Sister Fletcher in the Florida, Tallahassee Mission: It's not you, it's me!

Dear my faithful readers,

This week was pretty good! We went tracting a TON and had some success and were able to pick up some new investigators which is always good.

Trent is such a rock star. He is getting baptized on Saturday!! The ward has done so well with fellow shipping and loving him. We taught him the Word of Wisdom last Wednesday and we made a deal with him that we won’t drink soda if he doesn't drink sweet tea. That’s a hard one because we all know I love root beer, but we have kept our end of the deal and I know Trent will too. We will all be blessed for it :') Trent and his girlfriend, India, actually came tracting with us this week. He looks forward to serving a mission!

This week we taught Yanelli, the 11 year-old who came to church with her dad a few weeks ago. We brought two members with us and had a great lesson with her on the Restoration of the Gospel. The spirit was so strong throughout the whole time and as we were wrapping up, we invited her to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, to know that it’s true. I then asked her when would be a good time for us to come back and she got so awkward. We all sat up in our chairs, waiting for an answer, then she finally answered, "Yeah, about that...y'all won’t be coming back." SO incredibly confused, I said, (in a loving way of course) "WHAT???" haha It honestly felt like she was breaking up with us or something, like a "its not you, it’s me," moment. It was so awkward because she didn't want to tell us why we couldn't come back. Finally she explained what was going on. She told us her mother doesn't want us teaching her at her house because she doesn't want to have to clean the house for our visits. Yanelli suggested that we could teach her after church when she is with her dad on the weekends. I was so relieved! She said she still wants to be taught and get baptized...thank goodness!

A year ago from this past Wednesday I received my mission call letting me know I would come to serve in the Florida Tallahassee Mission. That call from a prophet of the Lord completely changed my life, and little did I know back then a fraction of what I would experience. I absolutely love my mission. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The people I've met, the experiences I’ve had, the opportunity I have had to grow so close to my Heavenly Father. It means everything to me!

I have been thinking a lot about perspective - eternal perspective. I heard a few quotes this week having to do with our perspectives:

"As far as the moon is concerned, He is always full."

"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible."

Aren't they incredible?!

It is all about the way we see things, all about our perspective. I was reading the other day in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi Chapter 17:1-2, Nephi talks about how blessed He feels even though he has been commanded to flee into the wilderness:

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.

2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

Then, in verse 20, Nephi talks about his brothers, Laman and Lemuel, and their perspectives, which is totally the opposite of his:

20 And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.

I love comparing these two accounts. It happened all during the same time, about the exact same situation, but the difference is all in the reaction. So, how do we gain an eternal perspective and how do we keep it? We need to realize we are all created equal through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, yet we are all so unique - BUT, the reward for all of us is the exact same. At the end of the day, it comes down to this...Did you take what God gave you and magnify it? Did you fulfill what you were created to do? The secret to joy and happiness is eternal perspective- to see things how they really are. This life truly happens in a blink of an eye!

I hope you all have a blessed week. Thanks for all the prayers and love! Love you all!

<3,

Sister Fletcher