HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Never in my life have i been so excited for break to end and school to start! haha

A break for YSA missionaries equals, a ghost town. But we managed to make do, the Lord always found something to fill our day. It actually gave us some time to meet one on one with each of our five bishops. Tell them our goals and vision for us as their missionaries, and to see what their vision for their ward is for this new year.

This past fast sunday the whole stake fasted for missionary work! 

We called all of our ward missionaries and asked them to, if they felt prompted, to bare their testimonies on missionary work in the ward they attend. It was so cool getting texts and calls back from all of them saying things like "thank you for challenging me to do this.."
 "I would love to bare my testimony!". 

Aiasau and I decided that we wanted to make it to all of the 5 sacraments so we could bare our testimony's as well. 4 of our wards start at the same time so we were haulin booty to make it to all of them. We'd walk in, straight up to the pulpit, lay it down, then run straight out to the car.

Nothing like running to share our testimony on a Sabbath day, lemme tell ya!

On top of the fast for this month, they are having a member fast on every day for the next 40 days. All for missionary work! We are going to be seeing some miracles take place that is for sure.

Wards are really kicking it into gear, one of our wards is even having a speaker give a talk based off of the power of everyday missionaries once a month..now the goal will be to continue with this fire far after everyone's new years resolutions fizzle out lol 

Since all of the people we have been teaching are out of town for break we decided to make a few phone calls. We had three lessons over the phone! Some other elders in our stake even did a lesson over facetime, the blessings of technology! 

Well, not to much else is going on with me..just serving Him all day every day! 

So I just read over my letter and its pretty uhh....not good!  So i'll end with the words of Elder Holland, this is one of my favorites!

The Best Is Yet to Be

"You can remember just enough to avoid repeating the mistake, but then put the rest of it all on the dung heap Paul spoke of to the Philippians. Dismiss the destructive, and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family, your friends, and your neighbors. God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go. That is the thing Lot’s wife didn’t get, and neither did Laman and Lemuel and a host of others in the scriptures.

This is an important matter to consider at the start of a new year, and every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life. Such is the wonder of faith, repentance, and the miracle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The poet Robert Browning wrote:

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in his hand

Who saith, “A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!” 

Some of you may wonder: Is there is any future for me? What does a new year or a new semester, a new major or a new romance, a new job or a new home hold for me? Will I be safe? Will life be sound? Can I trust in the Lord and in the future? Or would it be better to look back, to go back, to stay in the past?  To all such of every generation, I call out, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11).

Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today,tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep."

My favorite part in this talk is when Elder Holland say's,  "every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life." We don't need to wait for January 1st. The time is now!  We can BECOME who He wants us to be.  I know this to be true through the changing power of the atonement. A new year is great, but there's no time like the present. I love you all so much! I hope ya'll have a great day..dont stop smiling.

Much loves,

Sister Efnor