Hola familia querida!
Oooh… I got my travel plans yesterday! I am ACTUALLY going
to serve a mission. It's weird how even in the MTC that still seems like
something way far off-- but actually it's in a week. My plane leaves at midnight
and I get to Merida 9 hours later.
That's really not too bad.
Will you tell Agee how deeply, deeply I was touched that she
sent me her journal? As I was reading it, I just had all this irrepressible joy
surge up in me because I could tell how happy she was. I loved it.
I am trying to write tons of letters today so I will write back to her ASAP.
Mum, I feel this special connection with you every time I go
to watch the broadcast of Music and the
Spoken Word on Sundays. I think "I bet Mom is listening to this same
thing right now." Did you hear the Veteran's day program last week? I wish you could have SEEN it because that
last number with the bells was a visual phenomenon. They brought in this whole
troupe of bell ringers that took up three or four tables the length of the
stage-- probably 40-50 people, all in sparkly red tops and three or four different
types of bells each. It was so cool to watch-- it was so intricate and they
were really getting into it. Do they post those broadcasts?
I am so glad I have music. Music and the Spoken Word is one of the highlights of my week
because I don't get to listen to much other real music besides hymns we sing as
a class. I've also realized how much playing the violin is a part of my SOUL--
I get this incredible feeling of comfort and peacefulness every time I get a
chance to practice. I think "Oh, I missed this."
The Savior, Redeemer number is the same one they play wrote
for '17 miracles' and 'Joseph Smith the Prophet'. The words and the melody and
the accompaniment are all so inspired. Also, I get to sing a duet of 'In
Humility, Our Savior' with Hermana Jones in sacrament meeting this Sunday. Man, Heavenly
Father is so nice to me letting me do all these wonderful things.
Can someone please send me pictures of Ava's hair?! You tell
me how cool it looks and then I can't see it! Also, do you have the lyrics to Mi Burrito Sabañero? I keep wanting to sing it, but I don't know how...
So, I read Grant's suggestion about the scripture cases
after I bought them.... but I do really like the ones I bought. They're the
woven kind so they're fun but they're also really nice and conservative. And
I'm not beating up my scriptures anymore. I bought cover-covers for each book,
but then I also got a bag to fit them because I can't carry my backpack to
meetings or sacrament meetings, so I'll be able to take a smaller bag with
scriptures and it will fit a few other things too. Jenna, thank you for
offering to make them though! I wish I had known before I bought them!
Aw, I had a beautiful conversation with Morgan (Lia’s cousin
going to Mexico,
too) yesterday during gym while we watched other people play volleyball. We
talked about our lives and our families and I just love her like none
other.
Good news, though, I really am starting to love a certain
person more. I like that 'cleave unto charity' verse in Moroni--
because when I really look and am in tune with the Spirit, Heavenly Father
shows me the good parts in him. I really see how great he has the potential to
be. And then I just ignore the other parts. It's AMAZING how Heavenly Father
can make that happen! He actually helps me be more like Christ!
I've been thinking a lot about the process of how Heavenly
Father teaches us and guides us. I watched a David A. Bednar talk about
'Following the Promptings of the Spirit'. A few years ago, Elder Bednar was at
a GA conference with Elder Packer, in which Elder Packer reminded him about the
time when he had visited Elder Bednar as a missionary in Germany (Elder Bednar
was the missionary assigned to help Elder Packer (still a general authority
back then) and his wife get lodging in the mission and then continue his way to
Eastern Germany by train.) Years later at this conference, Elder Packer told
him about how the 20 marcs Elder Bednar had given them last-minute (a lot of
money) that had saved their lives (you'll have to read the whole story).
The thing was, Elder Bednar didn't ever remember giving them
the money-- he assumed that if that was really what had happened, he must have
just thought "Oh, they'll need this money for food or something." He
said he had no indication at all that he was receiving a very important
spiritual prompting-- he was just doing what seemed like the sensible, good thing
to do. He said that's how most spiritual promptings come. The Holy Ghost really
is a guide to direct the way we think, we don't have to know we're receiving a
spiritual prompting or seek one.
I was very struck by this because I thought: "Isn't
that like Heavenly Father manipulating our minds-- giving us thoughts of what
he wants us to do and we don't even know it? Isn't that taking away our
agency?" And then I realized: "No! That's the amazing thing! Heavenly
Father will guide our every action and effort if THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. If what
we WANT is to do His will, that's exactly what He will enable us to do. If we
don't want what He wants (which is to make us better), then he won't. He won't
give us anything if it isn't what we want to be happy." I've been thinking
a lot about our decision to want what God wants. It's a lot better idea than
what we want. It takes faith to believe that sometimes.
Jeje, Elder Randall in our district loves superheroes and
has been assigning everyone in the zone to be a certain superhero-- then he draws
murals of us on the whiteboards. His girlfriend also sent him these Batman
socks with little capes on the heels and he wears them for our four square
tournaments. (I never knew how big four square was in the MTC-there our days when
no one in our entire ZONE is doing anything
during gym besides playing four sqaure. It's like our zone bonding activity.)
Hey how is Harlan? Do you know if he's going to write?
Mucho amor,
Hermana Lia Ludlam
Don't forget to post your new Mexican address! For me, the mission home address is the best since it doesn't go anywhere. They can forward it to you if such service is reliable there. You go, Lia! Elder Wilson reported that Elder Holland, at a 4 mission conference, said this time of missionary work now is as important as the time of the First Vision. (I'm not quoting exactly but it was along those lines.) WOW! You're in our prayers. Be safe and strong and well! love, Sherry
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