Sister Lacey Steen: March 2, 2015

This week has been full of miracles and has really strengthened the foundation of my testimony. It’s reminded me of my conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been able to see the atonement of Jesus Christ heal me and I’ve seen it heal the people we teach the gospel to. I was able to share my testimony on Sunday in church and I talked about my conversion but I focused on the atonement and on families. I know that families are essential for our happiness. I’m so grateful that my dad joined the church and got sealed to my mom in the temple because that was the first steps to my conversion and knowing that families can be together for eternity after this life. My parents were that example to me my whole life. The fact that they went to the temple was ingrained in my head and that is a goal I set when I was very little!! I didn’t realize it until I was older and boys talked to me about marriage but the thought always came to me that I want to get married in the temple. Even when I wasn’t on the path for the temple it was a path I knew I wanted to be on. My parents were always there in good and bad times in my life. They always knew just what to say and they always gave me the choice to make. I’m so grateful for that because I know that I made the choice and they didn’t force me to make the right choice. Even though I didn’t always make the right choice I was able to learn from my mistakes and my parents where always there to comfort me and love me. I’m grateful for the trials God puts in our lives to grow. I don’t ever want to go through them again but they have helped me become the person I am today and that I’m grateful for :) I never really knew what the atonement meant until I got out on my mission. I wasn’t using the atonement to its fullest because I didn’t know how the atonement worked. I now know that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal you. As I studied about the atonement I realized how simple it really was at that. If we don’t use the atonement to the fullest then we are pushing aside all that Christ did for us and we are basically telling him that we will suffer for our own sins but we don’t have to do that!!! Christ suffered for our sins so that we, during the judgment, won’t have to suffer. We can enter in to Gods celestial kingdom where we can be in the presents of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and we get to be with our families. We get to continue to progress and learn :) the simple steps for us to enter into celestial glory is to believe. By having faith in Christ our redeemer, by repenting daily and I say daily because even as a missionary I mess up every day. I either didn’t act in faith or I didn’t do the best I could that day. I could have thought a mean thought to my companion or to someone that was mean to us first, there are so may little things that happen in our lives every day and God gives us that time to pray to him and just ask for forgiveness for what we fall short of. I used to think of repentance as a scary thing but what’s even scarier is suffering for my sins after Christ already did. I don’t have to go through that. All I have to do is act and ask and pray and have communication with God :) in a book I read called “our search for happiness” it said we must be doers of the word and not hearers only. I see myself doing that a lot. When I hear something and I feel the spirit witness to me the truth of it. I get such a good feeling. But when I don’t act on it then I don’t do that and that’s why I love repentance. Because when I catch myself falling short I can repent and I can do better the next time :D I love 2 Nephi 25:23 it says (it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER all we can do... doesn’t that just tell you how much God loves all of us? that after we do all we can then he will do the rest. we all fall short but though the atonement of Christ we can be healed and we can be better. we can enter into Gods kingdom but we have to work for it. there’s a scripter that I found that reminds me of my conversion and helps me to continue to strengthen my faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. you will have to look it up. it’s kind of long to write but it’s in 1 Nephi 21:14-18 it just reminds me that I will never go back to how I once was. I will continue progressing and never allow myself to digress and I will continue to use the atonement to its fullest and show Christ that I’m grateful for what He did for me and I’m not going to lay that gift to the side but use it to its fullest!

I’ve seen a lot of miracles this week. We were able to go to Helix, a really small town outside of Pendleton. We decided we were going to try to talk to everyone in Helix after we try to go by all the part member families out there. They ended up all living in the far country of Helix. Well we got to one families house and they weren’t home so we left a sticky note telling them that we would love to do service or help out in any way. As we were leaving, a guy in a truck pulled up and we talked to him. He said he lived there so we just assumed that it was the guy that we were looking for. He said they were busy until January next year lol because they are farmers. so week took that and ran with it :) we asked them if they knew the Jones he said yes and gave us directions :) so we drove even further and couldn’t find the house. So we pulled in to this driveway to turn around and this lady came out and wasn’t really friendly at first. We explained that brother Ferenbocker told us that the Jones lived over here but we couldn’t find the house. She looked confused and said who told you that and we told her his name again. She said MY HUSBAND?? umm i think sooooo??? She said her husband is over there in the field and we asked if they owned another house they said no lol so we found the real Ferenbockers and she said we can come back on a Sunday !!!! So we are really exited and she gave us her number and real address :) that was the first miracle. Then we got in contact with TARESA!!!!! We thought she fell of the face of the earth for 2 almost 3 months and we now have an appointment to teach her tonight at 6!!!!!! I’m so excited! We are going to put her back on date and help her get back to where she was before all the trials started in her life. she got really depressed and sick. She might have cancer :(

We ran out of miles Saturday night right before dinner so we parked our car and walked :) until Sunday lol it was funny but we wanted to be obedient :) we have a lot of new people we are teaching in 1st ward and we are going to teach Dee and her daughter tonight :) she is a less active 7th day Adventist. She is really nice and told us she went to seminary :) Andrea is getting better from what happened last week but she is living with her x and that’s not good but that’s the only place she can go so we are going to have a member present lesson with her at the church 2 times a week. We are just going to help her get out of that bad environment :)

I know this church is true. I know that it was restored in its fullness by Joseph Smith and I know that the priesthood is back on the earth. It was given to Joseph Smith to run Christ church. I know that families can be together for time and all eternity and I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal you and lead you to celestial glory. I know that is gospel has changed my life and I see myself changing and becoming more like my Savior every day. I see myself having more Hope for the people I work with. I have more knowledge of the gospel of Christ. I have more love for my investigators and companion and more charity :) I’m more virtuous. I have more faith and I strive to act on it every day. I’m more humble and diligent and I am much more patient in Gods timing for everything. I’m much more obedient than I was when first came out. Those are all the attributes of being more like Christ. A quote I love and i wrote on another quote my mom gave me is (When you have done your very best, you may still experience disappointment but you will not be disappointed in yourself. you can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the spirit working through you.)

I’m really working on accomplishing my goals this month. The goal this week is to help me accomplish my goals for the month. We want to get 3 people on date 4 to church 10 lessons with a member present 7 other lessons and we want 8 of our investigators to progress in the gospel. We want to talk to 70 people this week about the gospel :) and we are going to invite 5 people to be baptized. I’m really exited for this next week. We are going to work really hard to accomplish or exceed our goals :)

Love Sister Steen