Our Hearts are Warm!!!

It seems to be getting colder by the day here (solidly in the negatives now, even not counting the windchill) but our hearts are WARM because guess what?!?!?! A part-member family we are working with now have baptism dates!!!!!!! The two kids, Noah and Sara, are preparing to be baptized on February 27th, and because of the miraculous 7 week transfer, Sister Tidwell and I will still both definitely be here for it!!! :D Those kids are the greatest, and the family is awesome. We are so excited for the decision they have made and I feel so lucky to be a part of this loving/teaching/learning process!

Unfortunately we got dropped by a couple of my favorite people this week. It's always so sad when that happens because I always feel like there was more I could have done for them; been a little bolder, testified more often, invited with more love or passion or whatever. But sometimes people just aren't prepared or willing to change, and we can't force it on them. Of course, we need to be doing EVERYTHING we can as missionaries to get them there, but sometimes they will still turn the opposite direction. And that's okay, because I know that even when we aren't teaching them anymore they are never actually forgotten. Someday other missionaries will find them, or ward members will find them, or they will find us. And maybe when that happens, they'll be ready! Until then, we love them and we wait!

Lately a big problem we have been facing when we meet with people is the question of being saved by faith rather than by works. It sounds good, doesn't it? The idea that we are already saved through the grace of Christ and nothing we will ever do or not do will prevent that from happening? Folks, I have been studying about it and pondering about it for quite some time now, and I just want to say for the record that faith without works truly IS dead!! "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:13). We are given the commandments and we keep them because it brings the power of the Atonement into our lives; keeping the commandments is a catalyst for true faith and not simply the byproduct of it. Repentance IS the Plan of Salvation for every person; without it, agency would be pointless, and the Atonement of Christ ineffectual. We are here to make choices, to bring forth works, and to repent. "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:14). 

That is all!!!

Hope your week was great! Bundle up! Love ya! :)

xoxo

Sister K.