Let's Get Down to Business

On Sunday I got to play my flute in sacrament meeting!! It was SO nice.  I can't believe how much I have missed playing it.  It was so absolutely incredible.  I really hope that I brought the Spirit in and touched the hearts of those in my branch. On Sunday we also had a devotional with the one and only Donny Osmond which was entertaining to say the least.  He focused a lot on not taking your mission too seriously and just having fun.  It was a little unconventional, but I actually think that it was good to hear that.  Sometimes the missionaries here get a little too carried away with how solemn missions are.  They are very very important, but I don't believe that the Lord wants us to go about his work without smiles on our faces.  

Speaking of smiles, yesterday was quite the happy day!  My district was specially chosen to guide some private tours of the new MTC buildings.  It was so fun!  I was expecting the tour to be a normal museum-ish tour, but it was actually a pretty spiritual experience.  My companions and I lead a young men's group around the new buildings and I really hope that we inspired them all to really desire to serve the Lord and help others come unto Christ.  I had a great time talking to them and they had some marvelous insights of their own (especially on a large painting of Esther so I was pretty pumped about that #womenpower).  Some of them know Saul!! It was such a great experience and they are going to start opening tours to the public in mid-july.  Fam, PLEASE GO! This might be the only time that the kiddos will be able to see the inside of the MTC before they come here on their missions!! The new buildings are SOOOOO COOL!!

I don't want to spend too much time on our "investigators," but one experience begs to be shared.  We recently memorized Joseph Smith's first vision in Danish and have been very anxious to share it in our lessons.  When we did, I couldn't believe it.  The Spirit had been present in the lesson up until that point I'm sure, but the minute I started saying "I saw a pillar of light," (or I guess "Jeg så en lyssøjle lige over mit hoved,") the Holy Ghost was sucked into the room and embedded itself into our very pores.  I honesty had a hard time reciting the rest of the vision because I felt a wave of tears tittering on the brink of my throat.  It was so powerful.  That is the only word adequate to describe how it felt, and it wasn't just a one-time occurrence.  We shared it again with a different investigator and the same magnificent power was present.  This gospel really did come from God and Jesus Christ, and you can feel it if you open your heart.

Also: my district is assigning everyone a disney character and I'm Judy Hopps from Zootopia.  Accurate? Yeah probably :)

The weeks here are really FLYING by! I can't even believe our half-versary was YESTERDAY!! It feels like I came in just a few days ago, but it really has already been 3 weeks.  

I love you all so so so much! My daily advice for this week is to pic a Christ-like Attribute (found in Preach my Gospel) and really strive to develop it this week.  Read scriptures on it and write your feelings down.  Our branch presidency has invited us to do that here, and it's amazing how much of a difference it has made to myself already! I find myself with more patience and a less contentious heart.  ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS remember to read the Book of Mormon EVERY SINGLE DAY.  It's honestly like a medicine for life.  Any spiritual "aliment" can be healed through this inspired record.  A few scriptures that really applied to my life this week are 1 Nephi 10: 17 and 19.  My Chirst-Like attribute is Diligence this week, and Nephi reveals the blessing of diligently seeking the Lord (I'm not going to tell you what they are,  because I firmly believe that spoiler alerts are of the devil, so you will just have to go look it up yourself).  

Another spiritual thought I want to share concerns the "Walk with Me" talk Elder Eyring gave in this past priesthood session.  It's a marvelous talk on living up to serving the Lord, and I actually substituted the "priesthood service" with "missionary service" to apply it to my current situation.  It was so inspiring and so needed.  

Jeg elsker evangeliet.  Jeg ved med mit hele hjert at Jesu Kristi evangelium er sand.  Mormons Bog har meget kraft og jeg ved at det kan hjæple I i jeres liv.  Jeg elsker Gud, jeg elsker Jesus Kristus og jeg elsker mulighed at være en missionær.  

Har det godt!!

Søster Esplin
raya.esplin@myldsmail.net






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