TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED

Yet again we had an amazing experience with another investigator this week. This guy has been through a LOT, but he has been talking to us his "church people" and always feels better. He has called us twice just needing to talk about drama in his life. He doesn't ask for help or even advice, just for prayers. I am so grateful that he trusts us and wants some of our prayers and knows that we represent Christ and can help him connect with Him. Anyway we had a fantastic lesson with him outside at the church. Sister Allen and I arrived before him and pulled out some of those classic tan primary chairs that you can't find anywhere else... we all sat on those and listened to him for a good 20 minutes. He vented and you could just see the hardship lifting from him as he talked. There was part of me that was thinking, "Ah how are we supposed to teach the Restoration???" But the bigger part of me thought "Just keep listening, what would Christ do?"

As we listened he suddenly voiced the concern "And ya know what I don't think I really understand faith, like people always be telling me I got faith and then if something happens that I don't like then I feel like I don't have any faith... I don't get how it works" and like lightning  we flipped to Alma 32 and  read through the chapter the three of us together... all 42 verses, pausing and explaining, asking questions, and watching in amazement as he taught himself. Hearing him reexplain what faith was and watching his face light up when he said "So I had faith the entire time? I got da seed?! Dats what's up!!!" Oh my goodness it was priceless, one of those unforgettable moments I know I'll never forget and I'll tell my kids about. The gospel is so true and so amazing, it truly "alters human lives and changes human nature." (Ezra Taft Benson)

 Another thing I will never forget from this lesson with this guy was what I want to focus the rest of this letter on. I was so struck by the spirit when this amazing man said one of my new favorite quotes: "I'm too blessed to be stressed"
oh. my. goodness. Let that one sink in for a minute...
...

I absolutely love that! And it is true! Why do general authorities and church leaders continue to challenge us to "count our blessings" and have an "attitude of gratitude"? Because it changes our perspective. It causes us to focus on all that is good without the bad, without the unnecessary stress.

I want to share a portion of a letter I recently sent to my mission President where I shared a concern I have about the need to "get over myself" and get rid of unnecessary stress. Every week I share with him the "peach and pit" of my week, this was last week's pit. I'd venture to bet many missionaries have these feelings. Most probably don't publicize them but I think it's an important thing to share and realize and talk about.

PIT: I am having a hard time getting over myself at times and not worrying about messing things up or not saying something or saying too much. Sometimes I feel like I over analyze and over visualize how I want things to go and then get worried I just jynxed it, i know that that sounds faithless but I'm being honest and trying to pray for help to get over it. I noticed something in my call letter this past week. It says "as you serve with all your heart, might, and strength the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized." I noticed that it doesn't say MIND. That part is left out and I think that is inspired and I'm trying to apply that into my life and work.


It is a powerful realization that I have had that unlike the famous "High School Musical" song says, sometimes I need to get my head OUT of the game...
The Lord knows us perfectly. He knows what we need and our little pea brains can't comprehend the way He works. That's where faith comes in, and that's where putting our trust in Him and serving with our heart, might, and strength becomes vital. If I get my mind out of the work and put my heart into it then that's when success happens, that's when blessings come. That's when time passes, and that's when miracles are seen. That's when I can say with most confidence: "I'm too blessed to be stressed."

It's something that I know has been my struggle for a lot of my life, overanalyzing and wondering, I know it is one of my weaknesses, yet I also trust it can be made one of my strengths. I know it is something I'm going to have to overcome everyday, yet I'm committed to do it, but I know I can't do it alone. That's why I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to be a missionary and be so consecrated and dedicated to working, serving, becoming like and relying on my Savior Jesus Christ. Only through Him am I able to find peace and hope for my future and the future of those that I meet every day. On lds.org I saw the new theme for the youth this upcoming 2018 year, I absolutely LOVE the logo! It has wavy lines that are color blocked in shades of red and blue and then there is one straight line color blocked in light blue with the words of the theme: "Peace In Christ" above it. My first impression of it is something that Hermana Jacobson helped me learn. She would often say, "The world is a crazy place always changing, but Christ is the constant." That's what I see in that logo the world different shades and wavering but Christ constant. Always. Yesterday. Today. Forever. Through Him we can do all things. Through Him we are too blessed to be stressed.

I want to share two more experiences I was blessed with this week.

#1 The investigator I ranted and raved about last weekend committed to baptism for the first Saturday in September!!!! We had planned on having dinner at a member's home to teach the full Restoration lesson and commit him to baptism but when we showed up there were 11 people there and we decided that was way too much pressure to put on him. Instead we had a really good discussion about our personal relationships with Christ and shared Sister Allen's all time favorite video "Because of Him" (https://www.mormon.org/video/because-of-him)
We left that night feeling unsure about how he felt about things (our minds were too much in the game) and we prayed that we could have another opportunity to teach him before Sunday. Saturday afternoon he texted us about a question he had while reading in the Book of Mormon. We asked if we could come over right then. He said sure, so we headed that way. During that time he continued to read and had an answer to his question by the time we got there but we still were able to discuss what he had read and then jumped right in to the Restoration lesson and committed him to be baptized. The spirit was there guiding us the entire way and it was another one of those experiences I'll never forget and will tell my kids about. We definitely did a party dance and said a gratitude prayer once we got back to the car!!!! We are overjoyed and in complete awe at how amazing he is! We had another investigator come to church this Sunday who has some deep challenges with depression and feelings of worthlessness and skepticism. We had an amazing lesson in gospel principles with both of them and at the end a member asked the latter one if he had read from the Book of Mormon before and he said he hadn't but we had given him one and challenged him too. Our dear sweet incredible golden guy came up and started bearing his testimony to him. He said, "I was pretty skeptical of it as well, but as I began to read I got that same feeling I had when they first came and talked to me and so you have to just try it out. I have seen when I keep reading the book I get my questions answered." OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!! Our hearts soared through the roof it was one of the most awe-inspiring things I've ever experienced. One investigator sharing experience and helping a fellow traveler on the road to faith and conversion. I am too blessed to be stressed.  

 #2 When Hermana Yauney and I whitewashed into Rockwood 7 months ago we met a sweet less active man our second week there. I just loved this man, we invited him to church the first time we met him, AND HE CAME! I remember thinking "How can I feel such intense joy that I want to tackle this guy because I'm so happy he is here?! I just got here! How can I feel this way?" It was my first experience with Christlike love... caring so deeply about a person I had never before met. Caring so deeply and so immediately about his life, his salvation, and his relationship with the Savior. As the months went by we continued to visit this man and he continued to come to church. We continued to hike up the hill to his humble little hermit home, flick off ticks and teach and bear testimony and listen to his life experiences and his testimony. He told us about the times he would give away a Book of Mormon or two that he always kept in the car. And about the time he gave two German hitchhikers a ride and took them to the Hill Cummorah Pageant. He showed us his shop where he had his fly fishing gear. After hearing I loved fishing he tied me ties to take home and use and always remember him. I'll never forget when we shared the story of my all time favs the Anti Nephi Lehi's with him and asked him to write something on a piece of paper that he was willing to sacrifice and then actually bury it in the ground and commit to do it. I'll never forget when we asked him for a referral and he told us about a friend that ended up accepting a Book of Mormon and began reading it on the swing in his front yard as we drove away. There was also the lesson where we watched the Mormon message "You Will Be Freed" and talked all about fishing and avoiding Satan's lures. Right before I left Rockwood we had a lesson where we set a date with him when he would commit to staying all three hours of church. That date was August 6. Well on Thursday I got a call from Hermana Jacboson, she and her companion Sister Pogue have continued to visit him and have had some really good lessons and he was preparing and planning to stay the full three hours this Sunday... but this past Monday he passed away unexpectedly... I am shocked... I am sad... but once again I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and the opportunity I had to meet this man and to be an instrument in the Lord's hand assisting him back to the straight and narrow path. I had written him a letter before I left where I had shared my desire to return to Tennessee after my mission and go to the temple with many of the people I have met while here. I told him I wanted him to be there. And you know what? I know he will be. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have met so many wonderful people who have influenced me so deeply I truly am too blessed to be stressed.

I hope y'all have a blessed week with minimal stress and when the stress does come you get your mind out of the game and turn to the Lord who can offer you peace that the world can only mimic but cannot provide. For as a wise man once said "The world cannot fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts"

Love and pray for each one of you'uns!!!!
Love,
Hermana Hall