Sister Nicole Stevenson: It better be a little hard

Nicole's Letter:
"It better be a little hard"
Monday, March 13th, 2017

This week was good! We spent almost half of the week in Lewiston! We left early Friday morning to go to Zone Training and then the zone leaders told us that President said that we should just stay until Sunday since we had Stake Conference, so we had a fun weekend in Lewiston! It was so nice to be around other missionaries and people! I loved it! And it was warm!! On Friday we just joined with the other sisters and went with them to some of their lessons.

Then on Saturday we got handed a list of people to go see and we just went by ourselves around Clarkston. It was fun! We went to a person named Karmen and good thing her finance caught us before we walked into their front gate because they had pitbulls that are mean and so he put them away before we got eaten. And earlier this week this dog chased us so I was already annoyed at dogs. But Karmen was super nice and we talked to her for a bit. She has a lot of pain in her life and I just wanted to express how much the gospel of Jesus Christ can help her with her loss and pain in her life. Then we tried some other people. One was a house and we were walking up and I looked down and saw a dog leash and my eyes followed it to a dog house that we were just about to walk by and right when my brain was connecting everything, a mean dog came out and starting barking and chasing us off the property so that ended that house. Then we tried a former and this old lady answered the door. Her name is Devita Louise. It was probably the most confusing conversation I have ever had. I tried so hard to follow her but it just wasn't working. She said that she had all of her family sitting on her couch and that they would love to talk to us and then she said that it is always bad when the voices come. She definitely wasn't all there or I was just super lost. Who knows. And so I invited her to church but then I realized that I was in Clarkston and had no clue where the church was so she was like where is it? Luckily the Clarkston sisters gave Sister Packer a card with the address on it but Devita was like I don't think that is where it is. I was like I think it is there... she looked at me and was like you probably should find out, that's pretty important. Haha yah, probably Devita. And then before Stake Conference we got fries and burgers. Then Stake Conference was so good!! Elder Nielson, the head of the missionary department came and President and Sister Dymock as well :) After that we went back to the Clarkston sisters apartment and had rootbeer floats!

Then Sunday stake conference was super good! We had just a missionary meeting before with Elder Nielson. He talked about the enabling power of the atonement. I wish I could share everything that I learned! But one take away is that we came to earth to be 1) Get a body 2) To be tried and tested

The redeeming power of the atonement helps us overcome the weaknesses that come from being mortal and having a body. The enabling power of the atonement helps us through our trials. We all have loads that we have to carry. We have loads every day that we have to bear but we don't have to do it alone and it is the load that allows us to become who we are meant to be and to make us more like the Savior. But so many times when we get a trial and challenge we freak out but that is why we are here. We have challenges to stretch us and make us into our full potential. I love the scripture Mosiah 24:15. How they did submit cheerfully to all the will of the Lord. When we do this the heavens will open. That is hard to do. To submit our will to His but it is worth it. The ultimate example is the Savior in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew what he signed up for, just like we all did and he even said "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Yet, unlike most of us he added at the end "not as I will, but as thou wilt". So many times I just pray to have something change but I am starting to change my prayers and asking for strength to get through something or look at a challenge and ask what am I suppose to learn from this. Christ wanted it to pass but he knew the eternal perspective, He submitted to the will of the Father and I will be eternally grateful for that.

Love

Sister Stevenson

Sorry, that was long and probably didn't even make sense but hopefully you got something out of it.