This week was such a roller coaster ride! Lots of ups and
downs!
I was reading in 2 Nephi and I read 33:2-4. It says,
"But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy
Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away
which are written and esteem them as things of naught. But I, Nephi, have
written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially
unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my
pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know
that he will hear my cry. And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my
prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in
weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it
maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus and
persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life
eternal." I thought a lot about this scripture, and how much Nephi was
troubled over the wickedness of men. Then I thought about all of the prophets,
and how they felt the same way throughout their lives. Then i thought of the
Savior. I thought about how he loves each of us with a perfect love that we
cannot even begin to comprehend. My mind then went to the atonement. I can only
imagine that part of what made the atonement so painful for Jesus Christ was
that he had that perfect love for us as he was atoning for our sins. He thought
of each one of us, with all of the love that he has for us, and he felt the
pain that we each have felt, do feel and will feel. I thought of those times
that I have seen someone I love in pain, and how i wished that I could take
that pain from them onto myself, because it was painful to see them go through
it. The Savior actually did that for each of us. I am so amazed by that. It was
very hard for me to think about, but the love that I have for the people here
grew so much because of it.
Rachel was baptized and confirmed yesterday! There was such
a strong spirit there. The program all went smoothly. Sister Soriao and I sang
"The Olive Tree" for the special musical number. I was shaking like a
leaf when I sat down after, but it was a good experience. I'm glad we did it.
Rachel was glowing the whole night. I can already see the difference it has
made in her life to be a member. She is going to make such an impact on the
lives of so many. She is wonderful.
We are working right now with a young couple. The man is a
less-active member, and the woman is not a member. They are not married, and
they are living together. She has a desire to be baptized, but she has a lot to
do before that can happen. Today we talked with them about the law of chastity.
We told them that they either needed to get married or he was going to need to
move out, before she could be baptized. We asked them to take it to the Lord,
so that they could make the best decision. They are young, but seem like they
are really taking it seriously. We are praying that they will make the right
decision. They are really great people.
Well, that is all I have time for this week. I hope you all
have a fantastic week! I love you all!
Love, Sister Sydney Barber
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