Jesus Christ is the sure foundation!

Tuesday, 5th September, 2017

Happy Tuesday everybody! Transfer time already! Good news: I'm still in Wattle Grove! 
Sad news: my soa Sister Taeu got transferred to Campbelltown Samoan Ward ): ): but thats ok! My new soa is 

Sister Chan from Malaysia! 

 She is awesome and I'm super excited to serve with her! Funny fact, I was fully confident that I was getting transferred so I packed up everything - and I mean everything even my bedding on Saturday when we had deep clean and just us my pillow and blanket - nekk minnit we get the transfer call and I'm staying and Sister Taeu is leaving (she didn't pack because she thought she was staying). So this week I have to unpack my stuff at some point hahahha. So that's Sister Roos! Miracles happen every day! Our Ward is doing a 40 day fast and we have had such great opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people who members in our ward hold so dear! It has been a great week! 

My invitation last week was to allow your character to be built, perfected, purified and prepared to meet God through the refiner's fire that we are blessed daily to experience! I hope we were all able to allow the Saviour to shape us during the past week!

Two scriptures I really love this week that I wanted to share!

Helaman 5:12

"And now my sons (and daughters), remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." 

Matthew 7:24-27

"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of minde, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Think on this: In our premortal state we CHOSE TO FOLLOW the Saviour Jesus Christ! And because we did, we were allowed to come to earth. I testify that by making the same CHOICE TO FOLLOW the Saviour while we are here on earth, we will obtain an even greater blessing in the eternities. 

But let it be known, we must continue to CHOOSE TO FOLLOW the Saviour. Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of agency and our actions are essential that we might have eternal life. 

Whenever we CHOOSE TO COME to Christ, take His name upon us, and follow His servants, we progress along the path to eternal life. In our mortal journey, it is helpful to remember that the opposite is also true: when we don't keep the commandments or follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, our opportunities are reduced; our abilities to act and progress are diminished. Just as the foolish man built his house upon the sand experienced a "great fall", we too, will also have the same experience if we make unwise choices and build upon unstable foundations.

Jesus Christ is the sure foundation! The promised blessing is that we CANNOT fall when we are built upon Him!

My invitation this week is to build your foundation - your lives- on the only sure and stable foundation there is - Jesus Christ - by using your gift of agency to make the choices that will enable you to come unto Him! I echo the promise he has made in Helaman 5:12 and Matthew 7: 25, you cannot and will not fall! No matter the storms, the tribulations, the challenges, the hardships, when we are built upon the Saviour we will stand firm! Always!

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: "God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability."

Jesus is the Christ - our Saviour and Redeemer! He lives! The gift of agency gives us the opportunity to be obedient! Obedience brings blessings and blessings await our obedience! The gospel of Jesus Christ enables us to receive happiness not only in this life but for eternity! Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal and everlasting happiness! May we each build out lives on the surest foundation that is Jesus Christ!

I love you all!

Sister Roos (: (: xx

   

The Refining Process

28th August, 2017

Happy Monday everyone! How was your week? I hope it was great! We had an amazing week here in the Wattle Grove area! Miracles happen every day!

My invitation last week was to take upon yourselves the yoke of our Saviour so that we can learn of him and develop his perfect attributes! I hope that we were all able to do this to become more like our perfect example - Jesus Christ! 

Some time ago, a few ladies met to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse:

"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" Malachi 3:3

One lady decided to visit a silversmith, and report to the others on what he said about the subject.

She went accordingly, and without telling him the reason for the visit, begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh, yes ma'am," replied the silversmith; "I must sit and watch the furnace constantly, for, if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty and comfort of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

God sees it necessary to put His children into the furnace; but His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure (1 Cor 10:13 - fave).

Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "How do you know when the process is complete?" "That's quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."

We all face challenges, trials, hardships, moments of despair. In these times we stand and may think "Why me?". May we instead look at this as an opportunity to be perfected, to be purified, to be prepared. May we stand and say "What can I learn?" "How will this help me grow?". In these moments where we are pushed further than we believe we can go, in these moments where we feel we are carrying the weight of things we cannot bear, in these moments where we do not feel adequate to achieve, let us remember - He watching over us constantly and intently! Let us remember the promise he gave - he will not test us more than we can endure.Let us remember -  it is in these very moments that our character is built! 

Elder Quentin L. Cook said "There are many kinds of challenges. Some give us necessary experiences. Adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven's overall plan. The refiner's fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction PERFECT and PURIFY us and PREPARE us to meet God."

My invitation this week is to allow your character to be built, perfected, purified and prepared to meet God through the refiner's fire that we are blessed daily to experience! I know that God lives. I know that we are blessed with experiences to help us grow and be better. I know that there are seen and unseen forces that help us in our times of need. I know that we are watched over constantly during these times. I know Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love each of you. 

I love you all!

Sister Roos (: (: xx

Our ADORATION of Him, produces a desire to EMULATE Him.

21 August 2017

Happy Monday everyone! How has your week been? Dang time goes by so fast; it’s already Monday! Miracles happen every day and last week they continued to come! What miracles happened in your week? 

 

My invitation last week was to 1) to identify something in your life that is ungodly and keeping you from coming unto Christ and 2) to remove or deny this from your life so that you may be perfected in Him! I really hope that this week you were able to do this!

"If you wish to go where God is, you must be like God, or possess the principles which God possesses." - Joseph Smith

I read this during the week and I started thinking about Jesus Christ and the His attributes.

For the serious disciple, the cardinal attributes exemplified by Jesus Christ are NOT OPTIONAL! They are FOUNDATIONAL! These developmental milestones take the form of traits, traits that mark our trail to be travelled. 

King Benjamin said "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, an will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19)

Alma said to the people in Gideon "And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks to God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that y have faith, hope and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works." (Alma 7:23-24)

These attributes - the attributes of Christ are eternal and portable! Being portable to the degree developed, they will go with us through the veil of death, and still they will rise with us in the Resurrection  when all else stays behind.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do no break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21; 3 Nephi 13:19-21)

The qualities of Jesus Christ that we must develop are made clear again and again in the scriptures; so is our need to follow the developmental path.

"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I (Jesus Christ) have done to you." 

(John 13:15

"And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he (Jesus Christ) having set the example before them." 

(2 Nephi 31:9)

These qualities are not only developmental destinations, but if developed significantly, they also provide us with the balance urgently needed for travelling on the demanding narrow path! It is so easy to fall off one side or the other!

Divine direction is clear! "Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you." (3 Nephi 18:16)

And the development clue is given! "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matthew 11:29)

By being yoked to the Saviour, we can best learn of His perfected qualities.

Our ADORATION of him, produces a desire to EMULATE Him.

"The nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients he arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment." - Joseph Smith

It is only in the bright light of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can see the truth as to who we really are and what our possibilities are! The Lord loves each of us too much to merely let us go on being what we are now, for he knows what we have the possibility to become!

It is all part of our journey home to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Developmentally, we are all prodigals. When we really come to ourselves, spiritually, we too, will say with determination "I will arise and go to my Father." (Luke 15:18)

My invitation this week is to take upon yourselves the yoke of our Saviour so that we can learn of him and develop his perfect attributes! I promise that as we do this we will come to know him more and we will be closer to reaching the person that he knows we have the potential to become!

I love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

The light of the Saviour

Monday 7th August, 2017

Heeeeey everyone! Happy Monday! 



Miracles happen every day! How grateful I am for the amazing week that we have just had! Being in a trio is the greatest! The miracles just keep on coming! The greatest miracle of the week was seeing two of our investigators have their baptismal interview with our Zone Leaders. The joy and the light that you could see in their eyes - their whole being was something that words cannot describe! Sister Maere and her son Dwayne are the greatest people you will ever meet. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about change. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about eternal happiness. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about families. And we are so grateful that we are able to help this beautiful family be one step closer to eternal happiness. Their baptism is this Saturday so keep them in your prayers! I love you all! 
 


Last week I invited you all to reflect on counsel that we have received from our living Prophet Thomas S. Monson and to ACT on it! I hope you were all able to do this because the blessings of following our prophet are greater than you can imagine! 

Just wanted to share another poem with you all again!

I stand once more below the peak,

Awaiting still the rising sun,

And with the quiet moment seek

Assurance from the Holy One

What with the waiting hour comes?

Will light assail the darkness here?

The earth unveiled, as ripened plums

Drip colour as the day draws near?

Sweet light in radiant softness glows,

Ethereal canvas painted bright;

O'er tiered horizon sunlight flows,

Dismissing doubt and dark of night.

We speak of hope, of faith unmoved,

And yet forget throughout the day

The light revealed, the promised proved

When dusk returns and dims the way.

But One true source of light remains,

A single lamp, a rugged path;

The Son, who suffered all our pains

To give us all His Father hath.

I've yet a mountain peak to climb;

The journey's end is distant still;

But trust in Him and in His time

Renews my strength to do His will.

LIGHT. Light is essential! And Our Saviour Jesus Christ is the only source of light that will guide us through the ever-darkening world that we are living in. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the light that shines in all of us. He is the one that we can trust. His light will guide us home. His light will lead us to safety. His light will allow us to brighten ours. His light can never be dimmed. His light swallows the darkness, heals our wounds, and shines even in the midst of the deepest sorrow and unfathomable darkness. His light surpasses all understanding.

Light is essential. I invite you to allow the light of the Saviour to bless you in your life throughout this week! Cast away the things that prevent the Light of our Saviour from flowing into your life!  I promise you that this His light is the only way to true and everlasting happiness. I have experienced this myself. I know Our Saviour's Light is essential.

I love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

ACT on the counsel that we receive from our living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson

31 July, 2017 
Wattle Grove

Happy Monday everyone! 

Hope you all had a great week! Wattle Grove is still going strong! Being in a trio definitely has its benefits - one of them being that now there are three voices to sing -a duo is awesome but with three you get to have more harmonies haha; so we are working on having our harmonies on lock hahhahahhahaa.

Last week my invitation to you all was to look at your life, look at yourself and look at where you want to go. And to reflect on the changes that you can make to be better! I hope you were all able to do this!

A couple weeks ago, Sister Taeu and I were driving to one of our investigators homes. On the way there, there is a massive intersection that controls the traffic from two streets - traffic coming from the motorway (very busy) and the other, a really busy main road.

At this specific time that we were driving to our investigators home, the traffic lights were not working! 

So you can just imagine what the traffic would have been like on two of the busiest streets without functioning traffic lights! Chaotic, unorganised and confusion. We were sitting at the intersection for ages waiting for people to figure out how to organise moving across the intersection without working lights.

On the way back from our appointment the lights were back on! Order was re-established, everyone knew where they were supposed to go and when.

We live in a world that is full of confusion. We live in a world that is chaotic and unorganised. But just like at this intersection with the working lights, that allows order, guidance and protection, we have a living Prophet to provide those very things for us!

We have a living Prophet on the earth - President Thomas S. Monson, who has been called of God to lead and guide us in this day and age. It is through following him and heading his counsel and direction that we know we are following our Saviour Jesus Christ!

The Lord has revealed that the simplest way to measure how well we follow Jesus Christ today is by how well we follow His living prophets. The implications of this are powerful. This means that to follow the prophet is to follow the Lord. 

If we want to know if we would have faithfully followed Christ in New Testament times or if we would have rejected him, we only need to ask ourselves a simple question:

How do I respond to the living prophets the Lord has sent to speak and act in his name? 

My invitation to you all this week is to ACT on the counsel that we receive from our living Prophet Thomas S. Monson. Reflect on how you respond to the messages that our Prophet shares with us. How do you respond? Do you act on the counsel that we receive? Our personal discipleship to Christ is measured by how well we follow his living prophets in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve apostles.

Let us resolve to follow the Saviour and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unforseen talents.

I love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

 

I am a Child of Royal Birth

25th July, 2017

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

Transfers happened and I have been blessed to stay in the Wattle Grove Ward here in Liverpool for another 6 weeks! How exciting is that? Let me tell you, miracles are happening here in "The Grove" and more will continue to happen because we have gone from a companionship of two, to a companionship of THREE! Yes! I'm in a trio! How good is life? Its amazing let me tell you! Sister Palepoi is the BOMB! We came to Australia at the same time and we were joking about being companions at one point during our time here - and the heavens opened a lot sooner than we thought! 

 Well, my invitation to you all last week was to acknowledge what the Saviour has done for you this week in "paying the rest" when you couldn't yourself! How many of you took the time to do this? I sure hope you did! Our Saviour has done so much for me and I hope you were able to express your gratitude to him throughout the week!

This week I'll keep it nice and short (haha). I just want to share a poem that I love with you all!

  

I am a child of Royal Birth

My Father is King of Heaven and Earth

My Spirit was born in the courts on high

A child beloved, a Princess (or Prince) am I

I was nurtured there: I lived by His side

In a home where patience and love abide

My Mother was there in that glorious place

Blessing her children with Queenly grace

I grew to stature that spirits grow

I gained the knowledge I needed to know

I was taught the truth and I knew the plan

That God and Christ laid out for man

I was there when the stars of morning sang

I mingled my voice when the heavens rang

I was there to rejoice, to praise and applaud

The shouts of joy from the sons of God

I waited my turn and I came to earth

Through the wonderful channel of human birth

Then the curtains were closed and the past was gone

On the future, too, the curtains were drawn

I lived on earth, and God willed it so

With freedom to choose the way I should go

I must search for truth, I must serve and obey

I must walk by faith or fall by the way

Someday I'll go back: I will answer the call

I'll return with my record to the Father of all

The books will be opened and so will my heart

There will be rejoicing if I've done my part

My Father, the King, with his Infinite Love

Will welcome me back to the mansions above

The curtains will part and eternity

In its light and glory, will open to me.

  

I know we are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father! I know he has a plan for each of us!  I know that as we lean on him continually and put our trust in him, that we will have the opportunity to live with him again! I know that it is only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we know what we must do to qualify to live with him. I know that we have a divine potential and it is only through the teachings of Jesus Christ that we can truly know who we are! I know that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can become who we are meant to be!

My invitation to you all this week is to look at your life, look at yourself and look at where you want to go. Are the choices you are making leading you to return to live in the presence with Heavenly Father? Do you truly know who you are? Do you know who you can become? I Invite you to reflect on these questions. If you can answer them in a way that makes you happy, there is always room for improvement - think of ways you can improve. If you are not happy with the answers that you have, what changes do you need to make in your life to be able to answer these questions in a way that you are satisfied?

I love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

When we fall short - the Saviour pays the rest!

Monday 17^th July, 2017

Helloooo everyone! Happy Monday! 

It's that time again...transfers next week! Let me tell you, time is flying by soooo fast! I can't believe it! Sister Taeu and I have been seeing miracle after miracle this week! One miracle - we were following up with potential investigators and we knocked on a door and then the lady said “I'm a member! I'm a member!” We got so excited! Sheand her husband invited us in and we talked and shared a message with them. They told us that the husband's brother is inactive and he and his family go to another church, but they are open to having missionaries visit! How cool is that? They are in Tonga at the moment for a wedding but they get back this week so we have an appointment on Thursday! I'm singing at the Tongan Ward's musical fireside on Sunday, and the sons are musically talented so I'm going to ask them to sing and play the guitar for me; not the tricky ones.  Anyways, that’s one of the miracles this week!

Last week I invited you all to worship our Saviour and Heavenly Father throughout your week - through your actions and thoughts. How many of you were able to do this?

This week I want to share a story with you!

When I was in Bathurst my companion Sister Niu shared a story with me from an Ensign.

There was a lady standing in line at the grocery store waiting to purchase her items. In front of her at the register was a lady who was paying for her things but she didn't have enough. She was rummaging through her bag looking for the extra money to pay the excess of her amount. The people in line behind her were getting frustrated and making comments like "Why is she here if she can't pay for what she needs!" and "Tell her to leave if she can't pay!" This specific lady instead of making comments or judging, pulled out the money to cover the rest of her payment. After the lady did this, the others in line turned their comments to her and said "Why would you help her if she can't even pay for what she has?" and "You're wasting your money, you should have kept it for yourself."

Believe it or not, at one time or another we are the lady at the cash register. We all fall short. We fall short of the Glory of God. We fall short because of sin. We fall short because we are mortal. But there is one person who has paid the difference for us - the Saviour!  And because of the Saviour our price is paid in FULL!

During this mortal life we face times where we feel inadequate or where we feel that we cannot carry on. It is during these experiences that we are able to call upon the Saviour in mighty prayer and ask for his help - this help being made possible through His Atonement. 

Quick experience: When Sister Niu and I were in Bathurst, we were driving to an appointment - an hour away - we were halfway there and I realised we didn't put gas in the car ... (We had planned to but things had come up and then I forgot hahha) Anyways, we checked the amount of gas we had left and compared it to the amount of kilometres we had to go to the next gas station. Now keep in mind, we are out in the middle of nowhere, we had 25 kilometres of gas left and 27 kilometres until the closest gas station. Let's just say we were praying hard! As we were driving I could see the amount gas we were using per kilometre was way less than usual. When we were 2 minutes away from the gas station we had 7 kilometres left and as soon as we drove into the gas station and got next to the pump it cleared to zero. Now is that a miracle? Or is that a miracle? Yes, Sister Roos should have remembered to put gas in the car but remember I'm human; I make mistakes (hahhaha). This was a time when the Saviour literally paid the rest when I didn't have enough! Our gas should have run out long before we reached the gas station and yet we made it there with gas to spare.

I know that the Saviour loves each of us! I know that he has paid the difference for us to repent and be cleansed from sin so that we can return to our Heavenly Father pure. I know that he pays the difference for each of us, individually when we feel inadequate, when we do not feel like we have enough to offer and when we just can't carry on. I have felt the redeeming love that comes through the Atonement of our Saviour Jesus Christ and I know that He lives and loves us!

My invitation to you all this week is to acknowledge what the Saviour has done for you this week in "paying the rest" when you couldn't yourself! I know that as you do this, that your appreciation for Him will increase! You will come to know Him more as you recognise what he does for you each day. 

I love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

  

True Worship

Monday 10^th July, 2017

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope you all had a great week! It's been another great week in "The Grove" aka Wattle Grove Ward. We are seeing miracles every day! This truly is the Lord's work and his hand is in every detail! 

How did you all do with my invitation last week to be a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ by submitting to the will of our Heavenly Father and "shrinking not"? I hope that you all were able to experience the blessings and peace that come as we submit our will to Heavenly Father's and the strength that we can receive as we "shrink not" in situations that allow us to grow!

In 3 Nephi 11:16-17, (this is where the people in the ancient Americas (the Nephites) saw and felt our Resurrected Saviour Jesus Christ)

"And when they had all gone forth and witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did WORSHIP Him!

As disciples of Jesus Christ we go about our lives, busy with running to and fro, trying to finish tasks and errands, making sure that the boxes get ticked of all the responsibilities and duties we need to accomplish. In all this hustle and bustle of daily life, do we forget the most important element of our service in the kingdom - WORSHIP?

Worship: to honour or offer reverence, to regard with great respect, admiration or devotion. Worship of our Saviour Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father is essential and central to our lives - to our spiritual lives! Worshipping is something that we should yearn for, seek out at every opportunity and strive to experience!

When we worship the Saviour and Heavenly Father, when we give them the reverence and honour that they so much deserve, we approach them with love, with humility, with respect, with adoration.  When we worship Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, we acknowledge them as Supreme beings. We WILLINGLY submit our will. We LIFT up our hearts in mighty prayer. We cherish their word. We rejoice in their grace. We commit to follow them with diligent and dedicated loyalty. 

True worship transforms us into sincere and earnest disciples.

We change and become more like him. We change and become more understanding. We change and become more forgiving. We change and become more loving. 

Wonder + Grace = Hope

A sense of Majestic awe and profound thanksgiving allow us to increase in hope. As we experience this wonder and gratitude we continue to have an abiding trust that the Lord and Heavenly Father will fulfil their promises.

Light + Knowledge = Faith 

When we allow the Holy Ghost into our lives we receive heavenly light - all the darkness and doubts that we feel vanish. As we allow this light into our lives we receive knowledge. The more light and knowledge that we receive the more our faith grows.

Discipleship + selfless service = Charity

As disciples of Jesus Christ we serve other selflessly - not because we feel obligated or it is something we must do but because we want to. As we do these things we are able to increase in charity - the pure love of Christ.

When we worship our souls are refined. When we worship we commit to walk in the footsteps of our Saviour. Spiritual experiences have less to do with what is happening around us and everything to do with what is happening within us! As we worship we receive blessings that can be with us forever, that can bless us and help us bless others! 

My invitation to you all is to worship our Saviour and Heavenly Father throughout your week - through your actions and thoughts. May we worship in the same reverence that those in the ancient Americas did at the time of His coming. As you do this you are able to receive the blessings that come from being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Wonder + Grace + Hope + Light + Knowledge + Faith + Discipleship + Selfless Service + Charity = True Worship.

love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

ps sorry no photos. my camera wont connect to the computer hahhahah

Shrink not - submit to the will of the Father

Monday 3rd July, 2017

3 July, 2017

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope you all had a great week! Sister Taeu and I had a good week! We got our new Mission President this week - President and Sister Bingham!

So how did you all go with my two invitations for last week?

Part one: is to live your life that the Holy Ghost may always be with you!

Part two: is to L.A,F. - listen, act and feel the promptings of the spirit!

Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-19

"Therefore, I command you to repent -- repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore -- how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I:

Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit - and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink -

Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."

This week I want to focus on a specific part of this scripture - the underlined portion

"that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink - Nevertheless, glory be to the Father,"

Elder Maxwell said "As we confront our own...trials and tribulations, we too can plead with the Father, just as Jesus did, that we 'might not shrink'- meaning to retreat or to recoil. Not shrinking is much more important than surviving! Moreover, partaking of the bitter cup without becoming bitter is likewise part of the emulation of Jesus"

To retreat or to recoil. How many of us when faced with a trial, a hard time or put in a situation that we are not happy with retreat or recoil - how many of us shrink? I have been guilty of shrinking in times when I have not agreed with a hard time - an opportunity to grow - but we know that Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer did not shrink in Gethsemane or on Golgotha!

Elder Orson F. Whitney said:

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God ... and is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire."

Not shrinking and allowing our individual will to be swallowed up in the will of the Father is something that we all are faced with.  Not shrinking and allowing our individual will to be swallowed up in the will of the Father is a CHOICE that we must all make.

When we go through a trial, a challenge, a hard time, how many of us ask Heavenly Father to get us out of that situation? When we are experiencing pain, infirmities and hardships, how many of us ask for this time of challenge to be removed?

In the New Testament we see many examples of when the Saviour and his disciples exercised their spiritual gift of healing and recognised that these individuals had the faith to be healed. (Acts 14:9; 3 Nephi 17:8; D&C 46:19). We tend to have faith that Heavenly Father will remove the hard times that we are experiencing or to remove the infirmities that we have, but a question I have pondered on is

Do we have the faith to not be healed? Do we have the faith to not be removed from the hard time that we are facing? Do we have the faith to submit to the will of the Father?

We must be disciples of Christ who are valiant in the submission of our will to His. We must be disciples of Christ who overcome the natural man (Mosiah 3:19) tendency to demand impatiently and insist incessantly on the blessings that we want to receive and believe that we deserve. Having faith not to be healed, not to be released from challenges and trials seems counterintuative; however, as we look from this perspective, we allow our trust to be put in Heavenly Father's plan for each of us. We increase our faith and knowledge that the Saviour is in charge whatever the outcome might be. Our petitions will be changed from "Please get me out of this situation" to "Please give me the strength and the faith to accept whatever Thy will is."

A principle that applies to every devoted disciple is this:

Strong faith in the Saviour. With this, comes the submissive acceptance of the will of our Heavenly Father - even if the outcome or the journey is not what we wanted or hoped for.

My invitation to you all this week is to be a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ by submitting to the will of our Heavenly Father and "shrink not".

As you press forward along this strait and narrow path to our Heavenly home, with a steadfast faith in Christ and a willingness to submit to all things you will be blessed in extraordinary ways to learn the essential lessons for eternity.

I love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: