Dear
Mom and _______,
Another week has come
and gone! It was kind of slow as far as missionary work and teaching is
concerned because we spent a lot of time at the church helping sort clothes and
items that were donated for the victims of the Valley Fire, but it was a lot of
fun and I loved doing service. It was touching to see the community response
and how many people were giving so much and wanting to help in any way they
could. There is a lot of negative in the world, but there is also so much
goodness. I'm glad for opportunities to see that, because sometimes it's hard
to remember.
These past few weeks
have been a bit rough for me and for the area, but I have to keep reminding
myself that "happiness is a choice, not a circumstance." There have
been a lot of things to weigh me down and sometimes my heart just feels heavy,
but I know that discouragement and those feelings don't come from our Heavenly
Father. As many of you know, I have been here in my area for quite some time
and during that time I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most
wonderful people in the world. We have invited many people to come unto Christ
and many have accepted the invitation, even with willingness to be baptized and
make a promise to God that they will keep His commandments and stick with Him.
Sadly though, real life comes back and the spiritual high and happiness start
to die down, and people return to their former habits and forget about the
promise they made. It is heartbreaking to watch because I know how happy they
had become and the changes they had made, but everyone has the right to make
their own choices and accept the consequences that follow and all I can do is
invite them to come back unto Christ and keep loving them
anyway. I truly love these people and I want them to be happy, but I know that
I need to choose to be happy as well and not let others' choices drag me down
too. It must be hard for Heavenly Father to watch us and we all make mistakes
because He knows the better path and the way that will make us happier, but I am
grateful that He still gives us the freedom to choose.
I found a gem in the
Book of Mormon that explains it better: "Therefore, cheer up your hearts,
and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves- to choose the way of
everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 10:23).
Anyway, I hope y'all
have a great week and LOOK for excuses to be happy and cheer up your hearts! I
know that we will all be able to find them, because God is good and He loves
us. Until next time!
Hermana Burton
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