July 27 Miracles and Tender Mercies

Hey Daddy!

 I loved hearing that you are having a blast with John and that the Wyoming trip went awesome! So so great! This week I am just going to enclose a copy of my President's letter since I am really crunched for time. But I love you and miss you tons! Your letter this last week was truly inspired (with the advice to get up on time because I love God) and I'm so thankful that I have a father who holds and honors the Melchizedek priesthood!

Love,

-Johanna

 Dear Pres. Wall-

 I have come to learn through the scriptures and experience that serving others is an act of faith that allows the enabling power of the atonement to strengthen us beyond our normal capacities. The Savior said that it is when we lose ourselves in His work that we come to find ourselves. 

 I just want to say that although yesterday was a rough day of sorts, it was also amazing, because just like you said, I found Christ in the lows. Elder O'Donnell gave me an amazing blessing and so although yesterday wasn't super fun, I felt the spiritual hugs coming that we've talked about before.

I have been learning a lot from the Book of Mormon this week. Most notably, I've learned that scripture is easier to understand if you receive your own revelation. Nephi is only able to explain Isaiah super well to his brothers because he's already had his own vision confirming and expounding on what Isaiah wrote. I think that everyone would love and understand Isaiah the way Nephi did, if we could all see in vision what Nephi saw. And learning this strengthened my desire and need to receive personal revelation everyday. 

If you ask Sister Palmer, I get some weird promptings that are (hopefully) the Spirit, but we follow them in faith and later we have greater understanding. It's an interesting pattern that is used by the Master Teacher to help us walk by faith and not by sight. Nephi might've grown up reading Isaiah, but he probably didn't understand it or could explain it that well until he received personal revelation that clarified and was tailored to him and his needs. And I know that the same thing can happen for me - the stories I've read all my life can/have been illuminated as I've received revelation and studied for those whom I so dearly want to serve.

Companionship unity is great, I really do love Sister Palmer. Thank you a million times for putting us together! I've learned so much for her, and she's pushed me in the ways that I've needed. We complement each other really well, and I rejoice in the fact that I got to learn from her before she goes home. 

District unity will hopefully be strengthened today during our Plaquemine P-Day. We are all going down to Plaquemine to play frisbee in the field by the branch building, and hopefully show Plaquemine that we care about them and don't want to force them to come up to BR all the time. I'm excited and looking forward to today, even though it means that we don't get to take naps. :)

As far as miracles and tender mercies go, Kenny got baptized!!!! I've never felt so happy in my entire life. Having my first baptism (even though it wasn't really mine - I only taught him the first lesson and soft committed him to be baptized and then I got transferred, and really he was so prepared that any missionary could've helped him to get baptized) helped me realized that this work is not about numbers. It's about sacred promises with God. And that is so cool. 

Also, as we were walking out of the apartment to go to church, the sky was super dark and it looked like a thunderstorm was coming (I love the rain and thunderstorms!) and I said to Sister Palmer, "I hope it's going to rain!" and right then the first drops of a good little storm started falling and I laughed and cried because I knew that my Father in Heaven heard me, loved me, and cared enough about me to send me something that I love. And also, He knew what was going to happen that morning, and He prepared a rainstorm for me to help me feel happy. How nice is that? That the Master of the Universe would take the time to prepare and send a small storm for one of His obscure daughters just to help her feel better. It boggles my mind.

I've struggled with my teaching for the first time during my mission and it's been great to be humbled. We had a couple of lessons that we've walked out of where I've just been like, "What just happened? Why did we do what we did? We just confused them, not helped them" And it hurts because I'm truly coming to love the people we teach and I want only to help to progress. We've also struggled to teach shorter lessons, but we ALWAYS use the Book of Mormon, and sometimes we use the pamphlets. I love studying the pamphlets with a specific lens - it really helps me to get more out of them. For example, did you know how much you can learn about obedience and keeping the commandments from the Restoration Pamphlet? A ton! I'm excited to continue studying the pamphlets this way. 

K, I'm super excited for Zone Conference tomorrow! I love learning from you and your wife, I love learning from the assistants, but mostly I love learning from the Holy Ghost and that is who really teaches when you and Sister Wall and the assistants teach. Thank you for being worthy enough to teach by the Spirit and help me to know what God would have me do to be a better servant.

-Sister Chausow