Happy Fourth of July Week!

Hey y'all!

 

Happy Fourth of July yesterday! It was such a fun day. Hope you got all the pictures I sent. They had a special devotional last night for us, and then we got to watch 17 Miracles! After that they had icecream and we got to watch the fireworks from the Stadium. We were all cramped in the south corner of the MTC, but it was so fun watching from there. I am so proud to be an American and am so thankful for the freedoms we have. We talked a lot about how the Restoration of the gospel would not have been possible if it were not for the founding of this great nation. How lucky we are!

 

While we were watching 17 miracles, I made a list of "My 17 miracles," I have seen in my life! It was fun reflecting back on how the Lord has blessed me so much in my life, and I know it is way more than just 17 times! More like 17 times a day. But anyways, I spent some of my personal study time this morning studying about miracles. I love reading about all the miracles Christ performed in the bible. And I love how miracles always work according to our faith. In the bible dictionary under "miracles," it says that miracles are manifestations of divine or spiritual power. I was thinking about this, and Elaine being born was definitely a manifestation of Divine power, as I felt the love of God so strong as I prayed for comfort and as we were together as a family. This helped me learn the divine truth of eternal families, of Heavenly Father's plan for his children, and of the power of the Atonement. Because of the resurrection we will all live again, reunited both body and spirit to stand before God. I know we will see Elaine again, and that is possible because of Jesus Christ!

 

On Sunday we had Sheri Dew come and talk to us in Relief Society! She was such a powerful speaker and I took so many notes. One of my favorite parts was when she said, "Conversion requires immersion." Just like we need to be immersed in water to be baptized like Christ was, to be fully converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to be immersed in his teachings. We need to be continuously learning about him, and applying his teachings to our lives. She also likened it to learning another languge. The only way I am going to learn Spanish is by being immersed in it and practicing it as much as I possibly can! The same is true with the language of the Spirit. In order to be able to hear and follow promptings from the Holy Ghost, we need to continously be working at understanding how the Spirit speaks to us and then have the faith to follow those promptings!

 

I am so happy to be here, and am learning and growing so much everyday! Today we are supposed to get our "travel plans," and then next week reassignments I think if our Visas are not in. I can't believe my time here at the MTC is coming to an end! It has flown by. Our district really has become like a family. We love each other so much and it is going to be hard saying bye to all them in a couples weeks. I am so grateful for all I learn here. I can't wait to see what is in store in the future! The future is as bright as your faith! Have a great week!

 

Love, Hermana Garlick