I was set apart as a missionary a
year ago from today and tomorrow is the year mark from when I left the United
States for my mission. I can´t believe I’ve been here in Spain for an entire
year already! I honestly don´t know how I feel. I am so grateful that the Lord
has carried me this far. One year. Wow. The time seems to speed up as I get
further and further into my mission. I honestly love it here!
It was honestly just a sweet week. It
was hard and we were so exhausted physically, emotionally, mentally and
spiritually but it was a week where I truly felt like an instrument in the
hands of the Lord so it was all worth it. This week I found myself thinking a
lot about how much I have changed over the past year. I´m not the same girl I
was a year ago from today. I have gone through the ringer over the past 12
months and have passed through a fair share of refiner´s fires but I wouldn´t
take back a single day of my mission for anything. The Lord has truly been
molding me and changing my heart over the past year. I think one of the biggest
changes I’ve seen in myself is my understanding and application of the
atonement in my life. I´m a lot more calm when troubles come my way because I
have a firm faith and hope that everything will be ok because it´s all in the
hands of the Lord. When trials come I have been able to learn how to share my
burden with the Savior and let him lighten my load. I have truly learned how to
let the Lord lighten my burden. That´s something that will forever bless my
life. It took me a long time to learn and I’m still learning it but I now know
what it feels like to have my burdens made light so that I can´t feel them
anymore. The Lord has done that again and again for me but it has come from diligent
scripture study, sincere prayer, heartfelt repentance, and weekly partaking of
the sacrament.
The Lord has changed my heart and
has shown me of his infinite mercy and grace. I´ll never be the same. The
mission has been the best thing I’ve ever done in my life FOR my life. The
understanding, compassion, comfort and peace that the atonement brings has
carried me every day of my mission. I can attribute all of the understanding
and gratitude that I have for the atonement to my trials. I am so grateful for
all of those difficult and heart wrenching moments because it was in those
moments that the lord softened my heart and brought me closer to him. He
brought me into his arms, cleaned me up, put me back on my feet and then
continued to walk with me. The Lord has been there for me every step of the way
and I know without a doubt that he has been there every step of the way for you
as well even if you may not have realized it. He is truly the only one who can
comfort us, heal our broken hearts, calm all of our doubts and fears, and make
our burdens light. All that he asks of us is that we learn of him through
reading the scriptures and applying the teachings to our lives, talk to our
father in heaven through sincere prayer, and remember him by keeping his commandments!
I wouldn´t still be standing without the power of the atonement. The atonement
will carry you through your hard times because it has carried me through mine.
Be patient, have faith, and trust in the lord. In the end, everything will be
alright and if it´s not alright, it´s not the end.
Love you!
Hermana Israelsen
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