"Be Thou Humble" 10/7/19

 Hello friends and family!

WHAT AN AMAZING GENERAL CONFERENCE! Seriously that was so good! I don't think I could say I had a favorite talk, although Elder Bednar's was incredible and Elder Holland ALWAYS blows my mind, there were so many 'one-liners" that spoke to me so powerfully. 

This week has been full of adventures. There have been so many crazy experiences already I remember telling my companion. "If my mission stays the course it is going, I am going to have SO many stories when I get home" But I love every day in some way, shape, or form. :) 

We had some interesting contacts this week that have really pushed me to learn the scriptures better. I find some very common questions among people we talk to and to have a scripture ready I know would be so beneficial. Especially to know the Bible. We talked to a man that was a Pentecostal pastor who just moved from Nigeria. He had been referred by the Elders who had said he was ready to hear the Gospel and was mostly interested in the Book of Mormon so we were really excited to teach him. He was quiet for a few minutes at the start of the lesson, then proceeded to preach the Bible to us for the next 30 minutes. The moment I saw an opening I interrupted to get us out of there, it was funny. 

While Conference was, and always is, good, both Sister Snelgrove and I had somewhat of a rough time through the beginning. We saw MANY things we can improve on and allowed doubt to creep in. We had a really good conversation Saturday night on things we need to improve on, then got into the car to drive to the next complex. The second verse of "Be Thou Humble" started playing and it was as if I had never heard the words of the song before until that moment. It says,

"Be thou humble in thy calling, and the Lord thy God shall teach thee, to serve His children gladly, with a pure and gentle love." 

Those words spoke so powerfully I just sat in complete silence for a few minutes until Sister Snelgrove said, "well I don't think I have ever heard that before". God is teaching me humility, and it is a hard lesson to learn. But in learning to be humble, I know God will help me learn how to love and serve those people I teach. I am so grateful for all the lessons I am learning, they contribute so much to my growth as a missionary and as a representative of Jesus Christ. 

I love you all so much and would LOVE to hear some of your favorite talks/impressions from Conference!

❤Sister Callister

___________________

Hello family!

What a crazy week! I don't know if I can accurately explain all of the insane moments we have had full of seeing car accidents, another heat wave, crazy family connections, and some seriously interesting people who tell their story of finding God through LSD, weird. But it is all part of the adventure of it!

This week I was studying about Hope. This has turned into one of my favorite things to study this week. I have learned more about the true meaning of hope, and how fundamental it is. 

Hope by the worlds definition is generally somewhat linked to uncertainty. "I hope the weather changes" , "i hope you feel better". But in scriptural definition hope is "firm, unwavering, a surety". In Romans 15:13 it says, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope, though the power of the Holy Ghost." Likewise in one of my favorite chapters if the Book of Mormon. Ether 12:32 says, "...wherefore a man must have hope or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which though hast prepared". In Preach my Gospel hope is defined as, "believing and expecting that something will occur." , "an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you". 

Hope, throughout the scriptures and Ether 12, is linked with faith. Faith is a principle of action and power. When we act in faith (reading the scriptures, praying, knocking doors, talking to people on the streets) we can be blessed with the power God promises to give us. But, hope is intermingled in that equation. When we act in faith, we get power, but in order to access that power we need to have hope, or the expectation that we will receive that power. What we normally see as Faith = Action + Power; it is actually 

Faith = Action + (Hope/Expectation) + Power

In order to have faith we need hope, in order to have hope we need faith. Faith and hope combined allow us to learn charity. "Faith, hope, and charity... the foundation of all righteousness" (Ether 12:28).

The one caution, is God will answer our prayers in His own way. We can have the expectation of receiving blessings, but what those blessings are is not up to us. I learned that in one of the "one-liners" from conference by Elder Vinson. "Giving your all does not mean you will have success, but it does mean that you will have joy". Exercising my faith through finding does not mean I will have success, but on my path to conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and involving God in every day of my mission I will find joy. I will learn how to better exercise faith, how to have a surety of hope, and how to show Christlike love to those I come into contact with. 

I love you all so much!! Have the best week❤

PS here is a picuture of a family we watched a session of conference with, we love our members! 

I took a picture of a sunset (because Arizona sunsets are the PRETTIEST I have ever seen. Seriously nothing compares that I have ever seen.)  But it didn't do it justice at all! So I won't attach it 😊😂