Perfectly Perth: One By One

Hello my people!!

How are you?? I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking.

This was a great week - it always is when you have Zone Conference to look forward to!! Good thing I left my journal with my notes at home... I love it when I do that. Sorry.

It was our Christmas Zone Conference so we did some fun Christmas things including playing chimes to Christmas songs ((hilarious)). Everyone brought a favourite scripture or scripture story and wrote why they liked it and then we sat in a circle (sisters with sisters, elders with elders) and passed them around as Sister Fife read her 'left, right' Christmas story she made up about President Fife. Haha. The scripture I gave was one of my (many) favorites: Doctrine and Covenants 104:82

Something President Fife said hit me. He was telling a story of his trial of faith that lasted 10 years when he was trying to become a seminary teacher. In the middle of his story he said, "My will is His will. I want to do what He wants me to do." When he said that I got the chills and started to get a bit teary - usually what happens to me when I feel the spirit... ;)

But I realized that maybe we say that 'we want to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do, and that our will is God's will'. We can say that all we want but are the words we say actually true?

When President Fife said that, I felt like what he said was true. He really does always want to do exactly what Heavenly Father wants him to do. Even when he's exhausted, even when the evidence of an assurance he's received seems impossible or the evidence even points to the contrary. President Fife is a true disciple of Christ. I'm grateful for him.

And I'm even more grateful for Jesus Christ. I feel His love. I was studying about the Atonement this week and it is symbolized in the scriptures sometimes as an embrace, a hug. God's arms are always outstretched to us. He wants to embrace us. He wants to comfort us. Even when He's upset by the sins we commit, He never puts His arms down and walks away. He keeps His arms outstretched to us always and invites us to repent and come unto Him. What comforting imagery. I want to run to His outstretched arms. I don't know how I'll ever let go...

I downloaded the 2017 Mutual Theme songs to my usb last week and as we were listening to the new songs in the car, I realized that two of them were sung by Jake and Justin Garvin in my ward back home!!! What the heck? They are AMAZING!! I don't know if Sister Johnson is tired of them yet, but I've already memorized the songs and they lift me up. One by One and Choose to Stay. They are applicable to me on my mission.

Choose to Stay for when I see you all at Disneyland or playing in the snow or hear about your basketball games...and I get a little bit....trunkyyy. Bahaha.

One by One to remind me that there are so many people out there who actually want to feel God's love and Sister Johnson and YOU can find them...one by one.

2017 Youth Theme go listen to the songs... ALL of them are amazing.

I love you guys! Fam bam, can't wait to Skype you weirdos. Get ready for Sister Johnson and my performance... Bahaha!

Have a wonderful week and a very merry Christmas!!!

Love,

Sister Beardall