Good news! This morning during my morning work out I cleared the high jump!!! It was sweet. I took a couple of falls before I got it but I now can run and jump over a hurtle that comes up half way past the bottom of my ribs. I was pretty pleased. Wahoo for perseverance. Also, yeah for the forth of July! After serving at the jail we had a barbecue with the Mechams (a senior couple serving here at the jail with us). We had hamburgers, salad, home made ice cream, chips, watermelon, and cake. It was so fun. I know I have said this before, but the senior couples are just wonderful. One of the biggest blessings of this mission.
Bad news. A not so friendly something ate my foot on Sunday evening at our sociable. It is still intact, but it got me good about three different times. I felt it when it happened. I feel really dumb. It makes me wonder if I should be a little more squeamish about bugs. The first two times I felt something crawling on me and just kicked at it. Then it got me again! I never did see what it was but it looks like a spider bite. Three spider bites, and it hurts like the gulf of misery and endless woe. So, that may or may not be an over exaggeration, but it's making me grateful for AMAZING bodies that heal themselves quite effectively. Just one of the many expressions of love from our Heavenly Father.
Nauvoo news: Sociable is coming up (July 19th). I mean that one I have to sing in. At least we're not dancing. I think it's hilarious how much we sing in this mission... once every month in sacrament meeting and then this sociable thing. Anyone who knows me knows how musically disabled I am. It's been quite the adventure, but I really do think it's going to be spectacular.
Pageant is here. which means Nauvoo has been turned upside down! Or has it been turned right side up again? At any rate, things are CRAZY (wonderful, but crazy). Which means writing letters has been moved from a side burner to a back burner. I don't plan on writing many letters until August when this tornado has past. I will still be e-mailing though.
I am excited. I have never seen pageant and am looking forward to watching it tonight. The sisters watch it once a week and since our preparation day is today we get to watch it opening night!!! It's pretty sweet.
Today we went to the temple. I love it there (duh). Whenever I go to the temple I always have a hard time leaving. I wish I could stay there for ever. As we left a calm assurance came over me that I would be able to return. That it would not be the last time I would ever be in the temple. It made me think about how it might have felt, what we must have thought, as we left our Father's presence to come down here. I would imagine, knowing our Father's plan for us, we must have had a calm assurance that we would return. That it would not be the last time we would see His face, and feel His presence.
For pageant the Sisters here in Nauvoo have a theme. It is, "I had to give up everything I had, to get everything I wanted". We have all thought of things we are going to sacrifice in our lives to become consecrated missionaries and make pageant all that it can and is suppose to be. It has been really cool. I have thought a lot about that theme " I had to give up everything I had to get everything I wanted". It's a line from pageant and it depicts the life that Joseph, Hyrum and the early saints all lived. They gave up EVERYTHING they had, not only to get everything they wanted but also to give us everything we want. They gave up everything from their homes to their possessions, and even their families, their livelihood, their safety, their comforts, and their pride.
What do we have in our lives that is keeping us from everything we want? I think first, it is important to think about what exactly it is that we want. And I know that it is a bold thing for me to say, but I can promise each and every person that what lies inside that sacred building, the temple, is everything you want. For yourself, for your children, for your loved ones, family, friends; everything that you want is there. All you need to do is to give up everything you have, perhaps everything you are holding on to, in order to get it. I would challenge all who read this to analyze your life. Take inventory of what you hold as important and let go of those things that block your view of eternity. Music, books, grudges, pride, clothes that demean you as a child of God and anything that defines you as anything BUT a child of God. Because in reality, that is what you are. A beloved child of a Father in heaven. I guarantee you that that is a better identity than anything that world has to offer you.
I love you all so much and pray for you always.
Sister Bailey.
P.S. 2 Nephi 31:20 <3
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