Bah bonjour everybody! It's been a really powerful week. I've been studying a lot lately about how to become a completely consecrated missionary, and how to really truly give myself over to the Lord, so that I may be shaped into the person that He wants me to be. As the amount of months I have left on my mission become fewer and fewer, my urgency to allow the change come over me that He has intended for has increased. I've started a journal listing all the reasons why I'm grateful for my mission, with all the things I've learned so far. The list is very long, and still growing. But I have to say that the biggest thing I've noticed in common among all of them is the ability I have to change. I can become better. And that is all thanks to the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To allow change to come over you, to really use the Atonement, it requires complete submission. You cannot be changed to become more like God if within your heart and mind you fight against Him, or resist and resent and just hold fast to what you would rather do. And what you would rather do may not be bad things! But is it what He wants you to do? God cannot work on what He does not have...and the one thing we can give to Him is our will. He gave us the gift of free will, so it's the one thing we can submit to Him. So He cannot have you unless you give yourself to Him. So, I offered a prayer of submission to my Heavenly Father this week. I don't want to go into all the details, because it's sacred to me. But I do want to tell you that when you make your desires known to God to completely give yourself to Him, He listens, and He rapidly begins the "molding process." I feel that for too long I've been serving God with all my might and strength, but not necessarily all my heart and mind. He requires all 4. When you serve with all your might and strength, a lot of wonderful things happen and many lives are blessed because of your good works. However, you yourself aren't susceptible to all the happiness and change that could have come over you, had you done these works with the right heart and mind as well. You really can't be happy in the work of the Lord if you don't want to do those things that lead to happiness, even if you do those very things. It is not our acts alone, but the intentions and desires of our hearts that bring about true happiness and change. And that is why we are here...to change. We have a nature, but we do not have to, (and God does not want us to) just continue on in our "natural ways." He literally can change our very nature. With our flaws we often think, "well, I'm just that way. It's just who I am..." But that is contrary to what God's plan is for us. His plan is one of progression, of improvement, and of change. He's serious when He says He will help us become like Him. But that requires a desire and total submission on our part. How beautiful is that, that we do not have to be stuck with any single weakness! We can make every single one of them a strength. Your world is in your head, so if you get your head right, your heart will follow. If you constantly turn your thoughts towards the Savior, and what He would do in any given situation, your very nature will change and you'll become more like Him. Learning self-mastery over my thoughts is something I've been working hard on this entire transfer, and it's hard, but it's possible. Anything is possible with God. I saw first-hand this week this change taking place amongst those I get to serve. All of our amis are letting the atonement change them. And that is our goal here as missionaries, to help people change by using the Atonement. Saipo, David and Silvia, Nadia, and Gwenael are all coming to church every week. They love the gospel and they love learning more about it. There was a missionary fireside last night and Nadia and Gwen stayed for that. Nadia even stayed for both of our wards with us! Gwen is about to finish the BOM for his very first time, and has promised to pray once he's finished to know if it's true and if he should get baptized. Wonderful families in our ward had us over a lot with our amis, and that is the key...our amis get to see first-hand the happiness that comes from centering your family on Christ. I hope you all invite the missionaries over with their investigators! I've just been amazed this week to see God's hand in this work and the miracles of change that can be brought about when we submit ourselves to Him. I love to see the happiness increase in our amis as they align their will with God's. It's one of the most fulfilling experiences to watch those you love do it, but it's even more fulfilling to feel those changes come over yourself. I'm so grateful for my Savior and His Sacrifice that makes this even possible. Bisous! Have a great week. -Soeur Shields
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November 2015
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