Letter #53 04/07/14

And the changes continue.... We had transfers today and I am staying here in Meridian and have a new companion (to the area), Sister Worden from Arizona. She is super sweet and I think we're gonna do awesome here together. She has been out for about 10 months and has just been called to be a Sister Training Leader as well, so I finally have my STL companion. That will definitely lighten my load a bit. I will miss my last two companions dearly. I learned so much from them and they became very dear friends. But as always, we must keep moving. My international mission continues as we received a referral this week for a man named Ali from Iran. He has been here for 13 years but still has a very thick accent and mainly speaks Farsi, Greek and Turkish (please keep in your prayers that we'll find a translator to help us!). He is very sweet and very ready for the gospel, so we're excited. He even told us he wants to come to church next week! Doing the invitations for us! Haha. This weekend we had the special privilege of watching General Conference, which is an opportunity we have twice a year to hear from our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, as well as other church leaders. The talks are all inspired from God as you can tell as they are exactly what we need to hear today. I love them so much. It's like the Superbowl for us missionaries ;) I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time with such an emphasis on missionary work and helping bring all of God's children home. I really appreciated the focus on basic principles, which I know are topics we are attacked on a lot as member of the Church. It is so good to be reminded and strengthened in what we truly be and how our organization came to be. I know this gospel is true and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Christ once again restored on the Earth. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and he does receive revelation for us so that we might be able to know how to endure this life and return to our Father in Heaven. I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk on gratitude as many of you know big I am about that. Gratitude truly is a healer and helps us through our trials. It was really neat as we met with one of our investigators, Billie, Friday night and watched On the Lord's Errand (about President Monson's life). Afterwards we asked her how she felt about a living prophet on the earth today and she explained that when she first heard, it was hard for her to wrap her mind around, but now it makes sense to her that for God to communicates to His children through a prophet just like He did of old. I shared with her how cool it is that when we watch Conference we can receive answers and guidance personally, even though they talk to us as a whole. She said that that's how she feels about the Book of Mormon. As she's been reading from it more she sees her answers come through the scriptures and is truly loving it. I love her! I love seeing people receive that guidance and confirmation that what we are teaching is true, and that they find it for themselves and we're just the guides. So awesome! I love you all so much and am so grateful for you! Love, Sister Wightman