A Whole Month Out in the Field!

Hiyah there!!! Can't believe its monday again!! What a FANTASTIC week it was! Started with Mission fun day-- we played games and bonded as a zone for sure and ended with watching 17 miracles. I slept.... and then woke up for a the good parts and cried! Mission life.... On wednesday we drove to the columbus temple!!! it was an amazing experience. the temple is smaller than a church building! But of course the spirit is just as strong. President Porter asked us to have questions prepared to have a revelatory experience. The temple just fed my soul. As we sat in the Celestial room I felt like i really was in God's presence, and my heart grew heavy as i thought of leaving the room. Oh, having go out in the world again- to act on my faith, to push through doubt and affliction. Time stood still. I stood up and left the temple- joining the front lines of the battle against Satan and evil once more. It was quite a transition but that spiritual feast really prepared me for the Zone conference the next day!! Zone conference was overwhelming! but we got the cleanest car award!! 50 extra miles to GRIFFINDOR! made my day. Sister Murdoch and i sang a duet actually! ha ha! we were called the night before and you cant say NO as a missionary!! We have had another opportunity a week ago to sing in a nursing home... SOLO STATUS! ha ha! Old people think everything sounds good so they were pretty impressed ;) ha ha! but here are the highlights i felt impressed to share looking back in my notes.... --What does worthiness have to do with prayer?? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. anytime you approach God, Satan will attack, anything that dissuades you from praying is Satanic in nature. --ooh this once is intense "People's eternity hinge on what i do each day." (2000 pounds on your shoulders, eh?) We learned a LOT at zone conference and i felt pretty down in the dumps. I don't even know what got me out of it- but i sure do have a testimony of loosing yourself in the work. Once i turn my thoughts away from "Sister Watts you don't know what you're doing" to "what does this investigator need to increase his/her faith?" i forget all my weaknesses and frailties and go work miracles.Only through God can i do anything of importance- God leads us the the point of breaking, of begging BECAUSE we have to realize that we need the atonement. We need his Grace- his enabling power to accomplish his purposes. I have seen that over and over through the days, the weeks. I KNOW that as you humble yourself and kneel. and pray. and pour our your deepest wishes and dreams to Heavenly Father- you will have peace. direction. and you will be able to accomplish ALL he asks of you. He loves you. One doctrine that was explained more fully at Zone conference was the need of the restoration. In Joseph Smith History 1:19 it says "their creeds were an abomination in his sight." These creeds (statements of belief) the churches believed in the distorted the nature of God. Said He was incomprehensible- he is everywhere and nowhere etc etc. that he was this ominous being, devoid of personality and he was holding us above a fiery pit of hell.... laughing. Those statutes were an abomination. They were worshipping an idol- a completely opposite being than God. In John 17:3 he says we MUST KNOW Heavenly Father. Know his characteristics, personality. In order to know him we must communicate -pray. In order to know him we must TRUST him. The creeds of the churches separated us from God. God wants closeness. Intimate relationships with all his children. Joseph Smith restored that essential doctrine. Satan throughout time has attacked that communication- prayer- because through prayer is the only way to know God. To trust him. To know God is life eternal. well.... I love you. Remember who you are. Stay founded in the truth. DO NOT allow Satan to distort your view of our loving, caring Father in Heaven. He is waiting for you to speak to him. Love, Sister Watts PS. Rick is doing SO well! Still on date for saturday!! We had a scare on friday when he texted us saying he was going on a long walk to talk with god. He needed answers. We thought he was going to drop us. but he allowed us to come for a lesson that night and he got the answer to continue on to baptism. we taught the Word of Wisdom that night...... He thought we were joking that we don't drink coffee. he's been drink sine he was 5 yrs old.-- about four cups a day. the spirit was SO strong. Ive never felt it so strong in a lesson before as I testified to him that HF asks as to sacrifice so we can be blessed- have more happiness- and be closer to HIm..... along those lines :) When i committed him to live the word of wisdom he whimpered like a dog! ha ha! but committed. We arranged for him to receive a priesthood blessing the next morning and we took his coffee away! We had fun pouring it in the garbage.....