Letter #3

Hallo!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Can you believe it is already Thanksgiving? I can't. My 3 week mark is tomorrow!

 We said goodbye to the missionaries who are a transfer ahead of us so that was weird. It is weird that we will be the next missionaries leaving! We are leaving the MTC January 1st!

With Thanksgiving this week I have been thinking about everything I have grateful for. Heavenly Father has blessed me with such a great family, wonderful friends, and a happy life. I wish I could write you each personally and tell you how grateful I am for you, but time here at the MTC is scarce. So just know that if you are reading this...I love you and am grateful for you.

This Thanksgiving is one that I will never forget. As much as I would love to be home, eating great food with the people I love most...I am so grateful that I am here in the MTC as a missionary. The Lord has given me 21 years of blessings that I think I can spend a few holidays away while serving Him.

My gratitude today is focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ.

His Life. His Love. His Sacrifice.

Elder Bednar gave a devotional last year here at the MTC entitled, "The Character of Christ". If anyone can find it (i dont think it is available outside of the MTC) but if you do read it!

Elder Bednar explains that knowing the Character of Christ is crucial to us becoming like Him.

So what is the Character of Christ? As we study is life...it is apparent in everything He did.

The main take away is that the Character of Christ is that when the natural man would turn inward...Christ turns outward in love and compassion!

During the Atonement and the cruxifiction, Jesus Christ turned outward. Suffering the pains, sadness, frustrations, inequalities of the world and then being betrayed by one of His Apostels...Christ STILL turnined outward by healing a guards ear. On the cross he asked the Father to forgive the people who had crucified him. While one the cross he was concerned for his mother. At the times in our life when we think life is hard. When we think life isn't fair....it is at these times that we tend to turn inward and have pity for ourselves. As we look at Christ's life and example it is in these times when we need to get over ouselves and do the things Christ did.

Life is too short to be unhappy. I have such a strong testimony of service and charity. I know that we are happier when we are in the service of our fellow men.
When we choose to lose ourselves in God's work and focus on others, that is when we find ourselves. That is when we are truly happy.

A testimony is not enough. It is good when we have a testimony (knowledge/belief), but true conversion unto Christ comes when we consistenly live what we know!

It is not what we say, but who we are and what we do.

I am so grateful for my Savior.

He lives. He loves you and me.

It is through His Atonement that we are given strength to do all that we need to do in this life.

Elder Bednar, when talking to the missionaries said that if the trend continues, nearly 30% of the missionaries present would be inactive in the Church in 5 years. This is because we are not converted. Their testimonies were not enough. Elder Bednar then made a promise that: "According to your desire and diligence to obtain the Character of Christ you will obtain every Spiritual Gift and will never fall away from the Church." 

I am grateful this Thanksgiving for every good thing in my life. 

I know that every good thing in my life is because of our Loving Heavenly Father.

I am grateful to wear His name on my tag.

I love you all!

Be happy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

XoXo
Sister Jaynes 

 

Scripture of the week: Read Ether 3 (the Faith of the Brother of Jared)