Hello!!
What a good March daaaaay. Its quite cold and rainy. So today I'm taking my companion to a cute bakery where they have the yummiest grilled cheese sandwich and tasty warm tomato soup!! and the view from this cute bakery is amazing. It will be such a good day. We just got back from trader joes and later we will be headed to the 9/11 MUSEUM. Last week we just walked around the memorial and Sista Spencer was dying to go inside the museum. So it will be great!!. I could spend 12 hours in that museum. I think we'll head over to China town as well today. Maybe we'll stop and see if Taylor Swift is home too. Hahaha. ;) P days are way too good to us.
Aaahahaha.
You guys I just wanted to start off my email and tell you how many people I have seen SLIP and fall this last week. (Insert falling New Yorker video clips) haha #iwish. I can't explain how hard It is to not laugh out loud. Hahahahaha. Thank heavens nobody has been injured yet. (That I've seen) sheesh. Laughing all day long. Too many slippin New Yorkers. Sister Spencer slipped yesterday and we were DYING. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a loooong time. It was snowy and she just face planted right on the sidewalk. HA HA. I shouldn't be laughing watch I will be next.
Other than the snow and cold it was a fabulous week.
*We had interviews with President Morgan! He really made me feel loved. I almost wanted to cry at how good he made me feel. Told me he was so proud of me. SO good. I love that man. I LOVE HIM. He is a man of God.
*We got like a bunch of referrals. YES. Hard work pays off.
*We found a new man to teach and he told us the spirit COMMANDED him to meet with us.. Which was cool. He is on the search to find out if the Book of Mormon is true or not..!! I love those real intent truth seekers!! They're the best.
*We ate dinner at my fave restaurant and two ANONYMOUS people PAID for our meal.. (So tender)
*Sister Spencer told me I should have my own reality show. She laughs so hard at my every day life sayings and actions. I didn't think I was that funny but apparently it's entertaining hahaha!
HAhA you guys.Funny story. Mom don't stress it was funny.
We were tracting one day and we knocked on this door at the end of a hallway.. And right after I knocked I heard a loud growl. HAHA. A growl. Like a tiger/dog. I go hello "it's the missionaries from the...." And then I hear a voice telling me we were at darkness's home. and we needed to turn around or we would be dragged down to the depths of hell. THAT was weird. Hahahah. Sister Spencer was horrified!!! I felt so bad. We ran off. (The things missionaries experience) just gotta throw in some honest true missionary moments for ya.
This last week I was reading through my study journal and I couldn't help but tear up seeing the personal growth I've seen in myself!! WOAH YOU GUYS HOLY COW. I have grown soooo much. Never did I ever think I would have this strong of a testimony. I. love. My mission. And New York will forever hold a special special place in my heart. In a way.. New York will be a sacred place for me. A place where I came to know my savior. My own little "Waters of Mormon." cool huh?
--A call to REPENTANCE--
(I hope my thoughts will tie together at the end of this..)
So on Friday we got together as a WHOLE mission at the Manhattan Temple/church building and we were privileged to hear from Elder David F. Evans and Elder Stephen B. Allen! From the missionary department. They came with more guidance and direction on our digital media! So just a brief explanation of what was talked about: They basically just called us, (all the missions and missionaries that have digital media,) to repentance! Don't get me wrong they were AWESOME. They told us that the meeting was not REALLY about iPads or media or facebook etc. but it was about TRUE DISCIPLESHIP. It was definitely one of those awakening repent moments for all of us missionaries!! The church is sending authorities to talk to every mission that has had digital media. (To give more direction and council.) Which is definitely needed. So many missionaries are like, "what on earth am I supposed to do with this Facebook account as a missionary!?" It's crazy that we have such a thing. Haha like everyone knows Facebook is designed as a form of entertainment and connecting with loved ones from far away and posting pictures and etc. So to give 18-22 year olds a Facebook account while we are supposed to be totally focused on sharing the gospel is kind of an oxymoron to me... I don't know! What do you think? (I do think it's great that the church is "hastening the work" but we definitely have needed more council than just "ope here is your Facebook account, now don't talk to your family, and don't scroll through the newsfeed, and don't talk to anyone unless it's about Christ." and blah blah etc.) do you see where I am coming from? So it's VERY good that the church is providing more direction and council with the digital media. I am a fan.
So our mission has had iPads and digital media for over a year now. And about 30 other missions have as well. Our missions have been being TESTED with media. (Which explains the lack of direction with social media) at least in my opinion. ha we are just like guinea pigs. Or I guess you could call us the digital media PIONEERS!! (I like that one) Well the church has decided to give digital media to more missions so now there will be about 88 missions with iPads and media. (Mom and Dad this explains why you had to go to that meeting about iPads) we have been using church owned iPads but now everyone has to pay for their own! Interesting right? Well anyways back to my thought. So yes. We were all basically called to repentance. NO scrolling. No chatting. No nothin. No being alone on your iPad. Share your FB password with your companion. Etc. (Which we already knew) but I guess it's been a problem for multiple missions and missionaries. So to many missionaries, this message was just a big giant sting!! Haha like a cut. As nephi explains it: "..wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." 1 Nephi 16:2
Well I think this message from the general authorities was very good for all of us. We are doing a refresh/reset/restart with Facebook. So when we get our new iPads we won't have Facebook for a little while. And we have to go through these different stages and then eventually we will be back on to share the gospel.
I was ironically reading in The first few chapters of Jacob in the Book of Mormon (Jacob is telling the people to repent of their grossness and wickedness) and I felt as though it totally connected with the digital media situation.
So I read that Jacob felt like he needed to "enlarge the wounds of those who were already wounded." Meaning bring to their attention that they needed to repent! His people were setting their hearts upon the riches of the world and they were having more than one wife. #sinners haha. Well here Jacob is.. commanded by God to bring this to their attention. I read that he was NOT too excited about telling them this. He said "Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts." Jacob 1-4 (I would feel the same as Jacob) Well, I related this to the authorities that had to come and basically tell us all to repent about our digital media! They probably didn't really REALLY want to come and preach repentance unto us. But because they are called of God to do so, they did.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said " ..a message given by a General Authority at a general conference--a message prepared under the influence of the Spirit to further the work of the Lord--is NOT given to be enjoyed. It is given to inspire, to edify, to challenge, or to correct. It is given to be heard under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, with the intended result that the listener learns from the talk and from the Spirit what he or she should do about it”
SO. In conclusion, I learned that the authorities that came to our mission, didn't come to entertain us or to bring us enjoyment. But they came to motivate us to CHANGE and to be better. Which In turn will make us happier.
I know there are MANY messages in life we receive that maybe aren't the most enjoyable messages. (For instance, maybe the dentist told you that you need to floss because your gums are not lookin so good..) it's not like the dentist hates you..! And I don't think the dentist even WANTs to tell you that. But he DOES want to tell you because it will BEST HELP YOU. Same thing with parents parenting. Like maybe your parent made you clean your room... (Not fun right?) but who is it benefitting?? YOU. Get it?
It all comes back to God wanting us to be happy. Sometimes we need to hear the hard messages and feel that motivation to be better. So next time you feel irritated with someone's council to you or their advice... Maybe just humbly think of the big picture and try to change for the better. I don't know. That's what my thoughts have been. :)
I love Jesus Christ. I love Heavenly Father. I LOVE my mission. And I love who I am becoming.
CTR
Love you so much
Love, Sister Abbey Dunford
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