As
many of you are aware, today is my Mommy's birthday! When my Mom was my
age, she was in a pretty serious motorcycle accident, and as a result,
has large scars on both legs. It's never been a concern for me. Mom is
beautiful and perfect as she is. However, I know that when she was
younger (and maybe even now), it has caused some embarrassment.
Here is a quote from Elder Holland that I love:
“Jesus has chosen, even in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, to retain for the benefit of His disciples the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side-signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect; signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn't love you; signs, if you will, that problems pass and happiness can be ours.”
God's definition of perfect is very different from the
world's. When we obtain our perfectly glorious resurrected bodies, I
don't think that means that we're going to look like the people in
magazines and on TV. In fact, I hope I don't look like that. I think
we'll look like ourselves. God promises that we will see as we are seen,
and be known as we are known. My Mommy will be perfect, whether or not
she retains those scars on her legs.
I'm so grateful for my Mom. I wouldn't be on a
mission if it wasn't for her. Not to say that she pressured me, but my
decision stemmed from the way that I was raised. My Mom was diligent in
holding family scripture study and weekly FHE. She taught me the Gospel
and helped me build my own testimony. How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of my Mother, who has made me everything I am today:) I
love you, Mom. Happy birthday!:)
I have three investigators that I want to talk about:
*TANYA
is still progressing and working towards her baptismal date! Sister
Olsen and I are going to be helping her paint her living room soon, too.
I love teaching Tanya because it's like visiting a friend. She always
has the kindest things to say to us and her faith is phenomenal. She
came to church yesterday and loved it! Everyone wanted to meet her.
Please pray for Tanya!:)
*WALTER, I mentioned briefly last week. He's kind of
old and aloof. We always show up at his apartment complex at the same
time every week and wander around until we find him. Sometimes he's on
his front porch, other times he's behind the building on a bench. I have
the biggest crush on Walter. Me as a missionary loves him as an
investigator:) Last week, we found him reading from the Book of Mormon!!
However, Sister Olsen and I have felt really strongly like we need to
pass him over to the elders. We threatened them and said that they have
to love Walter into the Celestial Kingdom.
 |
| The "Princess" Sisters! |
*ALEX is our next door neighbor. He's from Honduras,
and was taught the missionary lessons at age 17. He has read the entire
Libro de Mormon! He has a lot of faith and said that he's ready to be
baptized. He's only hesitant because he wants his wife to be baptized,
too. Also...he bore his testimony at church yesterday!!! I imagine that
what I felt is what Mom and Dad feel when one of us girls bear our
testimonies. Alex's daughter Kelly loves us and drew us a picture! I've
attached my picture of the picture.
Here's another Holland quote that I came across:
"You make or break your mission every morning of your life. You tell me how those morning hours go from 6:30 am
until you are on the street in your mission, whatever time it is; you
tell me how those hours go, and I will tell you how your day will go, I
will tell you how your month will go, I will tell you how your year will
go and how your mission and life will go."
I think this applies to post-mission life as well.
My goals are to use every morning to become more of who God expects me
to be as well as to make the decision to wake up happy every single
morning!:)
NOW, the moment you've all been waiting for...The Restoration!
The
Van Buskirks came home early Halloween morning. We drove to the post
office with Sis. VBK and brought home so many letters and so many
packages! I've attached a picture with me and all my mail. It was a
glorious feast! Thank you everyone for your love and support. As awesome
as it was, I've come to the realization that mail isn't what makes me
happiest. Hearing Tanya commit to live the commandments, finding Walter
reading from the Book of Mormon, and listening to Alex's testimony were
the highlights of my week. I LOVE inviting others to come unto Christ.
The night before was the ward Halloween party.
Sister Olsen and I went as elders. You can see the attached picture. I
love the Accokeek ward!! I have come to love these people so so so much.
Alrighty, I'm glad we're all on board with working on
Christlike attributes each month. Here's a full schedule of the months
and attributes:
*Charity and Love - Oct 2013 & July 2014
*Humility - Nov 2013 & Aug 2014
*Faith - Dec 2013 & Sep 2014
*Knowledge - Jan 2014 & Oct 2014
*Patience - Feb 2014 & Nov 2014
*Virtue - Mar 2014 & Dec 2014
*Diligence - Apr 2014 & Jan 2015
*Hope - May 2014 & Feb 2015
*Obedience - Jun 2014 & Mar 2015
My Ward Mission Leader (Max Houtz) said this about charity: "Charity is nothing more than helping others feel good about themselves."
It's
so simple. I love that. Charity doesn't have to be giving money or
giving time. It's about helping people realize their divine nature and
potential. Now on to November, which is humility! Sister Olsen and I
have a nasty habit of talking ourselves down. I think my hair is frizzy,
my skin has zits, or I'm displeased with my waistline. Talking badly
about myself doesn't help me focus on God and His hand in my life. My
goal is to think better about myself, and to think about myself less. I
want to look in the mirror in the morning, and then spend the rest of my
day looking outward. I also am going to always say positive things
about my leaders to show support for them. God has given them
stewardship over me for a reason.
Speaking of God, this is the testimony that I want
to share today: God knows you and He loves you. God loves me SO MUCH. I
know this because we went to visit a potential investigator...when we
arrived, they ordered pizza and fed us cheesecake. I have been craving
cheesecake for about 134593876 days now, and I finally got some! God
loves me so much!!!
And I love you too. Sister Crandall
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