September 7, 2015 "Taking the special needs missionaries out"

This week has been lekker!! It was one of those weeks where it just was over in the blink of an eye!  This week we ran a lot of errands...  Not my favorite thing to do but someone has to do it!   I had a really cool experience with taking the special needs missionaries out.  It reminded me of my peer tutor days with Afton, Ashley and of course Jack!!  One of the missionaries has Aspergers and the other is blind.  As we spent time with them I realized how "special" they really are in a spiritual sense.  They are just so loving and pure.  I talked with the one that is blind and he said that mission has helped him to come and accept his disability since it only started 4 years ago.  He said that he was angry and that he like all of us was wondering why he was faced with this trial.  Then he said as he has come closer to God his spiritual eyes were opened and he now is grateful for his trial.  I look at him and I think how can you be happy when you can't even see all of the beauty that God has made for us? Yet he is and I think it is because he has an eternal perspective on life and a testimony of the resurrection!  Then I thought of the other missionary who struggles with Aspergers and how his mind will be restored through the Resurrection as well.  I don't think us as members really understand how amazing the resurrection will be!  If the resurrection of Christ never happened the Atonement wouldn't be whole but it did happen and it is whole.  I was super grateful to be with them and for what the spirit was able to teach me.

Well, the rest of the week consisted of going to the airport and taking care of missionaries that were going home!  One was Elder Segil who I serious love! That guy is just amazing and his mom gave me the biggest hug... Oops but I couldn't stop that she was coming in hot! haha  Then again on Friday we went to take another missionary to the airport and we realized that we were close to Hospital View so we stopped by and got kota and taught a lesson with the missionaries there.  Definitely missed my kota there...  Also we were able to stop by Mpho's sister Refilwe, who is less active and that was cool.  She says she really wants to come back to church but it is hard cause she doesn't feel worthy.  I see that a lot in the LDS church.  Most of the time in other churches they think that grace will save them no matter what they do and they will be "saved".  In our church it is the polar opposite we think we have to do everything on our own and that if we mess up we are lost.  Yes, we made a mistake and we have to repent but there is grace and there is hope.  Amulek explains this pefectly when he says " And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircle them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great eternal plan of redemption."  There is hope and there is mercy but we have to ask for it and believe that it will come.  This is like my last email but I think we think we are a lost cause a lot more than Heavenly Father thinks we are! 

Well, sorry for my super long email but one more highlight.  You know that guy Greg I have mentioned.  Well he is taking huge steps right now.  He even said he wants to live "the Mormon way" for the rest of his life.  He said he sees the happiness we have and wants that for himself.  He is the most humble guy and wants to do what God wants him to do.  He has taught me a lot!  

Well hope all is well back at home!!!

JDO