And instead of serving others 24/7 I will be going to school and work. So how do I continue to be so happy and content in every aspect of my life? Well this is what the Lord told me....
#1. GRATITUDE
Elder Bednar says, "A grateful person is rich in contentment, while an ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment." When you are grateful, you open your eyes to see the greatness and the goodness of the Lord. You realize that you are nothing and you have nothing without the Lord. Which leads to...
#2 HUMILITY
PMG (Preach My Gospel) says humility is "willingness to submit to the will of the Lord, and to give the Lord the honor for what is accomplished. It includes gratitude for his blessings and acknowledgement for your constant need for his divine help."
#3 CHARITY
I have learned on the mission that the key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others. "When you are in the service of your fellow being, you are only in the service of your God" Mosiah 2:17
#4 OBEDIENCE
"If ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land." Book of Mormon
Basta. That is it. The key to always being happy. To always feel content is Gratitude, Humility, Charity, and Obedience. If you don't feel happy, it is probably because you are lacking in one of those areas. (in the life book of Sorella Wiltbank) And of course if you watched Sunday morning General Conference, President Uchtdorf feels the same way. :)
Speaking of....wasn't conference amazing!? My favorite was Sunday morning session. We still haven't watched Sunday afternoon, but we will try to get that in this week. And like last time, if you could send me a copy when it comes out, I would love that! Oh maybe 2...I told Carol I would find her a copy. Thank you!
I really liked Elder Ballard's talk....of course because it is about missionary work. But while I was listening I thought about you guys. And I thought about how I am a full time missionary and I invite members all the time to do missionary work. But I have never invited my family to do it!
Sorella Wiltbank, Carol, Sorella O'Connor
So Wiltbank family. I want to bear my testimony to you guys that there is no greater joy than doing the work of the Lord. I can't even begin to describe the feeling of seeing someone's eyes light up when you tell them the beautiful message of the restored gospel. It is incredible. We have something beautiful. Amazing. And there are people all around us who are needing what we have.
So my invite to you, is to pray. Pray for someone who you can share the gospel with. I know that everyone in Eagar Arizona probably already knows who we are and has probably already been asked. But until they have accepted, it is our job to invite. At the very least, pray for the opportunity! I am touched by a story that an Elder I was serving with told me. He is from Utah. With population of approximately %100 Mormons. And he was in high school and he wanted to do missionary work. So he prayed simply for an opportunity to share the gospel with someone. And a few weeks after he started praying a new boy moved into his high school. This boy joined the same sports team as this Elder and they became friends. Come to find out, this boy was not a member of the church. And 4 months later, this 17 year old pre-missionary baptized his new friend.
The Lord has people prepared. He is just waiting for us to be prepared for them. I know that the Lord is waiting to help us out with the work of salvation.
I also want to invite you guys to read and study Preach my Gospel chapter 1 in your personal and family scripture study this week. It is such a beautiful chapter about our purpose and missionaries! I really just want you guys to feel this amazing love that comes from doing missionary work! I am excited to see the results! I love you guys so so much! Thank you for all that you guys do. You motivate me and keep me going. Have a good week! I am praying for you guys.
Sorella Wiltbank
ps I heard Taylor Swift at the train station today and I almost cried. <3
pps. I am obsessed with the sky in Italy! I wish that I could accurately capture it. No wonder Michel Angelo painted so beautifully! The sky here in Italy, really looks like that!
ppps. Sorella Waddoups told us that we can wear sandals again this summer!!!!!!!!!! But she said that they can't be the inbetween the toe kind. They have to have a strap behind the heel and on top. Soooo....I was wondering if you could see if Amazon UK has any with good arch support. All the ones I have seen here are really flat. I would like it to be just like a brown leather color. If you could send me some pictures that would be great!
Oh....and my watch broke, so maybe if there are any with a brown leather band on Amazon.
I AM SO SORRY THAT I AM SO NEEDY! Do you love me anyway??
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