Go BIG or go home

This last weeks highlight for me was obedience.  On Wednesday at district meeting our zone leaders taught us and extended (actually re-extended) the commitment to tract 7 hours every week.  Sister Walker and I have wanted to work on that for a while, but have lacked the actual "umph" to do it.  With that invitation from our zone leaders though, we re-committed ourselves and decided we would do everything we could to get in our seven hours for the week...at that point we had zero.  Well last night, at the end of the week, we ended up with 7.5 hours of tracting.  Yes, miracles happened and blessings were given.  It wasn't easy, but it also wasn't as hard as I had imagined it being.  We just needed to do it.  We ended up with 4 pretty solid new investigators and some other possible investigators!  It was really good.

Other good news of the week, [one of our investigators] was baptized! It was tough, and you could tell the adversary was trying to prevent it from happening, but it happened and it happened on her birthday.  What a sweet moment it was so see her baptized on Friday and confirmed on Sunday!  She is an amazing woman and will do so much good in her family - her husband and his parents are all less actives.  We love [this woman] and her family and I really hope that she notices the difference as she continues to follow Jesus Christ with the Holy Ghost as her constant companion. What a blessing that is, to have the Holy Ghost with you always if you are living worthy of it. :)

Also, our apartment doesn't smell like smoke anymore!  It was ozoned last Monday and the carpets were cleaned on Tuesday.  That meant that we spent Sunday night through Wednesday day out of our apartment.  We stayed with some other sister missionaries in Clinton Sunday night, and then spent two nights at a members home in the southern part of our area (Mendenhall).  Anyways, we were very happy to come back to our apartment and have a smoke-smell free home!

Also, to go back to obedience, something kind of hit me this week.  The phrase "Go BIG or go home."  I've realized that setting lower expectations does NOT help you.  Yes, there does need to be a balance, and you should not try to run faster than you have strength, but don't feel that lowering expectations or goals will bring greater happiness because then you'll be able to achieve them.  Stretch yourself!  That's something I've been learning.  You may need to change your plan or timetable of achieving the goals, but don't stop yourself from growing because you're not willing to go through some "growing pain". I don't plan on going home anytime soon, so I want to go BIG.  I am going to strive to be exactly obedient, and do as much good as I can before it is my time to come home.  When I look back, I want to be able to see and feel that I made a difference for good - in myself, in others, in the mission.  The Lord's work is going to move forward and I want to be a part of it.  The same applies to our earthly mission.  What are we going to say and how are we going to feel when we look back on our earthly mission?  Will we have experienced "a mighty change in our hearts" and "received Christ's image in our countenance"?  Will "our works have been the works of righteousness?" (Alma 5:14-16)  I hope so. :)

I love you all so much!  May THE force be with you this week!