Dear Family and Friends,
Well I don't even know where to start as I got on the computer today I was overflowed with photos of a brand new baby niece, Ember Grace. WELCOME TO THE WORLD LITTLE EMBER! Oh how I wish I could be there to see her right now but I know that Heavenly Father is taking far better care of her than I ever could and this is where she would want me to be anyways if she could express her feelings at this time. What a special time in my family's life and testimony builder as we receive a new life, a new miracle, and new assurance that God is aware of us and He Lives. What a blessing it is to have a family where we can love each other, support each other, make memories, build friendships and know that we can live as eternal families with God one day. I am so grateful that I have this knowledge and have the opportunity to share it with the Korean people. I love my family so much. They are one of the greatest blessings I have ever received and I thank my Heavenly Father each and everyday for them individually. They each teach me different things and have their own strengths that I am able to learn from to make myself better and more Christlike. I LOVE YOU DAD, MOM, TYLER, JOELLE, EDEN, EMBER, MALLORY, and HAILEY! Thank you for being YOU!
As for the missionary work this week! Well it was the last week of the transfer so we received transfer calls! Yeah we were all really nervous because currently we are lacking in sister missionaries so sister areas in the mission are beginning to close down. We thought for sure it would be one of our areas because it would be easy to close because both wards meet in the same church building. We waited and waited all night! Sister Lyman and Sister Hunter were pretty sure they were leaving as they have served here for 5 transfers now so it was just dependant on what would happen to Sister Hammerl and I. Well come to find out they didn't close us down and my new companion will be Sister Stout!!! I lived with her when I was in 화곡 for 3 transfers!! Icouldn't believe it! Poor girl is stuck with me for another 6 weeks! haha Just kidding but I am so grateful for my mission president and for his worthiness to receive revelation for me that is according to the Lord's will. It is going to be awesome and truly is an answer to my prayers! It is a true tender mercy from the Lord to be able to serve with her this next transfer. Even more exciting news!! Sister Hunter will be going to serve in my last area!! I am so excited for her but so sad to see her leave. I have learned so much from Sister Hunter and it has been an honor to be serving with her. She is one of the most Christlike people I know and truly demonstrated Christ's attributes each and every day with me and others. I admire her so much and thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to build an eternal friendship with her.
Wasn't General Conference just great though!! I was able to watch it this weekend and I just loved it! How lucky we are to have this gospel and such great Church leaders that guide and direct this church under the will of the Lord. I especially enjoyed the new additions of allowing the Quorum of the Seventy speak in their native tongue! All of us missionaries were waiting for Korean but it never showed but it's okay because we still probably wouldn't have understood it that well. Good old Korean in the words of my missionary president "Korean isn't hard. It just takes a long time." That is the most true statement but I am just so grateful for the amount of Korean I have been given that allows me to fulfill my purpose each day. One talk that I loved was from Carlos A. Godoy's talk as he talked a lot about his Patriarchal Blessing. As most of you know it was my Patriarchal Blessing that really got me here on a mission and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the direct guidance Heavenly Father gave me through it, but like Elder Godoy I too wondered what I could do to make sure all the blessings that the Lord has promised me come true. So these last two transfers I have studied my Patriarchal Blessing everyday, paragraph by paragraph and charted out what blessings I will receive, what I have to do to receive them and how I can receive them. It has been an amazing experience and I could not be more grateful for the spiritual guidance I have received. I love Elder Godoy's comment of "Just because things are going well doesn't mean that there isn't something that could be better." There is always something better and we can always push a little harder. We must do what it takes so we can receive the best of blessings that are available to us because we are God's children and He has the best of the best waiting to pour them down upon us. I know that as we are about doing the Lord's will doing our best and using Christ's atonement in our lives we can receive those most wonderful blessings. We are receiving them now but we can receive more as we do what it takes and give our whole commitment to God. HE WILL fulfill His promised blessings as we do our part and show our love to Him.
I also especially loved our dear prophet's words. Isn't President Thomas S. Monson such a wonderful man as so many of the church leaders expressed their love to him and shared his amazing stories of Christlike service and love. How lucky we are to be led by a true man of God. I too know for myself through the power of the Holy Ghost that President Thomas S. Monson is God's chosen prophet in this day. I know President Monson is leading God's true church and as we give heed to his teachings we can be led safely through this life because we can always trust the prophet a mouthpiece to the Lord. Talking on following Christ I loved how he told us that "Decisions determine Destiny." The decisions we make truly are determining the rest of our lives and we are so lucky to know that Heavenly Father has given us the tools on how to make correct decisions. He did not send us out into this world without guidance or direction. He gave us the tools and now is the time to use them so we can make our way back to Him. I love his comment "Walking where Jesus walked is less important than walking as He walked." We can all walk the path Christ walked. In fact we all are. He experienced everything that we have experienced it just a matter of HOW we are walking that path. We all have the potential to walk our path the way that Christ walked it. There are still challenges but if walk our path the way Christ walked it we will have Him by our side supporting us, lifting us, comforting us, strengthening us and enduring with us. I know that Christ's path is the way. He will guide us as long as we turn to Him and rely on His Atonement to walk as He walked.
After conference yesterday Sister Hunter had to say goodbye to many of the members and the hardest was our sweet 황미주 (young adult mission leader). We both cannot express the love we have for her but the relationship and friendship we have built is eternal. We did a practice lesson with her and then we just talked. She told us about the decision process of how she thinks God chooses where each of His missionaries need to go. She believes that there is also a counsel in heaven where they decide and say this person needs to go to this place because they can help that person who is living there. She told us that God sent Sister Hunter and I to 금천 for her because we are her angels. Sister Hunter and I both had tears running down our faces. We found one reason why we were sent to this wonderful ward and in the result of our effort we have established a friendship that will last forever. We are family. I am so grateful and I personally think that 황미주 was our angel as she brightened our days when things were hard, strengthened our testimony through bearing hers and giving us hope to carry on. I am so grateful for her and her love. I don't know how I have gotten so lucky to have so many wonderful people influence my life for the better but I am full of gratitude every single day and will thank my God forever.
Well I am running low on time and just want to close with my testimony.
I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and is aware of us personally. I know He sent His Son Jesus Christ out of love for His children to atone for each of our sins, sorrows, pains, and disappointments individually. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know He lives and through Him we can have the hope and strength to carry on through this troubling world. I know He will forever carry our load as we come unto Him. I know Jesus Christ is our perfect example and through following Him and walking as He walked we are on our way to a life full of eternal peace and happiness. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ restored Christ's gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Prophet Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ on that spring day. I know the Prophet Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and he sacrificed everything for the gospel of Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It brings us closer to Christ and our Heavenly Father. I know it is God's words to His children manifesting that He loves us and He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I know God answers prayers. He hears each of our prayers and knows our needs and as we turn to Him He will give us the best gift to help us. I know this church is true. I know it brings happiness to lives because I am a living witness of that truth. I know these things through the power of the Holy Ghost who is my constant companion and I know the Holy Ghost guides and directs me each day as I remain worthy of its companionship. I love this gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you and miss you all!
Love,
드리스콜자매
Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll
