It rained like mad
like....A LOT!
I don't think you can handle what's about to happen
get ready for the most inspiring thing of your whole life
Elder M is a missionary in my district here in the Pensacola area
and he had a dream
In his very own words...
"I had a dream. I was in Africa, and I was black.
I was walking along a gravel road with my black son.
And my son confided to me that he had been having troubles at school. He told me...
(Que the tribal accent similar to King Julien from the movie Madagascar)
They make fun of me fatha. Because I am short.
So I said to my son.
Son! Do you see that plane?
Yes fatha.
Son!
yes?
Git up on my shouldas.
Climb up here!!!
See, son!
see what fatha?
You are as tall as me now. You are as tall as that plane.
....And I can't remember the rest."
I thought you all could benefit from the most inspiring dream I've ever heard.
That's just a small taste of the things I have learned from my district.
That same day, I found out they agree I look like Princess Peach.
Which is not a compliment no matter how you look at it,
but all is well in Zion.
It has been another fabulous week here in the Breezy Gulf town of Gulf Breeze.
Thank you for your prayers, last Sunday we saw some people at church that had not been for a while which is super cool!
We were able to have a meal with Paul and Paula again and do some family history with them.
We were at a dead end, no dates, just names. Trying to help them to find names in their family to take to the temple for their first time as recent converts.
With a prayer in our hearts, we used a name in Paul's line after many other names. His family tree shot forward. TONS of temple ready names. It was incredible. They are so excited to do the work for their loved ones who have died in the temple, and I am so proud of them.
Another visit with them later on, some contention arose between Paul and Paula.
NO WORRIES it was minor and actually hilarious.
I have mentioned their dog Sweetie before I'm pretty sure, the poor dog has diabetes so she has to be on a diet. Paula told us why Sweetie has diabetes while she was feeding Sweetie a handful of cheese..
"Sweetie got diabetes because we was feedin' her cheese all the time."
my companion: "Paula, you are feeding her cheese right now."
Paula: "It's just a little snack we don't do it that much no more."
However Paul and Paula disagreed as to what they should feed her that particular night.
Paula wanted to feed Sweetie a corn cake and
Paul said:
You might as well feed her a paper bag. It's so bland.
then Paula said:
The ingredients on here aren't very healthy..
and Paul got upset and said:
There's gonna be some tasty stuff in there. They don't want to starve the animal to death.
Sister C and I couldn't keep it together we were hysterical.
This dog is the most obese Chihuahua in the world I think, and Paul was worried about starving her to death and whether or not her food tasted bland.
One of my favorite Paul moments happened when Paul was telling us why we need a will. He said:
"My daughter knows. If she doesn't carry out my every wish when I die she better sleep with one eye open. She already knows. She would feel some kind of tapping on her in her sleep, wake up and nobody would be there. But she knows it'd be me because I'd be so mad if she didn't follow my wishes. See, the problem with people going off and dying, is that they never have a way to tell people what they wanna do with their body when they're dead! Nobody got a will. Just know, if somethin' happened to one of ya'll, the first thing I would do is make sure, you're from Utah and California, I'd make sure you made it back to you're home town. I don't know how, but just know, I would figure it out."
Thank you Paul.
I can rest easy now ;)
And mom and dad.. If some random old native american man shows up to the house with me in the back seat and a strange small but very plump animal, just know he didn't murder me, and the animal is actually a Chihuahua.
Needless to say I will be starting my will very soon.
Fun fact.
Guilt most often comes from Satan.
Godly Sorrow, is when you start to see what God expects of you, and realize you don't measure up to it.
If our immediate reaction to Godly Sorrow is
Hope: which comes from knowing that Godly Sorrow leads to humility which leads to change which leads to joy.
Then you're on the right track.
The heart has to break, before it can change. And it has to change before it will feel true joy.
The crazy thing, is that no matter where we are in life we will never be what God expects, which means we should constantly be going through this cycle of recognition, humility, sorrow, hope, change, joy, recognition, humility, sorrow, hope, change, joy.
Why, if we will never in this life get there, would we do this over and over and over again?
Because the more we understand this cycle --this path of repentance, the closer to our potential, as sons and daughters of God the Eternal Father, we will be.
The path to perfection is repentance. The way is possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Let me be ABSOLUTELY clear!
We can not go through that cycle of change on our own.
Whether it be weakness, or sin.
Whether it be outright rebellion, or an honest mistake.
Through Faith In Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism and Keeping Our Baptismal Covenants, Receiving Then Listening To The Holy Ghost, and enduring or enJOYing until the end
with the Savior
We can move forward towards our potential. We can BECOME whole.
So what is your next step? How do we begin this cycle and never let it end?
Step One: Ask God to tell you in what ways you are not what He expects.
Sounds a bit harsh..
"What Lack I Yet"
He will tell you
Don't be afraid of the sharpness that may follow, because it will lead to sorrow.
It will lead to change if you let it.
I know for myself to be true, I am not perfect at repentance.
I don't pretend to be even close to fully understanding the Atonement.
Honesty Hour
I have been chastised recently, I will admit it, and told clearly of some things I need to strengthen and change.. It hurt sure, pride always does. But I couldn't be more happy that God loves me enough to allow me to experience this.
He trusts me enough to tell me these things that I lack, and He will help me to make them strengths.
How cool is that? Answer: Not just way cool, but way way cool.
"Verily thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also Chasten"
Doctrine and Covenants 95:1
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you—
Chasten: N. To Rebuke, Refine, or Reprove.
hashtag refiners fire
Make it a good day!
xoxo
Sister Saunders
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