new year brings new fortunes

Hey Family!

 

First I just want to say that 2014 has already been an amazing year so far...it's definitely going to be a good year.  Here's a crazy little tender mercy we were able to experience on saturday that explains why this year has already been so good.  :)  so we just got back from exchanges.  I was up in Amite with Sister Tiller and Sister Brady was here with Sister Paulson.  So I asked Sister Brady what the plans were for the day and she said we were gonna go up to this neighborhood near Lake Ramsey to try some less actives.  Let me just say we've been up there a billion times and no one ever answers their door.  So I was just thinkin to myself...alright if ya say so...no one will answer though.  Low and behold the first less active, Dixie actually answered her door!  We didn't even get the chance to ask her if it was her, the first thing she said was come on in.  And then she straight up told us her concerns and why she's not coming to church.  Plus she said we could come back and visit more often.  Miracle I tell ya, miracle.  Then we go to the second less active, Michele and the exact same thing happened.  She opened her door and the first thing she said was come on in.  She told us her whole life story basically and all her concerns too and said we were welcome to come back.  It was definitely a good day!  Man, haha I couldn't believe we finally met them...I just walked away saying to myself what just happened!

 

Despite the fact that everyone and their dog is sick (literally, we went over to Joy's yesterday and her dog was throwing up all over the place).  I'm not sick yet though!  It's been a great start to the new year.  Family! I'm so happy the missionaries get to come over and teach y'all!  Mom, way to go to just get it scheduled...you can always just get anything done.  It'll be real sweet to have the spirit from the missionaries in the home.  :)

 

Let's see...other than that nothing too new has really happened this week.  We decided to go through the ward directory and meet every single person on it so that's what we've really been working on lately.  There's lots that aren't interested in letting us come in but that's okay, maybe it's just not their time right now.  But hey we're finding tons of sweet less actives that are willing to let us in and we're starting to build good relationships with them!  Plus we're finding more people to teach and visit.  After all, less actives don't hang out with active members...so it's true that we can find tons of people surrounded by our less active members.

 

Hmm I'm not sure what else to really say, sorry this email is so boring!  We were gonna go to New Orleans with Orisia today but she had to cancel yesterday because she has to take care of her patients with the cold weather since everyones getting sick.  Transfers is coming up pretty soon which is kinda crazy.  Time just keeps flying by. 

 

Oh hey here's a scripture I really like from my studies. In Alma 42 it talks alot about justice and mercy which I think isn amazing principle of the gospel.  God is just meaning that when we do something then we have to deal with the consequences.  "according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance." (Alma 42:13)  If we had just the law of justice by itself it would be physically impossible because we can't repent of all our sins completely by ourselves.  But the key is God is also merciful.  He's merciful because he sent his son, Jesus Christ to the earth to accomplish the atonement so that we can be forgiven of our sins and we don't have to completely suffer alone.  "the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice." (Alma 42:15)  Justice and mercy work hand in hand and because of each other we are able to have to pay the consequences for our sins, but we also can receive the gift of mercy from the Savior.  It's simply amazing how Heavenly Father has an exact perfect plan for us and how he loves us so unbelievably much.

 

I love y'all oh so very much!  Not to mention I think you're pretty amazing.  :)

 

The computer keeps retyping over all my words and it's driving me crazy!  So I'll write y'all next week.

 

Love Always, Sister Schmutz