Hello dear friends and family!
We had such an incredible week and saw so many miracles! This will be
a short one, but I just wanted to share what's been on my mind. This week I was reading some old conference talks and there were two things specifically that I love. First, it was an opening address to a general conference and President Hinckley quoted a newspaper article about missionaries:
A California newspaper recently commented: “The white shirts, backpacks and bicycles give them away, even before you spot the Book of Mormon.
“They’re stereotyped, for good reason.
“These armies of young men--missionaries in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--are strictly regimented while serving missions around the globe.
“For two years, they spend 60 hours a week doing ecclesiastical work, praying, studying, and telling others about the Gospel that drove them to leave families, friends and the comfort of home behind.
“Contact with their loved ones is limited to letters and two calls a year.
“They live frugally, in private homes and apartments with companion missionaries, rising at 6 a.m. to study and pray for guidance in the work they will do until long after the sun sets. …
“This life, they say, is a sacrifice--and the most ‘fun’ they can imagine”.
I'm having the time of my life. Every day is so fun.
The next one is from Elder Holland's talk 'The First Great Commandment'. I think everyone should read this talk, it's incredible. Elder Holland puts in his own words for and exchange between the Savior and Peter, in answering the call to discipleship. I LOVE what
he says:
"To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my non-scriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples--and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.”
I think that says enough.
I love y'all and hope you have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Snyder
Sent from my iPad
Sister Snyder's adventures while serving in the Texas, San Antonio Mission.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Hiiii (from June 8)
Hello everyone! How's it going? I hope everyone had a good week and
that y'all are enjoying your summer so far!
Last week was really great! On Thursday morning we went to a meeting where we got our iPads. So crazy that we actually have them. So we spent a few hours setting all of that up and discussing different things, so that's exciting. I'll be honest that I was kind of hesitant about getting one, but they are such an awesome tool. Seriously. Our studies are a lot better, the pamphlets on here are beautiful, and we can share videos and pictures with people right on their doorstep. What a blessing to have such a great tool, and to be able to use technology in a good way.
We met some really awesome people this week. Texans are so faithful and love Christ, it's the best. People love to talk about the importance of believing in God and Christ, and we're excited to get to share more with different people this next week.
Saturday was super awesome because we got to go help with flood cleanup up in Martindale. It's a a small town--population 1200. They had been hit by the flooding here, and needed help. So 140 people and missionaries from our stake met early Saturday morning and headed up there. The sweetest Baptist church hosted us. They fed us like 3 meals and were so sweet! So we split up into different work crews(wearing our awesome yellow vests) and went to help people. We helped this sweet older couple whose barn had been under 5 feet of water. So we cleared it all out. It was good, hard work, but it was awesome. It was crazy seeing the streets lined with everyone's ruined stuff, and seeing trees and everything washed up. They got hit pretty bad. But we're so glad we could help! It was really great.
One thing I really love about being a missionary is being able to answer these great questions of life that people have. We taught the Plan of Salvation to a guy who had never even thought much about where we came from and where we're going, and he loved it. It just clicked
for him and made sense. I also love being able to go into the home of someone you've barely met, and you get to comfort them and help lift them as they work through different trials. It's so important to help others feel the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them. And it's amazing she they feel that. One of the best ways for them to feel that is through the scriptures. This last week we were studying Preach My Gospel chapter 5, about the Book of Mormon. Wowie wow is it just the best.
The Book of Mormon is our complete witness of Christ. It unfolds to us doctrine that helps us, guides us, and comforts us. As Elder Holland says, it provides "safety for the soul". That talk he gave in October 2009 is incredible. There's a video that goes with it, called Testimony of the Book of Mormon. It's. Mormon message that I would urge you to watch. I love the Book of Mormon. Everything we believe rests on whether or not it's true, and I testify to you that it is. I know for myself that it is the word of God, translated by His chosen servant, and it provides everything we need to return safely to our Father in Heaven and to be happy in this life. I love this gospel, and the Book of Mormon, with my whole heart.
I love y'all and hope that you have a good week!
Love, Sister Snyder
Sent from my iPad
that y'all are enjoying your summer so far!
Last week was really great! On Thursday morning we went to a meeting where we got our iPads. So crazy that we actually have them. So we spent a few hours setting all of that up and discussing different things, so that's exciting. I'll be honest that I was kind of hesitant about getting one, but they are such an awesome tool. Seriously. Our studies are a lot better, the pamphlets on here are beautiful, and we can share videos and pictures with people right on their doorstep. What a blessing to have such a great tool, and to be able to use technology in a good way.
We met some really awesome people this week. Texans are so faithful and love Christ, it's the best. People love to talk about the importance of believing in God and Christ, and we're excited to get to share more with different people this next week.
Saturday was super awesome because we got to go help with flood cleanup up in Martindale. It's a a small town--population 1200. They had been hit by the flooding here, and needed help. So 140 people and missionaries from our stake met early Saturday morning and headed up there. The sweetest Baptist church hosted us. They fed us like 3 meals and were so sweet! So we split up into different work crews(wearing our awesome yellow vests) and went to help people. We helped this sweet older couple whose barn had been under 5 feet of water. So we cleared it all out. It was good, hard work, but it was awesome. It was crazy seeing the streets lined with everyone's ruined stuff, and seeing trees and everything washed up. They got hit pretty bad. But we're so glad we could help! It was really great.
One thing I really love about being a missionary is being able to answer these great questions of life that people have. We taught the Plan of Salvation to a guy who had never even thought much about where we came from and where we're going, and he loved it. It just clicked
for him and made sense. I also love being able to go into the home of someone you've barely met, and you get to comfort them and help lift them as they work through different trials. It's so important to help others feel the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them. And it's amazing she they feel that. One of the best ways for them to feel that is through the scriptures. This last week we were studying Preach My Gospel chapter 5, about the Book of Mormon. Wowie wow is it just the best.
The Book of Mormon is our complete witness of Christ. It unfolds to us doctrine that helps us, guides us, and comforts us. As Elder Holland says, it provides "safety for the soul". That talk he gave in October 2009 is incredible. There's a video that goes with it, called Testimony of the Book of Mormon. It's. Mormon message that I would urge you to watch. I love the Book of Mormon. Everything we believe rests on whether or not it's true, and I testify to you that it is. I know for myself that it is the word of God, translated by His chosen servant, and it provides everything we need to return safely to our Father in Heaven and to be happy in this life. I love this gospel, and the Book of Mormon, with my whole heart.
I love y'all and hope that you have a good week!
Love, Sister Snyder
Sent from my iPad
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