I invite you to Hang on!!

Monday 15 April, 2017

Happy Monday! And Happy belated Mother's day to all the amazing, faithful, influential mother's and women! I hope you all had a great day! It's another chilly one here in Bathurst! 

Miracles are happening in Bathurst! What a great week and especially weekend we have had!
We have been following up with former investigators this week to try and find new people to teach!
I felt a strong prompting to visit a specific family. Sister Niu and I had tried to visit this family on my first day here. 

Sister Sio and I went to the address that was in the area book for this family and I knew immediately this was not the house. I was devastated and a bit frustrated at myself because I could not remember for the life of me which house it was. We said a prayer and asked the Lord to bring to my remembrance where it was that the family now lived.
My companion and I went to another house – still nothing. Then we drove around following the impressions of the spirit to guide us to the house. 30 minutes passed and we stopped at a house, said a prayer, and knocked. The miracle being it was the house! The father of the family answered and exclaimed "Sisters! Where have you been? We were just talking the other day about how we have not seen you in a long time!"

I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord in leading and guiding us to find this family!

How did you all do with your invitation this week to pick an attribute that women of Christ in the Bible portrayed? I hope you took the time this week to further develop loyalty, virtue, charity, faith, purity, patience, faith, service, trust, obedience, kindness or selflessness!

A couple weeks ago, I heard this saying  "I salute a group of people who have developed what I believe to be a Christ like characteristic, and that is the ability to HANG ON!

In the lives of each of us come trials of all kinds which shake us to the very core and cause us to explore to the very depths our ability to HANG ON! The lives of people who HANG ON are filled with determination and faith. The lives of people who HANG ON are filled with such perseverance to overcome adversity and trial, that by their nature they simply can't let go!

Elder Loren C. Dunn said that there were two trees that were close to his home as he was growing up. 

"The one was a Russian olive and grew right in our yard. It was watered every time the lawn was watered, and in that kind of protected environment it grew to be a beautiful tree. yet one night a tremendous wind came up. Trees all over town were blown down, and with them went our Russian olive. We had watered it so well that the roots did not have to reach down into the soil; and because they were so close to the surface, the tree toppled over.

"The second tree withstood the gale. It was a tremendous cottonwood, which still stands in the land just half a block from where I was born. This tree was in the fullness of its growth when I was a child. It has always stood by itself, completely exposed to the elements, with nothing but a ditch running by, which most of the time is dry. It is gnarled and tough, and its roots have had to sink deep in order to drink of the water of life; but because its roots were forced downward, it lives!"

Adversity and trials allow us to drive our own roots of faith and testimony deep into the reservoir of spiritual strength! As we do this, our nature changes, and we are able to stand and fight and HANG ON!

Do not be cast down! Do not give up! Do not let go! The Adversary, the enemy of us all, would try to convince us that the ideals outlined are depressing and unrealistic, that people don't really improve, that no one really progresses. And why does Lucifer give that speech? Because he knows he can't improve, he can't progress; that worlds’ without end he will never have a bright tomorrow. He is a miserable man bound by eternal limitations, and he wants you to be miserable too. Well, don't fall for that. With the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength of heaven to help us, we can improve! We can HANG ON!

President Thomas S. Monson said "To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility." And I add to this - We must develop the capacity to HANG ON with determination.

To everyone facing trials that they feel may never pass or trials that are pushing you to your limits REMEMBER that there is purpose in it all. My invitation to you all this week is to HANG ON! Hang on to what you know is true. Hang on to the knowledge that we have a loving Heavenly Father. Hang on to the message of the Restored Gospel. Hang on to the love of our Saviour!

May the Lord continue to bless you as you strive to HANG ON! 

"Patience is heavenly, obedience is noble, forgiveness is merciful, and exaltation is godly; and he that holds out (HANGS ON) faithful to the end shall in no wise lose his reward."

Love you all!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

PS: Happy Birthday Brother Couch - Hari huri au kia koe