Prayers of Hope

August 03- August 09 

Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma 37:36-37 (The Book of Mormon)

As a district we have a prayer roll, which is a list of people or things that each companionship needs help with. This last week Sister Freeman and I asked the district to pray that we could have return appointments with investigators. Prayer always brings miracles and blessings! Wednesday night we had to be at dinner in 10 minutes but we were near an investigator's home whom we hadn't met yet so we decided to make a quick visit. I said the prayer before going in and asked if we could set a return appointment. I have actually never asked for that specific thing in my prayers before and at the time had forgotten we had asked the district to pray for this. The daughter answered. She recognized we were missionaries. She said it wasn't a good time but asked if tomorrow at 6 would work. Of course we said yes! I was honestly so surprised how quick her response was! We texted the district that night with our exciting news. 

This was another witness to me that Heavenly Father does care about the sincere desires of our hearts. I also know that because of the faith of the missionaries in our district, we were able to witness another miracle! Just as in says in Alma, " let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord"  and "ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

In your own homes if there is something you are struggling with, express this with your family and and ask them to pray for your needs. Maybe have your own family prayer roll where each family member writes down two or three things they stand in need of and in all,of your personal prayers and family prayers, pray for those specific things. I promise you that as your families make your prayers more direct and specific, you will experience more blessings and happiness in your lives. 

The example my parents set of saying family prayers in our home has made a huge impact on my life. I have grown so much from this principle and have been able to make righteous choices because of it. I know God gave us families to build strong foundations in our individual lives. I say these things in the name of Jeuss Christ, amen.

Sister Mikeila Aquino 

                      Tempe South YSA Zone

            Donnelle and Sister Charters came out with us! They are awesome!

    Got to see Katie from my last area at MPD! 

    She always has the spirit with her

Patience is a Virtue

Blog July 27- August 2 

 

Temperance means " self restraint". Patience, " is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious." In Relief Society, the lesson was on temperance and patience. This made me think of this last Thursday when I was not very patient. We had planned to contact less active and part member families. We also asked many members to come out with us, but no one was available. We also were not able to find anyone home to visit. I became discouraged and began to be impatient. I felt I was being unproductive because although we were trying to do something, we weren't doing anything. There was one point we were parked and I just felt emotionally lost. Sunday's lesson reminded me that I cannot control the circumstances around me, but I can control ho I react. Because of the gift of agency from our, loving Heavenly Father, we all have the ability to choose for ourselves. My frustration and and irritation Thursday did not come from the choices of others, it came from mine. I encourage each of you to choose to be patient and temperate in all aspects of life. I have not quite mastered this Christlike attribute yet, but I am working on strengthening this weakness as well. The next time you feel upset or discouraged, take a deep breath, say a prayer and maybe sing a song. 

President Thomas S. Monson, our living day prophet stated, " Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required."

As I have strived to increase my patience towards myself and others, I have been more at peace. I am able to see the Lord's hand in my,life and His purpose for challenges that come into my life. I hope to one day master the virtue of patience, and no matter how, long that takes I know the Lord is helping me each day. I love sharing the gospel! The Lord has created such incredible individuals on this earth whom I have grown to love so much! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Sister Mikeila Aquino

                 Our first bike ride together!

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

July 20-July 26

The sabbath is a very sacred day. It is the day we are commanded to put aside the things of the world and to focus on our savior, Jesus Christ. This is the time for us to study and ponder the scriptures, 

Sunday was one of my favorite days of this past week! The spirit was very strong all throughout the day! The Sabbath is a special day. It is the day I partake of the sacrament to renew my covenants, or promises, with God; One of which is my baptismal covenant. Growing up for the most part I have always loved going to church! Ever since I have become an adult and especially on my mission, I have learned the greater importance of the sabbath. The sabbath is more than just attending church. As members of this church we are commanded to treat the sabbath has as a sacred day. We are to do uplifting things that solely focus on our Savior. Besides going to church we also should spend time with our family. In the evening we visited the Bodily family and they all had their scriptures out and we all read and discussed the chapter.    

Singing hymns or songs about Jesus Christ is a wonderful way to bring the spirit of the sabbath in your home. During church, Sister Freeman and I were asked to introduce ourselves in Primary( Sunday school for children). They then asked us to share our favorite primary song and then we all sang it. I chose "A Child's Prayer". As I watched each of the children's precious faces sing those beautiful words, the spirit immediately filled my heart. I choked up and could hardly sing the song myself. I wish all of you could have been in that room to hear and see what I did. From that experience no one could doubt that God exists and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. 

For dinner we went to the Gallagar home. All throughout dinner we expressed to one another our gratitude for the temple and the covenants each of us have made there. Something as simple as sharing your testimony of the gospel with your family and friends is a wonderful way to spend your sabbath.

These are obviously several other ways to spend your sabbath and so I want to invite the members of the LDS church, specifically, to commit yourself to make one change you will do to improve your sabbath day. I promise as you make these changes, contention and negative stress will leave your home and you will have more opportunities to share the gospel around you.  For those of you who are not of the Mormon faith, but have Mormon friends ask them why the sabbath day is important in their lives and pay attention to the feelings you have as they share their thoughts with you. 

I love the peacefulness of church and partaking of the sacrament. Reflecting on the convents I have made with God is a sacred time for me. I know both the Bible and the Book of Mormon to be Godn's word. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sister Mikeila Aquino

          Sister King came out with us to our appointments. We love her!

                  Dinner at the Carpenter home. Aren't they the cutest!