A New Friend from Papua

Maray na aga!

I have my trainee! Her name is Sister Nick and she is from Papua New Guinea:

She is so excited to be a missionary and loves sharing a bunch of scriptures in every lesson even when she doesn't know how to speak the language yet. She gave up playing professional Rugby to come on a mission and is ready to serve the Lord.  When we got home she told me she had something for me. Its a dress from her country with their flag on it:

Does this make me look cultured or what?

I remembered on my first day in the field how my trainer trusted me to extend a baptismal date to a couple. I thought she was crazy and I was so scared but they ended up getting baptized. It was a special memory for me even though I struggled to speak and they barely understood my Tagalog. 

On Sister Nick's first day, this experience came back to me and I thought It would help her to understand her purpose as a missionary so I told her she could extend an invitation to be baptized to a family that came to church last Sunday. In the lesson, she extended the invitation and they all accepted. As the lesson went on I noticed she had something she wanted to say and I watched as tears rolled down her face; she said, in broken English: "I am  just...so excited. I know baptism is the only way to salvation. It is the only way to salvation. "

I'm so grateful I listened to the spirit and I hope the experience had the same effect on her as it did me. 

I found out on Tuesday that one of my recent converts in Naga died last week. Tatay Allen was the funniest and kindest tatay I've met on my mission and I'm so glad he accepted the gospel here on earth and I am excited to see him and rejoice with him in the next life: 

I have been pondering Christ's invitation to us to "come unto Him."  He says it over and over in the scriptures. The constant pleading "come unto me" is an invitation to us all to receive forgiveness and rest through repentance. 

13 "will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." 3 Nephi 9

The blessings from coming unto him are clear: spiritual healing, rest from our burdens and the promise of eternal life. But this requires a total surrender on our part. A total surrender of our will and our pride and our sins and submit to God's program, His perfect plan, His everlasting gospel. 

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 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.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11 

Now is the time to sacrifice our pride and come unto Him and find healing and rest to our souls. Not tomorrow, or the next day, but right now. That we may all come unto Christ and find rest in His loving care while we still have time left on this earth is my humble wish, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

-Sister Gray