First awesome thing: Lynda. Lynda is someone we are teaching and she is amazing!! She used to attend the Baptist Seminary, but is on track to get baptized. She had an LDS friend growing up, but her friend moved away to Idaho when they were in high school. About a year ago, Lynda and her friend got reconnected and her friend sent us her information. Lynda is so ready for the gospel and has an incredible desire to learn and come closer to God. We taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ this past week, and she said something incredibly insightful (she is very in tune with the Spirit, so there will probably be more Lynda insights in future emails). She said that "you never have less grace than you need". Her point was that Heavenly Father is intimately aware of each of us and what our needs are. He will always give us exactly what we need for a specific trial. Sometimes we may feel like we are not able to go through what is in front of us, but that couldn't be more wrong. Our Father in Heaven will always be there for us and will give us the strength we need to endure. He will not give us more than we need, but neither will He give us less than we need.
Second awesome thing: Savior of the World. The Raleigh stake put on a play titled Savior of the World and we were able to go see it with someone the elders are teaching (thank you elders for giving us your tickets!!!). This play is a musical that is about Jesus Christ and the impact His life had on the world. It was written by a member of the church and has been approved by the First Presidency. At the beginning, there was a narrator who talked about the play. The play didn't focus on the Savior's life, but on the time before His birth and what happened after His death. The narrator described it as ripples on a pond. He said that, like the ripples that occur when a rock is thrown into a pond, the effect of the Savior's life spread much further than the area where he lived. He said that everyone on the Earth has been affected by the ripples of the Savior's birth, death, and resurrection.
Third awesome thing: my studies. I decided to study 'light' this week and I learned a lot! In the dictionary, light is defined as something that makes vision possible. I started thinking about that and how Christ is referred to as the "light of the world" in the scriptures. I thought about how light, and the ability to see, is connected to our level of understanding. If we are in a dimly lit room, we can see the outline of objects in the room and can have an idea of what is there. Without more light, we can never know for certain what is there and the truth of our situation. It is only when the lights are turned on that we can see things as they really are and understand our surroundings. That light also allows us to safely navigate our way through what could otherwise be a dangerous path. Similarly, it is only because of Christ that we are able to see the things of eternity as they truly are. It is His light that guides us as we walk this very treacherous path.
There are many names for Christ; Savior of the World, light of the world, Redeemer, Friend, Counselor, Advocate. He is all of them and more. One of my favorite hymns is I Know That My Redeemer Lives. I do know that He lives and that He is always reaching out to us, to lift and guide us, to strengthen us, to purify us, and to love us. As we strive to develop our personal relationship with Him and follow His teachings, His light will burn more brightly in our lives. We will be able to see things as they really are. We will be able to avoid the dangers that lie in our path. As we draw closer to His light, we will be able to reflect that light to others.
Love y'all
Sister Pyper
Yes, this is an actual plate on a car. We go past this car every day and I love seeing it :)
There was a huge thunderstorm as we were planning one night, so I of course had to go out in it. I got completely soaked in about 2 minutes.
We were visiting a less-active member of the ward and this is her dog. I'm pretty sure there is 3 times as much fur as there is actual dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment