Disciple...czyli:) (someone who learns)

January 20th, 2014

 

Hello my lovely family!!! I love you so much and I'm so glad that you got my package. I'm sorry that it got opened and that Rori's ring wasn't there. Super Lame:) I hope that you all enjoyed the rest of it though. Also sorry that I sent you crazy amounts of chocolate right when you started the "Getting Into Shape Athon:)" awesome! hahaha. I loved the pictures of Rori cutting dad's hair. Oh dad would never trust me with that:) Too many terrible hair cutting jobs. I also love your story of the temple mom. Sometimes I get what I call " temple sickness". Basically it is decided that I will go to the temple ASAP after my mission.

This week we saw a lot of miracles. I normally like to share the great things that happened to other people and help you see the wonderful lives of these people in Poland, but I would like to share a personal experience. A miracle that happened to me.

We began the week with a Zone Training. It was all about giving your heart to the Lord. I LOVED it. I felt the Spirit so strongly and felt the great love that the Lord has for me. I left it feeling uplifted and prepared to repent and change some of my missionary work, so that I could be a better missionary. Not sure exactly why... or what triggered it... maybe being tired. a little sick. and feeling a bit overwhelmed with the work, but I began from the next day to feel very weighed down. I started to focus on the things I wanted to change in myself and ended up feeling like I couldn't do anything right. For me that was very hard. It's so important for me to know that what I am doing is pleasing the Lord. I felt very weighed down, and the work suffered. I prayed. Super Hard. I cried a little bit:) actually just a lot:) I know that it's good to think about the things you need to change, but I also knew that this was not building and uplifting. So it happened that this week I learned a completely new lesson about the Atonement. I learned so much. My whole life I've learned about the power of the Atonement. It has been at the focus of countless lessons and countless experiences. Even in view of all this, I don't think I've ever really understood how it works. I read a talk " His Grace is Sufficient" and realized that I'm not perfect, nor ever will be. The Savior already paid the full price. My side of the bargain isn't to try and pay it back or to be worthy of His love, he already paid it. My part is to give Him my heart. To give every effort and every conscious thought in order to show Him how much I love Him. As I began to see it in that light, something inside of me changed.I'm still learning more and trying to take it all in stride.  I learned so much, and throughout the rest of the week, we saw miracle after miracle. To me it was as if Heavenly Father was showing me His love. Even in the fact that one day I felt so much joy and contacted this amazing lady!!!!!!!! Actually she contacted me. She was so cool and we talked for a while and she said " You know what... I think that the reason I asked you who you are and what book you are holding ( Book of Mormon) is because you were smiling. You are happy. She's right! I also want you all to know that there are birds chirping and it's raining here! This weather has been a miracle to me. We've also had some lovely and spiritual lessons with some of our investigators. Plus Przemek and his dad came to church!!! I think the love I felt for him was a miracle as well. Their family felt the miracle of temple prayers. And As you can see, I did too. Oh how I love the temple. Sister Owen has been so great, and we've made a super solid goal sheet so that we can not feel overwhelmed. That's why I Love goals! it's so doable if you just draw it out!
I know that missionary work and really life is all about change. It's all about repentance and calling to repentance and being called to repentance:) I am going to begin my week with a fast, that I may know how to better give my heart. I want to " know Him as He is" as Moroni quotes.
I love this work. I can't wait to give more to it. I love my Savior. I love Him so much. I need to give Him my heart, and my desires, and even " every conscious thought". That is my goal.
Love, Siostra Ali Hemming

After contacting in the rain!!!

Love It!!!!

Eating our Sunday obiad in the chapel closet:)  It was a party!