Hello from sometimes-sunny Kirtland! There was a day this week where it got up to 51 degrees--SO marvelous. It's back to 24 and snowing at the moment, but the sunshine and warmth were a welcome reprieve. :)
It's been such a great week. It was a trying week, but I learned a lot about relying on the Lord and recognizing His blessings. I also learned something that's really exciting to me. Awhile ago when I was studying charity, President Vellinga challenged me to memorize and study Moroni 7:48. I did, and have been pondering it ever since. Something that struck me this week is that when we see the Savior "as He is", we will recognize Him if we have done all we can to become like Him in this life. We will recognize Him because we will see ourselves in Him! Isn't that exciting? It makes me want to keep working hard to develop Christlike attributes.
We had Zone Conference on Wednesday, and it was incredible. One of my favorite tidbits: "When you have the Spirit with you, you're happy." from Elder Gubler. So simple, but so powerful! All we need to do to ensure our happiness is to live worthy of the Spirit, and then choose to accept his companionship and be happy. Simple, but sometimes much easier said than done, I know.
I also had the opportunity to bear my testimony at Zone Conference--those who will be going home before the next one are always given the chance. It was amazing to me to stand at the pulpit in the Kirtland Stake center and remember watching so many others who have come before me. I remember watching an Elder bear his testimony at my very first transfer meeting when I arrived here--everything seemed so strange, foreign, and new. But on Wednesday, it was a precious moment for me to stand at that same pulpit and realize how familiar and sacred it has become to me. This place, Kirtland in general as well as the sites and my areas--truly have become sacred to me. I know it is through our sweat and tears that places become sacred to us, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I've had to give my whole heart, might, mind and strength to serving the Lord here. I truly love being a missionary, and I am excited to continue to see miracles here.
At Zone Conference, Elder Chapman led a really powerful discussion about faith, where he asked us to think about the most beautiful things we've ever seen, heard, and felt. As we discussed, I couldn't help but think of the beautiful Wasatch mountains and Provo temple--truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, including all my favorite scenes in Europe. Elder Chapman then asked us to apply those things when imagining what heaven will be like. It was a powerful experience for me, because it struck me that as sweet and joyous as coming home to you and my mountains & temple will be next month, my home coming to heaven and Heavenly Father will be much, much greater if I continue to live righteously. It gave me just a taste of what that day can be like. :)
We also had an amazing experience on Friday, when we went down to the John Johnson home for our training meeting. We had the senior couples who serve there take us through the home and share with us parts of the tour they give there. I was praying hard to feel the Spirit there and receive needed comfort and peace--and the Spirit was so strong from almost the first moment there. It was incredible. We are so blessed and so lucky to serve around such sacred sites!!
Our investigators are mostly doing well. Kia and Kayla are girls who are struggling to understand the Book of Mormon. We watched one of those Book of Mormon cartoons with them last week, and it really helped! We will continue to teach simply and move slowly so that they can understand--any suggestions from anyone on teaching youth? I'm grateful for this opportunity because I know it will help me be prepared to teach my own children someday.
We watched a General Conference talk by President Monson with our investigator Laura yesterday, and she loved it! It was so neat to see her connect with him and relate to his stories--to see our promise come true that she would learn something from his talk and feel that he was speaking directly to her. I'm so grateful for the Spirit, and that the Lord answers prayers! I know the Church is true, and that testimony is reaffirmed every time I see someone come closer to Christ because of the gospel we share with them.
We also had an amazing phone lesson with Robert on Saturday. He is so incredibly strong and prepared. We told him about lds.org/youth last week, and he's read through all of the For the Strength of Youth sections and is trying to live all of the standards he's learned about. He is so good at recognizing truth and applying what he learns--and he does it mostly on his own!! His testimony and growth are amazing to see, and I feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of it.
We also got to talk to a woman in Australia on Saturday! Her name is Michelle, and she's a referral from someone that Sister Johnson took on tour awhile ago. Michelle so awesome, and it was so fun to get to know her and tell her about Kirtland. My favorite part was when she said she looked forward to our phone call next week--success! That means we connected with her and made friends, which means that we'll be better able to share things with her and strengthen her in whatever way is helpful. I'm really excited about that.
All in all, I'm so grateful for this week. I'm grateful for all of the ups and downs and bumps in the road, because it has made me more grateful for the times when I'm blessed with peace and calm and hope. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father still sees fit to stretch me and build me and mold me so that I can continue to become a better instrument in His hands. I'm always, always grateful for His sustaining support, and for your prayers and support. I need them always, and I can truly feel the strength of your prayers. Thank you!!!!!! I love this work, and I love you. :) Have a great week!!
Love,
Sister Wygant
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