Week 23: Springing Forward

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This week has really been the start of spring. I was happy to celebrate Pi Day and the Ides of March as well! Unfortunately, there must be opposition in all things, and Daylight Saving Time also occurred, which was news I had to break to Hermana Stevenson, an Arizona native. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. #unfortunate #stopdaylightsaving

A lovely tree!

In spite of that, the days have been beautiful in Columbia! I set foot outside and am in wonder of all the beauty around me! It’s such a happy time, but again, opposition, because the bugs have noticed this.

I’d like to state on the record that I’m not anti-bug by any means. I definitely don’t want them in my home, but I also understand that their brains are incapable of grasping the concept of trespassing private property, so I won’t punish them for that. I’m definitely a use-a-cup-to-show-them-out kind of person. But this week, there was some sort of huge winged insect that found its way into our home. I seriously have no clue what it was. I’m willing to give a report so someone can research all possible suspects so that the mystery can be solved. But regardless of what it was, it was inside instead of out. Hermana Stevenson is resolutely team anti-bug, so she was begging me to kill it, but she also wouldn’t go anywhere near it. I tried to just lure it into the cup, but it kept crawling away. Unfortunately, I had to use some bug spray to get it moving at the very least so that I could release it. I still feel guilty.

Fun fact: Bradford pears are an invasive species (editor’s note: And they smell like rotting flesh), but they’re pretty right now when they’re all white and look like … is that popcorn popping?

In the TNM, we have weekly Sunday devotionals that the entire mission gets on, and they’re always such spiritual powerhouses. This week was focused on overcoming adversity. If you haven’t tuned in to my weekly emails for a while, I’ve kind of been having a rough time, so everything discussed seemed specifically geared toward me. One thought that I loved that was shared revolved around the story of Abraham and Isaac. Quick rundown: Abraham is this prophet who’s commanded by God to sacrifice his son as a sign of obedience, and right before Abraham kills Isaac, God commands him to stop because his demonstration of obedience was sufficient.

Now, the Lord has a perfect knowledge. He would know if Abraham was willing to make such a big sacrifice without asking him to. Why would He make Abraham go through that? And the answer isn’t that God needed to learn something about Abraham. Abraham needed to learn something about himself.

How can we know the extent of our strength—the fullness of what we’re able to do—without putting it to the test? Obviously it’s going to be hard, but if we’re ever going to see our potential, we have to demonstrate it.

In 1 Peter 4, it says:

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Don’t be surprised if things aren’t easy. If they are, you’re not growing, and that’s what we’re meant to be doing right now. And that can be super hard. But we always have a reason to rejoice. Remember, someone is on your side. Look at 2 Nephi 22:

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.

Elder Myers asked me to hold his hat while he had his picture taken next to a mural last P-day, so I had a photo op of my own.

— Beyond lucky,

Hermana Newton