I learned so much this week. I honestly feel like a
completely different person than I was last week. My leg injuries have become a
rather large trial. It is quite clear to me that the Lord doesn't intend for me
to walk as a missionary. After a lot of crying and praying, I have really
become okay with this.
I've always heard people say that they were grateful for
their trials, but I have an entirely new understanding of this now. I realize
that there are important things for me to learn from this, and I'm grateful to
the Lord for loving me enough to let me suffer. He knows better than I do that
if it was up to me I would knock on every door in Virginia until everyone was
baptized, and probably work my companions to death. These trials have forced me
to slow down and understand the real purpose of missionaries. I trust the Lord
and I am truly grateful for the blessings that have come from this trial.
Since last time I wrote, my knee got worse, and I actually
ended up going to an urgent care. I got a nifty brace that I get to wear for
the next little while that actually makes walking a lot easier.
Before I went
to urgent care, I got a wonderful blessing that told me that my injuries would
be healed at the end of my mission and that I would finish my mission. This was
so relieving to me because I had been so panicked and worried that this injury
was going to send me home early. The blessing also told me that this trial came
from God for a specific reason. The Lord was pleased with the work I had done
as a missionary. There had been many people who I was able to teach and serve
that I wouldn't have interacted with if it hadn't been for the injuries I've
had on my mission. I was blessed to have the capacity to continue serving and
promised that the Lord still had work for me to do.
I've prayed harder than ever and had a lot of conversations
with my Heavenly Father. Even just a week of this experience has made me a
different person. I made a list of twelve reasons why I'm happy about this and
I'm really doing okay.
I appreciate all of your love and prayers. Don't worry too
much, God takes really good care of me. I know that this is a trial from Him
for a reason. This week I prayed that I would be healed in His time, and I
actually meant it. I asked for the trial to not end until I had learned all He
wanted me to learn and served all the people He wanted me to serve, and I meant
it with all of my heart. I love the Lord and I trust Him completely. This is
hard, much harder than I thought it would be, but God is on my side, and that's
all that matters.
In other news, Charles is still getting baptized on
Saturday! He completely amazes me. He studies Preach My Gospel before our
lessons. This week we taught him all of the commandments in one lesson. It took
two hours and it kind of felt like a marathon. He taught me new things about
the Word of Wisdom that I had never thought of before. I am so blessed to have
met him and to have learned from him. He was so prepared for the gospel. He
studied the chapter in Preach My Gospel about preparing people for baptism and came up with
his own program. He basically told us how he wanted the baptism to go. This
experience is like nothing I have ever even heard of. Seriously, Charles is one
of the elect.
Nick also talked to his parents about getting baptized! I
prayed so hard for a miracle, and we saw one! His mom told him it was okay, and
actually agreed to come to church with him as well. His dad said he still wants
to think about it, which is still a miracle. I am so excited for Nick. He is
one of my most favorite people in this entire world. In Gospel Principles on
Sunday he introduced himself and said, "I'm going to join the Church as soon as I
can." Teaching him has literally changed my life.
On top of all of that, we got some really interesting
spiritual impressions this week. I am grateful for companions I can trust to
follow the Spirit. I love feeling the Holy Ghost nudge me in certain directions
- it means the Lord trusts me enough to do something important. I want to
become someone the Lord can always rely on to immediately follow the directions
of the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for all the ways the Spirit guided us to
safety. If I have learned anything on my mission, it's that it is essential to
act as soon as you feel prompted to do something, and not to question it,
especially if it seems weird.
Oh, I LOVE being a missionary! It is so hard. So, so, so much
harder than anyone could begin to explain. But it's wonderful because it's
hard. It wouldn't be so wonderful if it didn't require a lot of sacrifices.
This week I hit my halfway mark. How did I get to be one of those missionaries
that was old and wise and had all the answers? Because the secret is, no one
knows how to be a missionary - we're all just making it up.
I love you all and miss you dearly. Have a great week!
With love,
Sister Jasperson
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