January 8, 2012

so here are a couple questions that were asked of me...

what principle of the gospel you have come to know more than you knew before your mission.
Christlike attributes. I think that before I came i had a lot of things to improve on especially in patience, diligence, humility, and charity. mission has been refining me ever since i decided to come. i am still far from perfect but i feel like i can at least endure hard times without getting impatient or angry.

also following the guidance of the spirit. learning how to recognize and follow the promptings of the spirit without hesitation is something that i have really come to learn and love doing. it is sort of an adventure because sometimes you have no idea what you are diong but in the end all things just work out perfectly and the spirit testifies to you that you have done something good. when the spirit touches your heart, you are happy. mission has just made me so happy.

What experiences have you had that have strengthened that principal?

this three weeks have really proved as a refiners fire as we didn't have a car. miraculously on friday we got a call that the car was fixed so since then we have had a vehicle. unfortunately most of our investigators fell off the map and don't want to see us anymore. we weren't able to see them because they live far. it just seemed like every minute after every minute another challenge came up. i have never been more grateful for my companion, sister mudzimba. she has been nothing less than a blessing to my life. she has supported, encouraged and helped me so much through the challenges. it feels so nice to have a "partner in crime" who is so willing to sacrifice and work her bum off for the people we are helping. the greatest thing is how united we are in our purpose. i can always rely on her to do the right thing.


Have you felt the protection of prayer from home in your life yet?

a long time ago, sometime in 2010, i was driving with my companion. we were just enjoying the trip to our investigators house. I had to make a left turn (remember we are on the opposite side of the road.) So I checked my blindspot, turned on my blinker and tried to turn the wheel but it wouldn't move. I was confused and tried again to turn the wheel just as a car zoomed past us going a million miles an hour (at least that fast!). I didn't even see him. I knew then that it was a miracle. that week in my email home i was told that you were all worried about me and prayed very hard for me that week. I know that it was the faith of my family and their diligent prayers that caused that miracle.

Has scripture study helped you out of  trouble?
scripture study has invited the spirit more into my life than anything else. I love the words of the prophets, especially in the book of mormon. this last week i have been so proud of myself as i have been so careful not to offend people (i don't know if you know this but sometimes i get a little too bold for my good and i end up saying things that i regret later), declare the truth, and invite them to live the gospel. so far i haven't said anything that has caused feelings of anger or regret. both sister mudzimba and myself are celebrating that accomplishment. there was a man who was doing his absolute best to convert us to his crazy church, he talked for 45 minutes of our 50 minute lesson. by the end we just testified of the truth, invited him to learn for himself and closed with prayer. there were no hard feelings. we also met another family who  had a really hard time thinking about the fact that we had a "replacement bible" i was so pleased as both sister mudzimba and i answered all of their concerns in a loving manner, using principles from chapter five of preach my gospel. the spirit was strong and there was no offense taken on either side. we were able to leave them with a copy, and a commitment to read and pray about it. when we left them they looked as if they were totally shocked. it is so exciting to have the gospel referrences that we have as members of the church.

scripture study gets me out of trouble everyday because it invites the spirit into my life, and when i have the spirit, i can follow it and it will guide me to safety.

Has obedience been a safeguard for you?

Obedience is the best guard against trouble ever. especially because there are a lot of police road blocks everywhere. we have never been stopped at a single one. there are a lot of police who hide all over the place on the highway looking for speeders to pull over. once again, we have never been stopped. as we are obedient, God protects us a lot.

mom, just so you know, the fact that you love to connect with people classifies you as a blue... not a red. (haha, embrace it, yous is a blue!)

love you and got to go.

may the next week be blessed

peace and blessings
sister blum (your favo missionary)