This week was really busy and flew by. The weeks are just all mixed together for me. I can't believe it is already September this week....which means it is my last week of being a TEENAGER..! Wednesday night we had a lesson with a recent convert named Bogo. He is an elderly man who was baptized a few months ago. We went with a sister in the ward and talked about the temple. He is working on going to the temple to do baptisms. On Thursday we had the opportunity to go to Shepherd's Table and serve. It is a shelter for people who are homeless to come and eat a meal. So we went there for dinner and I loved it. That day started off really hard for me for various reasons, but I was looking forward to helping out there because I knew that it would cheer me up. It did a lot more than cheer me up, that's for sure! It definitely humbled me and made me realize how much I have to be grateful for. The problems that I had faded away and I felt so much happier. We were helping with a couple of people from the ward as well as another Christian church with a few members. Last week I got an email from Elder Tome (Marcos) saying that he had been teaching a man named John that had moved to DC. He had his phone number attached and so I decided to give him a call. He answered and didn't seem too interested but very nice. On Thursday we came back to the Visitors Center after Shepherd's Table and a man walked up to me to say hello. He introduced himself and it was John! We had a great conversation with him and learned that he has read the Book of Mormon 3 times already and wants to come to church. We're not exactly sure what is holding him back from joining the church, but he is a great guy. He is in his 50's and is here for work for a while. On Friday we had a lesson with a man named Robert and his daughter named Rachel who is 12 years old. The Mtichells (a couple in our ward) came with us to teach them and it went great. Robert has known about the church for years and says that he has always admired the LDS faith. He really wants his daughter to grow up in a church like this and have good standards as she enters middle school/highschool. I'm really excited to be able to teach Rachel, and she is such a sweet girl. We also had interviews with president Johnson on Friday which is always my favorite. I found out that President Johnson and I have the same birthday! Later that day we got to have a lesson with Nancy, who I'd never met before, but Sister Vespucci had been teaching her in the past. She is an amazing lady (in her 50's) and we were able to answer a lot of her questions about the Plan of Salvation. She came to church with us on Sunday and really loved it. At church on Sunday we got to teach the CTR 8 class last minute since they couldn't find anyone that was available. There were about 9 kids and they were a lot of fun to teach. I'm always amazed at how much kids know and how strong their testimonies are even at that age. Yesterday a really cool group tour came in. They were Mennonite and have been studying a bit about Mormon's. Sister Vespucci and I got to take them around for about an hour and a half to teach them. There were about 25 of them and they ranged from age 18-40. They had a lot of similarities in beliefs and they had so many questions for us. They really enjoyed learning about the temple and eternal families. They value the importance of families and have very high standards. One of them had a question about specific standards, so I showed her a "for the strength of youth" pamphlet. She asked if she could have it and by the end, every single one of them wanted one also so we gave them all pamphlets. This group was probably one of my favorite groups to teach on my mission so far. At about 7:00 last night I was in the front of the visitors center talking to one of the senior couples when a couple walked through the door. It was Brianna Daw (I forgot her new last name) and her husband!! I gave her a big hug and we got to talk for a while. I didn't know that they had been living here and it was really fun to see a familiar face. Also while we were at church yesterday some of the ward members were telling me how there is a group of moms who play basketball and they just changed to Monday morning (which is perfect because it's Pday) and that we could go. So we went to go play and it was SO much fun. There were a lot of young moms who were really good! It felt so nice to be able to play again and it was great exercise. This week I have been studying a talk that someone recommended to me called, Then Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him by Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Seventy. On Sunday the relief society president got up to teach and told us that her lesson was based of that exact talk! So I know that it was no coincidence that I've been focusing on love this week. There were four points that he focuses on in his talk:
1) As we learn to see others as the Lord sees them rather than with our own eyes, our love for them will grow and so will our desire to help them.
2) No true teaching or learning will ever occur when done in frustration or anger, and hearts will not change where love is not present. Whether we act in our roles as parents, teachers, or leaders, true teaching will happen only in an atmosphere of trust rather than condemnation
3) Love should never be withdrawn when a child, friend, or family member fails to live up to our expectations
4) Because He loves us, the Lord expects much of us. If we are humble, we will welcome the Lord’s invitations to repent, to sacrifice, and to serve as evidence of His perfect love for us.
"My dear brothers and sisters, now anytime you feel you are being asked to do something hard—give up a poor habit or an addiction, put aside worldly pursuits, sacrifice a favorite activity because it is the Sabbath, forgive someone who has wronged you—think of the Lord beholding you, loving you, and inviting you to let it go and follow Him. And thank Him for loving you enough to invite you to do more."
As I've been remembering this throughout the week and trying to show more love for everyone around me I have felt more peace in my life knowing that I can give everything to the Savior. Sometimes it can be a lot easier said than done, but Christ DID give everything to us so that we can access peace and strength through His Atonement. He loves us with a perfect love and always is there. I love you all!
Love, Sister Haertling
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