This week has been quite the week in Elkins. It seemed that with every day my faith and patience were tested further and further. It showed to me that the scripture I had chosen to "ponderize" was especially needed for the week. The end result of my "ponderizing" turned into: "...the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage." This scripture was especially important at helping me press forward throughout the week. With each day a new challenge was placed upon those we are teaching and upon ourselves. We visited the hospital more times than I'd like to think about, and we visited one of our friends who had broken her femur in three places in a car accident.
The trials of these individuals really pressed on both my and Sister Roberts' hearts. As appointments fell through and people were hurting, I did become rather frustrated. For a moment "our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back... [but] the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren... and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success" (Alma 26:27). Instead of crying out in anger I decided to say a prayer and ask our Heavenly Father what we needed to do in order to stay effective in hastening the work. After a moment of silence I decided we needed to go tracting. I'm not sure how many fruits will come from our labors that day, but I do know that by continuing on in patience and faith we were able to forget the stress we had been experiencing and go on with a new brightness of hope.
Moral of the story: "Ponderizing" works and patience is actually pretty important.
Another great outlet I found was returning to writing. For any who do not know, I absolutely love writing. It was one of my favorite hobbies before I came out on the mission, but I haven't felt inclined to write for the past few months until earlier this week. I wrote a poem entitled "Who Among Us" and related it to Christ's atonement and the redeeming power we can find through it. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the notebook I wrote it in, so I might share it next week instead.
One fun little story this week involves one of the wonderful older ladies we've been teaching out here. She's eccentric and sometimes says the oddest things. The quote from her for the week is: "When I die I want them to put me in a cat costume and bury me in a ditch. They bury the cats for free."
I hope you all have an absolutely amazing week! Lift up your head, and have faith through your trials. You will be strengthened and carried through them, even if you don't realize it until 50 years down the road.
"Ponderize" Scripture for the Week: Mosiah 4:9
"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."
Have a great week everyone! I love you all and continue to keep you in my prayers. Believe in God!
Love,
Sister Thyme Nash
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