The Errand of Angels: Week 24 Truly, Blessed in All Things

Hi Everyone!

Hello!! How are you?! 

Missionaries are awesome. Wow, I sure do love being  a missionary. I love that Heavenly Father trusts me to labor in His vineyard. He trusts all His children. All members of the Church have a responsibility to share the gospel. God will help them in this effort.

You know, obedience is so key to the work, but more so, love for our Heavenly Father is so key. When we love Him, we love His Son, when we love Christ, we love others, when we love others, we are willing to sacrifice everything for their souls and eternal happiness. At that point, obedience just falls into place. Mosiah 28:3 is a motto of mine.

Gulfport is getting a little toasty. I am sweating up a storm. But people still meet with us. Another way to tell the gospel is true :) We are so lucky and blessed to have the breeze from the ocean though. The ocean. I am so lucky to be serving in Florida on the coast. Wow, I love my mission.

This last week I really felt endowed with power from the Atonement. There were so many times that Sister Bush and I did prayers that ended in tears from those we were praying for and others present. When we are obedient the Spirit is there and when we trust God we say what the Spirit directs to our mind. As we do that, miracles happen. I love this work so much. Sister Bush is so amazing and trying so hard to channel the amazingly strong love she has for Heavenly Father into the work. She really has the Spirit and strives to follow it. I have always strove for obedience but am truly striving on a different level. I'm not perfect, but I sure do strive.

We had exchanges this week. We had some really powerful experiences throughout the 24-hours and I am grateful for Sister Turley helping me out in some interesting situations that I haven't really been up against before (anti- anti- religion people). It was beautiful how Heavenly Father controlled our schedule that day and how He did the entire week.

Just a quick prayer miracle. We were at the home of a returning member that we have been meeting with over the last couple weeks. Had some powerful experiences, but the sister has never joined (another returning member). Duirng exchanges she sat on the computer during the lesson. Her son asked us to pray for her. All of a sudden she opened up to us when I asked if there was anyting else. We did a prayer. She cried. The inspiration that came was so humbling for me. I could not be more grateful to Heavenly Father for trusting me with such promptings and such a precious child on His. She will be meeting with us this coming week.

This Church is true and I love telling people about it!

Oh! I taught my first ASL class this week. God is so good. So so good. I am tearing up just thinking about it. When I first got my mission call I was a little disappointed.... or a lot. I literally cried for hours afterwards (hopefully none of y'all could hear that on the conference call)... I really wanted to go on an ASL mission. I felt like part of the reason I was learning ASL was to use it on my mission. I didn't understand, but I did trust in God and gained a firm testimony within a week that I was very much so needed in Florida. I would have never said "no" to the call because I knew it was from God, but I was grateful that He gave me some good insight and a much better attitude. Before I came out I knew that Heavenly Father would bless me to remember my ASL when I returned home. He has blessed me so much on this mission to not only remember ASL but to use it to move forward His work: meeting Deaf people and teaching them, interpreting in church for a Deaf woman, helping a family to learn ASL so they could communicate with their son with down syndrome better, praying in ASL (I pray twice a day in ASL), and now teaching an ASL class so that the branch can better support their Deaf member. I am so grateful. And will be eternally grateful for choosing to trust in Heavenly Father and His plan for me.

Oh!! This week was so good. An investigator I taught in December, who moved areas so we stopped teaching him, just got baptized!! I talked to him this week. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to start the teaching process with him. Wow, such a tender mercy to have heard from him and to hear of the joy he has found in the gospel :) He was so ready for the gospel. I mean, we found him in sacrament meeting. So ready.

One other tender mercy. A member who said she was done with the church entirely changed her attitude. She is coming back!! So happy!!

My invitation to you this week: Take a copy of The Book of Mormon (or Bible for those who aren't LDS... well, I guess you could still give away a Book of Mormon) and 10 pass along cards with you on your next family vacation. Pray (and if possible, fast) for the opportunity to give it away. Then do. It helps to also have your testimony in The Book of Mormon (Bible). You will be blessed with sweet opportunities.

Have a great day!

Love, Sister Jenkins

How do you think the mailmen feel with all these "different" mailboxes?

P.S. Wanted to include the letter from my Mission President, President Summerhays:

Shortly before I embarked on this wonderful missionary journey, a sports announcer asked my son-in-law, “ why would he (me) give up all of this (the competitive golf world) to do missionary work?” Why would I? Why would you? Why would a collegiate basketball player or football player leave his university career for two years? Why would a filmmaker leave his passion to serve and not even watch a movie for two years? Why would we leave our fathers and mothers, our school or our work, our friends and family and other things that we cherish? We all give up a lot that is dear to us. It is a good thing for us to pause and remember why we were willing to give up all to serve our Lord.

As missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we need to place our whole confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. We face many challenges and much stress and anxiety every day. As we live His teachings and look to Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life in all phases of our lives, we receive help for our anxiety about the future and our ability to handle these challenges. The fundamental principle of our religion is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know that Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement is a principle that requires action and delivers power. Faith in Him is more than mere acknowledgement that He lives. It is more than professing belief. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties. Always seek to learn so that you can apply. Make this your motto: “When the Lord commands, do it, and if possible, do it today.” Do not procrastinate. Delay will rob you of the Spirit that you could enjoy today. Repent and immediately will the power of the Spirit come. The Power that will come immediately through the Spirit is the Power of peace. The Power of strength, the Power of happiness; the Power of Love; indeed any Power that we need to accomplish the purposes of the Lord in our lives. I testify this Power will come immediately upon our repentance or our commitment to change. Consider these truths:

“..harden not your hearts any longer; for…now is the time and the day…therefore repent and…immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you…do not procrastinate the day of your repentance…for this day is given us to prepare for eternity…” Alma 36:31,33.

“…do as He hath commanded you; for which if ye do He doth immediately bless you…” Mosiah 2:24

“When obedience ceases to become an irritant and becomes our quest, IN THAT MOMENT, God will endow us with Power.”

Now is the time for us to improve. Today is the day to act on the things we have been prompted to do. Let us not miss out today on the happiness and peace that will come immediately upon our demonstration of faith by our improvement.