Բարև ձեզ իմ սիրելիներ (barev dzez im sireliner-hello my dears)
Hello, hello! It's hard to believe that school is OUT! Crazy! Congrats to Beth, Joe, Josh, and Kris for making it through....it always goes so FAST! What fun to be Midway, and on a bit of a vacation! It is always nice for a little break! I hope you do get to go do baptisms, how wonderful! And to see Uncle Don...oh how I love that man! And how good he and Aunt Mima always were to leave the door open for us-they are such great people! I feel so blessed thinking about all the wonderful family we have been blessed with: their good examples and their kind hearts! I remember last time we saw him he was already struggling to hear, so I'm not overly surprised that he really is deaf now-how is he other than that? Is he still living on his own and taking care of everything? I also realized I didn't congratulate Briant (sp?) on his engagement-that is so exciting! And fun for Cathy and Paul to have a few more grandkids. Will they live in Huntington? I would love pictures! When you send them, you can't send too many in one email, maybe 3 or 4 or it won't send them, but feel free to send more than one email-I'd love to be able to update the pictures I have.
This was pretty uneventful-good, normal, nothing out of the ordinary. I take that last one back-yesterday was our Branch Conference so we had some district people come and speak in sacrament meeting, and teach lessons and such. It was so good! A couple of the leaders spoke about service and humility and the part that both should play in our lives. How often serving others helps us be humble. We had 89 people at church! It was SO great! It's just too bad that none of our investigators came....that's a pretty big struggle here, getting people to church. I feel like it's like that everywhere, which is such a challenge since church is so crucial for all of us. I've been amazed as I've studied a bit about it to see how the Lord has given us the sabbath so that we continue in the right way-its when people stop attending church that everything falls apart. I was reminded of the talk a few years ago that Sis. Thompson gave for the relief society general meeting, where she talked about the commitment she made years ago to always be active in the church and how important that was in her life. We gain so much from attending church-especially if we are seeking to receive revelation-seeking to be taught.
I just realized how wrong that sentence is....we had splits this week-they were SO good! Sis. Bailey went up to Ajapnyak and Sis. Tolman (she's training Sis. Bobzien) came down here with me. It was only for a day, but it was wonderful! Just to see someone else's style and to see what works for them. Plus it helped me see that I'll be able to navigate around Artashat well enough when Sis. Bailey leaves. It was just great and Sis. Tolman is amazing! Speaking of Sis. Bailey leaving her dad and brother fly in next week....so I'll be getting my new companion next Tuesday, which day is also Zone conference, so I should have a pretty eventful letter in a couple of weeks...
One thing that was kind of funny this week-a couple of weeks ago I got new nametags, but they said ELDER instead of SISTER-(I joked with Sis. Carter about sending them home to Josh so he could have them...)So I got the replacements this week-I think I will keep the Elder ones just for keepsake, maybe I really will send them home and maybe Josh will get called to serve Armenia speaking in California....
OK-so there's a few things I've learned about patience, besides how much I need to improve. I was studying from Mosiah 24:9-15. I really love verse 15 "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did astrengthen them that they could bear up theirbburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with cpatience to all the will of the Lord." Because while it does say that the Lord strengthened them so they could bear their burdens with ease-it also seems to denotes as is says they submitted cheerfully and with patience that it still wasn't easy. And that while they waited for the Lord to deliver them, I feel that they continued to do all they could-that they worked in an effort to fulfill the will of the Lord. A couple of days after, I read Pres. Uchtdorf's talk (ironic that you sent me quotes from that, Mom)-and felt even more that while we wait patiently for the Lord's will to be fulfilled, we do not just sit and endure. We work, and we do so with a good attitude. I really love a few things that Pres. Uchtdorf says, "...without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding,deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace." In other words we cannot become like our Father and Savior without the virtue of patience-it truly is crucial-and look at the awesome blessings we receive because of it! Continuing..."patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort....patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" When I read this, I felt even more the importance of continuing to work-and I realized how connected patience and faith are. That both center on the will of the Lord, giving up of our own will and desires, and both require action. One more (this may be my favorite...) "Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.” Ultimately, patience means being “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord” every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so." I don't have anything else to add onto that-I just love how perfectly he says it-"being steadfast...even when it is hard to do" and doing so with a GOOD ATTITUDE. How often do we think we're being patient but we complain the whole time? (I know I'm working on it...) Or do we think we're being patient, but really we're just passively sitting, hoping it will pass quickly, and hoping we don't have to do anything? I am definitely working on applying this in my life!
I can't begin to tell you how much all of your prayers and support mean to me! I love you all! I know this is Christ's work-that all things we experience, we are experiencing for a reason and we must learn from them. The Lord truly knows what we need if we will trust Him, as hard as it is to let go of our pride and admit that He really does know best. He is SO aware of us! I know He loves us!
I hope you all have a great rest of the week! Be safe! You're always in my prayers!
Ձեզ շատ եմ սիրում:
Մեծ սիրով
Oh and this next week I'll be studying about knowledge, I'd love it if you studied with me.
Love you!
Քույր Բրադբենթ
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