Your Weekly Sundae- LIFE.

Your Weekly Sundae this week is informative, so get your thinking caps on!

Sometimes we get caught up in the thick of things as we live our busy lives and shuffle from one hurried errand or activity to another, and so the other day while giving the spiritual thought i asked our English group if they thought that it was necessary to have a purpose to life. It was pretty apparent that we all knew there should be a purpose to life as very quickly the entire room was filled with head nods and echoing, "YES's" as if i had just asked a "DUH" question like, "Is the sky blue?" The next question..."Why?" This time the silence was a little longer and i got responses such as:

• To have a destination
• To make life more interesting
• To acquire success
• To have no regrets
• To make dreams come true
• To leave your mark on life

The next question, "So what IS the purpose of life?" Is that a slight stupor of thought i hear?...Answers such as:

• it's personal for each of us
• to feel happy
• to live toward retirement
• to enjoy life
• to help others feel happy

Hearing all these replies i could easily conclude one thing. None of us have our purposes in life set to be miserable. Not a single one of us wakes up each morning saying, "I want to be extremely unhappy and miserable today!" We all strive for one thing....

AND TO...

!!!!!!!!!!

And you know what? That's great! Because that's just what Heavenly Father wants for us! There's a scripture from the Book of Mormon i would like to share from 2 Nephi 2:25:

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." 

It's also obvious that many have various ways going about acquiring that joy, and most times the joy and happiness sought after is fleeting from one point to the next. So Heavenly Father has created a plan for His children called The Plan of Salvation; a plan so perfect as to make each of His children eternally happy that it is also called The Plan of Happiness. This plan i like to think of as a timeline, or map, of our progress through eternity. It offers simple answers to profound questions such as: "Where did we come from?", "Why are we here?", and "Where are we going?"

It would be nice to know that our lives didn’t begin at birth, nor will they end at death. Before we came to earth, our spirits lived with Heavenly Father who created us in His image. Meaning all of us on earth are literally brothers and sisters in the family of God.

He knew us, and we knew Him, and His plan before ever coming to Earth. This period of time we like to call our Pre-earth life. Just as we can't remember saying our first words, or taking our first steps, we can't remember our pre-earth life. You could say that a "veil" has been put over our minds, which means we have to operate by faith rather than sight. 
God wanted us to grow and become like Him and enjoy the blessings He has, and just as most of us leave our home and parents when we grow up, God knew we needed to do the same. He knew we couldn’t progress unless we left for a while, to gain experience by learning to choose between good and evil, so he allowed us to come to earth to experience the joy—as well as pain—of a physical body. Our body is God's plan and a necessity for our progression and for obtaining a fullness of joy, because if we have any hope to become like Him that requires gaining a body like He has. The body is not merely a mobile unit, but rather a "home" for our spirits. So here we are, living our lives here on good ol' mother earth with our physical bodies, with one purpose...

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. "
-Alma 34:32 (Book of Mormon)-

Ummm...helloooo purpose!

Do you know the story of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden? I know, i know, "What? What does that have anything to do with my purpose in life?" EVERYTHING. Did you know it was Adam and Eve who allowed the rest of us to come to earth, make choices, and become like our Heavenly Father? There are many who actually feel that they are punished because of Adams transgression, but we believe it was all part of God's perfect plan.

 "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.  And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things."

-2 Nephi 2:22-24(Book of Mormon)-

The key word is "choice." From the beginning God immediately acknowledged agengy and gave His children the option to choose, and as we know Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s temptations and disobeyed God who had commanded them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a consequence, they were separated from God’s presence physically and spiritually—an event we refer to as the Fall. They became mortal—just as we are—subject to sin, disease, all types of suffering, and ultimately death. But it wasn’t all bad because they could now feel great joy."Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."  Remember? 

Once out of the garden, they were able to progress and learn by experience. In addition, they could have children, which meant the rest of God’s spirit children (all of us) could come to Earth, experience physical bodies, and be proven by our daily choices.  But that doesn’t mean He expects us to be perfect. He knows we won’t be. Heavenly Father wants us to return back to Him and do so happily, that's why Heavenly Father sent His son Jesus Christ, to show us how to live according to God's plan, and to also perform the Atonement to pay for our mistakes and triumph over spiritual death by His suffering, and over physical death by His resurrection.

Here's a fun little video that kinda just sums it all up...

So we all know what we're all coming down to, it's not exactly the most pleasant of thoughts but yes, death is inevitable, but that is not where life ends!

"Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow."

-Alma 40:11 (Book of Mormon)-

"Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?"(1Corinthians 15:12) As we know on the third day after His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ became the first person to be resurrected. And so when we die, our spirits will move to the Spirit World where we will be reunited with loved ones who have passed on before us, and there we will stay until our own resurrection. Which is simply when our bodies and spirit will be reunited once more in a perfect immortal body of flesh and bone that will never again be subject to disease, pain, or death. And so, even after death, we will continue to follow Christ's example! 

Christ's Atonement made this possible for us and is a gift  to everyone that even the wicked will receive. The resurrection makes it possible to return to God's presence but does not guarantee that we will be able to live eternally in His presence. We may not be responsible for the Fall of Adam and Eve, but we are responsible for our own sins, and to receive that blessing we must be cleansed from sin. Thank goodness for repentance!

Afterwards...judgment. Each of us will face God who will judge each of us fairly according to our works and desires and reward us appropriately. Everyone varies so it would only make sense for a perfect plan to have degrees of glory, versus a heaven and a hell. There are three kingdoms of glory: the telestial, terrestrial, and for those who repent, receive the ordinances of the gospel and keep sacred covenants, they will receive exaltation in the highest kingdom, the celestial kingdom. There we will live in God's presence with our families and receive a fullness of joy. 
Another sum it up video!

Interesting enough as i have been writing this questions of my own have been coming to me, so if you have questions YOU'RE NORMAL! Not that being like me makes you normal at all...

So what do we learn here?

• We are literal children of God
• Our lives Do have purpose
• We are helpless without the Atonement of Jesus Christ!
• We CAN live with God again!
• We can be with our families for eternity
• There is a plan that enables us to face the affects of spiritual and physical death and have joy in this life and in eternity

So put it all together and what do you get? A PERFECT plan of SALVATION for our HAPPINESS. Pretty great, huh?

I also love this MODERN illustration of the The Plan of Salvation! Go on, click on it.

Have a happy week! If you would like to know more, or have any questions remember the missionaries are always here for you!

-Sister Roe

Week 77- OCTOBER- A Two Faced Fish Slap

As nonsensical as it is, this is what comes to my mind as how to describe this past week. I think God's trying to test me and decided to compact 3 weeks worth into a single week. Good one! You got me!

This little buddy here was actually a free gift given to me from the sweet babushka that is every evening down by the metro with her wicker basket of dried fish. I have named her Baba Sweet Dried Fish. Yes, yes, original i know. And so this little guy has inspired me, as i am now reaching my final 6 weeks of my mission. If you were to tell me that or to slap me with a fish you would probably get the same reaction. A lot of shock and, to be perfectly honest, im weirded and scared out of my mind.

Now don't go around thinking im a two facer. What you get from me will just about all of the time be the real me, perhaps a little too real! But hey, what can ya do? It's just, this week there have been a lot of "two-faced" opinions in my mind. How i want to feel, and how i REALLY feel, if that makes any sense. There's Satan who puts a jam packed full dump of thoughts in your head, and then the Spirit trying to work with you to filter it all out. There's the doubtful, scared, inconfident, unsatisfied me, and then there's the happy, hopeful, content, opptimistic, confident me. And im like, "Ok ME, make up your flipp'n mind!" I don't know if these are just classic thoughts to a "coming to the finish line" missionary or what, but im needing a hook and line thrown out to help me out here! And you know....Heavenly Father always provides.

*Bum-ba-da--bum-bum-bum-bum-bum!Ba-da-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum! Ba-da-bum-da-bum-da-bum-da-bum!* (Tenaya, repent if you don't know what im quoting here) GENERAL CONFERENCE!!

I am so grateful for General Conference! The Saturday morning session was probably my favorite with Elder Christofferson and President Uchtdorf, but let's not forget the Saturday afternoon session with our dear ol' President Klebingat! Im not just saying this because he was my mission pres, but his talk was AMAZING.

This Sunday we watched the translated conference and afterwards had a full of FEAST! Never during  a potluck has the question, ".....what....is....that?" popped so much into my mind.

 You wanna guess who these two plates belong to?....

These pretty ladies right here. 

 Last Monday was a great errand day where i finally broke and bought a babushka scarf, we got trims to our manes, and i finally found nutmeg and clove spices from the Middle Eastern man at his spice shop that was right next to the pickled vegatable season in the market near our home. You know, it'll be pretty boring when i can find everything i need all in one location, where's the fun in that?

Our FHE fell through at the last second and while trying to decide what to do with our time a member of the ward walked it who is, fun fact, an opera singer! And we said, "Hey! You're single, we're single, wanna have an FHE with us?" And it turned out to be a great lesson, with of course an awkward moment when this member was asking how often i pee'd in the winter...Oh! And i learned two things that day. First, be very careful with how you title people in your contacts. I was reading a couple of responses from the mass email we send to our English people each week and one signed it, "Andre Creepy Guy." Yeah, you can bet a bit of shame and embarrassment came with that one. Second, be careful with what you promise to do in attempts to make your companion eat, or you may be munching on a piece of banana peel.

Gettting ready for that winter....

The last mission conference of my mission happened this week! It's always great to have that time with President and Sister Packer. Those two are just the best example of hummble faith! They amaze me!
And conference was topped off with free flu shots! Flu shots all around! Goodness ive never seen so much arm action in my entire lifetime of a missionary.

The other day at church a woman came into the church asking for a large amount of money to feed her newborn baby, we made a lot of calls and we finally concluded with the bishop telling us to go the the hospital she claims to be staying at to check and see if the claims are actually facts. That was the beginning of a looooong adventure! And i have to admit getting lost in a completely different city, on a hot fall day, carrying around my winter coat, and just working that purse strap sweat line, i was not exactly the happiest camper on the block. Well until i found....

LEAVES!!

Oh my gosh i was like a little girl in a nature candy shop! So that was enough happiness for me until we FINALLY found the new baby care unit of the hospital. We asked the bob nurse if they had the records of this particular woman, she said she's never heard of her...

Thursday we met again with the member of our ward was hit by car and shared a spiritual thought about a cabbage (something i thought they would appreciate). Sometimes i can't help but laugh at what lessons us Mormon's can find in object lessons these days...

That day Sister Litvinova also got a package from her parents, hand delivered by her grandparents (Special permission from President)! It was filled with all her vital documents and a very long handwritten letter, seeing how it's back to the old fashioned way of writing with the lack of electronic communication. There was a moment when we were heading to a lesson and we sat down on a bench and ate the Russian chocolates her parents sent her as she just cried. It amazes me how hard she works and seeks to forget herself when she is constantly reminded of her countries situation. She said she doesn't even know what she will do after her mission because she has no idea where her parents would be located or even if she has a home anymore. We were able to go to the trainstation and see off her grandparents as they were on a train back to Lugansk, and they said that they will come back home and refuge here in Kiev if their home is not there anymore. I my heart just broke of how many others going back on that train are unknowing if they have a home to go back to...count your blessings people.

And the big news has come in....Sister Roe's last moment of transfo.....who will be her killer? Where will be her place of death? Well you will be happy to know....RIGHT HERE IN PERCHERSKY! And congratulations Sister Litvinova, you are officially confirmed as my "killer."

You know, im really grateful to be staying here with these great people. There are so many that i have come to love, and goodness knows serving in Center Kiev there are enough of them! There is just a little pain in  my heart of those who i wont be seeing again, most specifially all those I love in Illychyovsk down in Odessa, how long ago that feels....but i do love these people. And to prove it, i stalked them this morning from the other sisters apartment window this morning...

Have a great week! May it feel like the length of a week and not 3!

XOXOXOXO
-Сестра Ро

Your Weekly Sundae-Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is COOL!

Here's your Weekly Sundae!

Thanks so much for all of you who responded to last weeks email! I really enjoyed reading your input!

So now that we've acknowledged that Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ are undoubtedly there, I want to tell you a story. For any of you who can still remember, one day at English Sister Hardy told a story, and told of how she was on a metro and a pair of girls openly mocked and laughed at her and the badge she wore, and due to a recent event that happened while I was on the metro the other day, I now know EXACTLY how she felt! A group of five or so girls came into the train cart I was in, and one saw my badge, and quickly whispered to her friends who all gathered together whispering and laughing, each turning and trying to catch glances of my tag without looking too obvious, and obviously not succeeding. Ha! Nice try girls. I couldn't help but be somewhat humored as this group of girls acted as if I were some disease or strange creature from another world!

In this world there are those who choose to believe and follow Christ and then those who choose to openly mock, ridicule, partially follow, or simply ignore this great man. In the entire history of mankind there has never produced a leader to rank with Him, and millions dead and millions living unite in proclaiming Him as the Son of the Living God, the Redeemer and Savior of the human race. But why do so many turn to a Savior? Why do so many choose to be religious? Or better yet, how can a belief in Jesus Christ help me?

I love this film! Let's watch shall we? 

So in what way can a belief in Jesus Christ help us? IN EVERY WAY! He is the “bread” of our lives, and there is no possible way we can live a full happy life without Him! There's a great chapter in the Book of Mormon that really helps put into perspective how having a belief in Christ helps us. It's in the book of Alma, chapter 36, and I want you to read it. When one believes in Jesus Christ, DELIVERENCE becomes real, SUPPORT becomes real, JOY becomes real, REPENTENCE becomes real, FORGIVNESS, becomes real, CHANGE becomes real.

All of these things can be a daily reality for us if we only but choose to follow Him It's the most simple, powerful, and direct invitation we can ever recieve. So what does He expect of us? I like to summarize it with this one verse, “And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.» (Book of Mormon- Mosiah 2:22) Sounds simple, but believe me I know as well as you that it's not as easy as it sounds. Random fact about me: I love the band Neon Trees! They're a very popular band in America, and I would like to introduce you to Elaine:

And who say's having a belief in Jesus Christ isn't cool?! I don't know about you, but I think it's the coolest thing to have a relationship with Christ! There are many who feel burdened by so much expectation, and feel they can never live up to it, that it's not “cool”, or that a life following Jesus Christ is a harder life, but life is far beyond living comfortably. It is absolutely impossible, and makes me so sad to think of those who try to live a “happy” life without a relationship with Christ, because I know that He can make of us more than we ever could!

Until next week!

-Sister Roe