Be Still & Listen.

And the emotions are rising. So full of joy and excitement to go to the CCM to learn more and to feel of the beautiful spirit that is there. Sad to leave all those I love so dearly. Happy that I finally get to meet my sweet companion, Hermana Dowdy. That first interaction is one that I look forward to as I know we will be running to each other and probably crying or laughing because that's how we do it. Excited to meet the rest of the district, the elders. I know I am going to be laughing all the day long with those ones. And to meet my purest teachers. Time is already going by so fast. Part of me wants it to stay this way and part of me wants it to stop and slow down so I can really enjoy every single moment that this next 18 months will hold. 

 

 

There's so much I could say in this email. So many beautiful moments this week that I will always cherish. I want to start by sharing an experience mi compañera and I had. We got sent to a breakout room on zoom and shortly thereafter, our teacher was there with us. She told us we had fifteen minutes and we were to get to know her, find out her religious background, and set up an appointment. We were unprepared but went for it. We started and everything was going smooth until we rushed past certain steps. There was a point where as our teacher was telling us her story, I got caught up in my mind thinking, what am I going to say next. I had stopped listening. Eventually we finished and it ended up going better than we expected. Our teacher started talking to us about how we felt and after we shared she asked us to pull out Preach My Gospel. There was a quote she wanted us to read that I will shorten. It says, "More important than speaking is listening. These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children of God... I promise you that something they say will ALWAYS highlight a truth of the gospel... If we listen with love, we won't need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us-- by the Spirit and by our friends." As I was reading this out loud to the three of us there, I got choked up and tears filled my eyes. It was exactly what I needed to hear that day. We continued to read and the spirit was just so strong. I had chills, over and over again. I think that in all my life, that was the first time that I felt the spirit and noticed and felt it stay. A lot of the time it's easy to miss what the spirit is trying to tell you because of all the commotion around. If you just try to listen, you will notice it & I am sure more often than you would think. 

 

 

I invite you all to listen to the general conference talk called "None Were with Him", by Jeffery R. Holland. It talks about the atonement and it is so powerful. My heart is full of gratitude for that ultimate sacrifice. After reading this, I have a deeper understanding and testimony of its truthfulness. And especially, a deeper love for our Savior. "For his Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees or fails us." His faith overcame all else. Even through the most horrible and dark feelings to ever occur on the earth. We will never have to walk alone. 

 

 

So much laughter. So much fun. SO much love. This week, I spent a lot of time with those I love. Had so many conversations and memories made that will be unforgettable. I am so excited to meet and get to know so many more people that I will not be able to stop myself from loving. Tomorrow I am giving my farewell talk. If you are able to come, I would LOVE to see you!!! I will be flying out on Tuesday morning. It is crazy that this moment has come and is here so fast. I know that these next 18 months will be full of all sorts of emotion and I am overjoyed to have this opportunity to share this gospel that I absolutely adore. 

 

 

I love you all so much...

 

 

Hermana Morley <3