TRY A LITTLE HARDER TO BE A LITTLE BETTER – October 14, 2013

After an awesome week last week I guess it´s only natural that Satan wanted to try to tear us down before we could get this place going. This last week was probably the longest week of the mission so far. We had a lot of laughs and saw plenty of tender mercies each day but it was still a very long week. We ended up knocking on doors and talking with people in the streets all day, every day this week because no one was able to meet with us.  It´s all a part of the experience. Tough days can either make us bitter or better and I´m really trying to become better from the tough weeks. It´s a work in progress. Haha. We did see some tender mercies though so it wasn´t a bad week...just a long one. haha.

Some great news. One of our investigators from Elche who we had been working with to get her baptized right before I left was just baptized last week! I almost cried when I found out! AH! I’m so happy for her!

One thing that kept going through my mind this week is the phrase by President Hinckley “try a little harder, to be a little better¨. I´ve tried to make that my motto this week because that´s what the Lord asks of us. He doesn´t expect us to be perfect tomorrow. All that he asks is that you try a little bit harder to become a little more like him. But if I can look back at the day and say that I tried just a little bit harder to improve myself than I know that the Lord is proud of me.

I´m so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. No matter how long or difficult the day was I can lie down in my bed with a heart full of gratitude for the experiences of the day because each one brings me a little closer to my savior. How lucky are we to have the atonement in our lives. Through it we can start each day brand new. We can try again each day to become a little more like the Savior.

One important thing to remember though is that we´re not perfect and the Lord doesn´t expect us to be perfect but he does expect us to try our very best. We repent and try again. So with all of that said that´s my new motto:  try a little harder each day to be a little better than I was the day before. Little by little.

I´m incredibly happy representing the Savior and talking to everyone I meet about my Savior. I love my Savior and I love the gospel. That´s why I’m doing what I’m doing. I want to be an instrument in His hands. Love you all! 

Hermana Israelsen