Warning: Missionary rant ahead. Proceed at your own risk!
Ok so the second photo didn't actually attach last week. So here it is now.
As I said before, we started losing our minds a bit.
Ok! So this past week was a little less eventful than the week before, but not much. We had a training with both of the Palmyra Zones, and we had someone special show up! This guy and his family happened to be touring the sites:
http://link.brightcove.com/
His name is Kuhau, and he is incredible. It was such a privilege to be able to meet him and hear him play! I have a video of him playing "Called to Serve" while the two zones sing with him, and then he also played at our site meeting that night. It was excellent. Music does things that nothing else can. The guy in the video with him was also there. It was strange because Sister Szuch and I watched that video literally 2 days before we met him. So cool.
Waterloo is kind of taking off! By next week I'll know if I get to stay here for my last 6 weeks and who I'll be with, but until then I'm assuming I'm staying here with Sister Szuch till the end. It's been wonderful to watch how much has happened, especially just in the past few weeks. It's also had me thinking a mile a minute because I have so many people I care about and want to help! I will spare you the details of all of the things I've thought about and learned, but there's one topic this morning that I'll share a bit about, and that's....the law of chastity! Maybe it's because we're teaching a 27 year old guy and a 23 year old guy. The 27 year old has never been married and has two kids. The 23 year old is engaged with one boy and one on the way. Chastity is really a topic you can't avoid in situations like that. This morning I was so impressed with gratitude for my understanding of this law. I've found that in society we really don't use the word "law" correctly. We should use the word "rule" or something of the like. Why? Well the law of gravity is a law. It's unchangeable. You can try and defy it, but really you'd end up with the short end. It would be foolish. There are laws on Earth and in Heaven that are set- they aren't going anywhere. We can test them or rebel against them all we like, but we will yield the same results. You can't win against God in a world He created. Sorry
So to explain what the law of chastity is- it is a law given that prohibits sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman. There are definitely details, hard aspects, sticky points. Issues like political correctness, "freedom" and character traits attempt to make the entire subject more difficult than it needs to be. We don't believe that God gives us the law of chastity to make us miserable- on the contrary. The law was already in place, but we are given knowledge of it so that we can get the most out of life and love. Consider again the law of gravity. Whether you are aware of its existence or not, you feel it. Those who insist that following this law inhibits their freedom may fling themselves from cliffs but you bet they'll only be free to do it once. I've been thinking back over various experiences in my life, and although I've been fortunate enough not to end up with an early family of my own, I know what it feels like to feel used, worthless and ugly. The adversary and the world would convince us that sex is the way to conquer insecurities. To give in to what is natural is the only way to be free or to be healed. Anyone who has experienced this temptation knows that following these experiences comes the realization that nothing has actually changed. Instead, your worth feels cheapened and you're looking for the next escape. How long does that continue? Till you're 60? 70? Let me offer a piece of wisdom, and it's only a piece: you will never feel beautiful if you're looking for someone else to prove it to you. It's not going to happen. God loves us, so he has sent His prophets throughout time to give us things like the law of chastity to keep us happy and to help us to understand who we are. Don't get lost in the lie.
That was a lot. I would apologize, but I'm not really sure that I should. So...not sorry? :) I just love so many people who are hurting! Yeesh. Just go listen to General Conference, okay? Those guys really do know what they're talking about. I will never be able to deny that!
In case you were all wondering about the weather and if it's warming up, it is currently snowing outside. We've gotten an inch or two like every other day this week. There is no summer in New York?
Ok that's all I've got for the week. Till next week!
Cheerios,
Sister Raines
Ok so the second photo didn't actually attach last week. So here it is now.
As I said before, we started losing our minds a bit.
Ok! So this past week was a little less eventful than the week before, but not much. We had a training with both of the Palmyra Zones, and we had someone special show up! This guy and his family happened to be touring the sites:
http://link.brightcove.com/
His name is Kuhau, and he is incredible. It was such a privilege to be able to meet him and hear him play! I have a video of him playing "Called to Serve" while the two zones sing with him, and then he also played at our site meeting that night. It was excellent. Music does things that nothing else can. The guy in the video with him was also there. It was strange because Sister Szuch and I watched that video literally 2 days before we met him. So cool.
Waterloo is kind of taking off! By next week I'll know if I get to stay here for my last 6 weeks and who I'll be with, but until then I'm assuming I'm staying here with Sister Szuch till the end. It's been wonderful to watch how much has happened, especially just in the past few weeks. It's also had me thinking a mile a minute because I have so many people I care about and want to help! I will spare you the details of all of the things I've thought about and learned, but there's one topic this morning that I'll share a bit about, and that's....the law of chastity! Maybe it's because we're teaching a 27 year old guy and a 23 year old guy. The 27 year old has never been married and has two kids. The 23 year old is engaged with one boy and one on the way. Chastity is really a topic you can't avoid in situations like that. This morning I was so impressed with gratitude for my understanding of this law. I've found that in society we really don't use the word "law" correctly. We should use the word "rule" or something of the like. Why? Well the law of gravity is a law. It's unchangeable. You can try and defy it, but really you'd end up with the short end. It would be foolish. There are laws on Earth and in Heaven that are set- they aren't going anywhere. We can test them or rebel against them all we like, but we will yield the same results. You can't win against God in a world He created. Sorry
So to explain what the law of chastity is- it is a law given that prohibits sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman. There are definitely details, hard aspects, sticky points. Issues like political correctness, "freedom" and character traits attempt to make the entire subject more difficult than it needs to be. We don't believe that God gives us the law of chastity to make us miserable- on the contrary. The law was already in place, but we are given knowledge of it so that we can get the most out of life and love. Consider again the law of gravity. Whether you are aware of its existence or not, you feel it. Those who insist that following this law inhibits their freedom may fling themselves from cliffs but you bet they'll only be free to do it once. I've been thinking back over various experiences in my life, and although I've been fortunate enough not to end up with an early family of my own, I know what it feels like to feel used, worthless and ugly. The adversary and the world would convince us that sex is the way to conquer insecurities. To give in to what is natural is the only way to be free or to be healed. Anyone who has experienced this temptation knows that following these experiences comes the realization that nothing has actually changed. Instead, your worth feels cheapened and you're looking for the next escape. How long does that continue? Till you're 60? 70? Let me offer a piece of wisdom, and it's only a piece: you will never feel beautiful if you're looking for someone else to prove it to you. It's not going to happen. God loves us, so he has sent His prophets throughout time to give us things like the law of chastity to keep us happy and to help us to understand who we are. Don't get lost in the lie.
That was a lot. I would apologize, but I'm not really sure that I should. So...not sorry? :) I just love so many people who are hurting! Yeesh. Just go listen to General Conference, okay? Those guys really do know what they're talking about. I will never be able to deny that!
In case you were all wondering about the weather and if it's warming up, it is currently snowing outside. We've gotten an inch or two like every other day this week. There is no summer in New York?
Ok that's all I've got for the week. Till next week!
Cheerios,
Sister Raines
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| We go a little crazy sometimes. |
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