Lessons Learned

This week I learned an especially valuable lesson that I couldn't have learned any other way but on my mission. All my life, my parents have given me all that I needed, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I've been so blessed to never go without.  If there was something more that I wanted, I could work a little extra time and earn a little extra money to satisfy the need. But out here on a mission, we live in such a way that is uncontrollable to me.  I don't have any say or control over how much money I get for food or travel or where I live. I've learned to be especially grateful for the money and supplies the Church provides us with.  My companion and I work together each week to decide what things we really NEED to buy and what things we would be fine without.  I do not mean to make it seem like we aren't given enough to satisfy our needs and live comfortably because we are, but I do mean to make a point that we don't have extra money to frivolously spend. So an amazing member helped us out this week. He called us Saturday night and went grocery shopping for us. He bought us cereal, yogurt, bananas, strawberries, bacon, milk, granola bars and even a warm throw blanket for each of us for the cold months ahead. He brought it by at the end of the month so Sister Berati and I would have a little extra to make to October.  It may seem like a small trivial thing for him to just buy us these few things, but the quality and a few of the things he bought for us, we wouldn't have bought for ourselves and my heart was full of gratitude as there was no way for me to repay him. All I could do was say thank you and continue to serve the ward the best I can. This situation made me cry because of how truly grateful and touched I was by this member's generosity and kindness. Then I realized how similar it is in our relationship with the Savior. As mortals, we can only do so much. We only have a certain amount of means and there are only so many things we can achieve by ourselves in this life. The Savior loves us so much that He gives us something we can't provide for ourselves and we are forever indebted to his loving sacrifice for us so that we can have eternal life.  The least I can do for the Lord is to serve for 18 months on a mission and continue to keep the commandments and do the things I know to be right. This example may seem trivial but my relationship with the Savior and realization of the power of the Atonement really grew this past week. I've never felt the peace, love, and happiness of the Savior as I did through this experience and I'm so grateful for the experiences Heavenly Father gives me to learn.

Scripture of the Week: John 15:4-5 "Abine in me and I in you.AS the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

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