Thank you for all of your gifts! Especially your letters you sent in
the box that went to the mission office. That was so fun to get a
letter from everyone! This week has been a very good one. We have been
very spoiled. I have never received so much love from so many people
in my life! People here are so giving! We had our mission Christmas
party this Wednesday So we were able to go to the temple in the
morning. President Packard spoke to all of us before we went in. He
said to learn to pay attention to others emotions. He talked a lot
about the symbolism in the temple and that it is a journey to learn
all about it and that every time we go we learn something new! This
week things have been picking up a bit. We were able to meet with hope
and her kids this week. We helped the kids clean their living room
before we gave them a lesson. Tariq said, "So are you gonna talk to us
about baptism." And we said yea. Taraja his little sister asked what
it means to be baptized and Tariq said, "it is a washing away of all
your sins." He was a little confused on how we got baptized so we
explained it and asked when he would like to be baptized. He asked if
he could be baptized that day. We told him that probably wouldn't work
so he picked February 15th. We were told that he wasn't too interested
in being baptized but he prooved us wrong. He is such a sweet little
boy. And Taraja will be baptized that day as well. So we will get to
be teaching them every day. We had the ward Christmas party on
Saturday night which was a lot of fun. A family in our ward has a son
that is less active and he is engaged to a girl who has a boy that is
almost a year. He came up to us at the party and said that she asked
him what he would think if she wanted to become a member. So we will
get to start teaching her as well. It has been a crazy few weeks
trying to work around everyone's busy schedules but we have been very
blessed. One of the young men on Sunday asked for a book of Mormon so
that he could give it to his drama teacher. The courage of this
generation of youth never ceases to amaze me. I have a lot more
struggles here in Ellington then I did in Billerica but things are
starting to get better. Some one shared a quote with me this week. JOY
stands for Jesus, Others, and then Yourself. That is when true Joy
occurs when Jesus Christ comes before any thing else in your life. And
then others, specifically your companion or your spouse, then all
others, and then yourself. Our mission president is so big on the
concept of Zion and building up those around us. I feel truly blessed
to be a part of this mission. One of my favorite scriptures has become
2 Nephi 25:26 "And we talk of Christ, re rejoice in Christ, we preach
of Christ, We prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our
prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for
a remission of their sins."
Here is a quote from our letter from our mission president that I
really liked! He is such an inspired man.
"We keep asking ourselves, “What was Jesus trying to teach us through
His birth?” and we are struck with the thought of Jesus’
condescension. The Jesus who created this world, who spoke to Moses
from the burning bush and who brought fire from heaven, went down,
down, down, smaller and smaller, until he became a tiny embryo, then a
fetus and then a helpless baby who could not swallow solid food or
control his bladder, totally dependent on his teenaged peasant mother.
One of the things that struck ancient and modern prophets so forcibly
is that when Jesus came to earth, he was not trying to avoid suffering
and pain like we do. In fact, experiencing pain and suffering was one
of the primary reasons He came. Of course, He came to give us a
perfect example, but there was something even deeper at play. Through
his life and ministry, Christ created an intimacy with us that
transcends the theoretical. He suffered with us and for us. Isaiah
taught: “In all their afflictions, he was afflicted.” (Isaiah 63:9).
Alma taught: “…and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his
bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may
know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to
their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the
Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon
him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their
transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now
behold, this is the testimony which is in me.” (Alma 7: 12-13). In
these fascinating verses, Alma seems to be saying that Jesus
understood suffering in His head when He was presiding in the
pre-mortal heavens, but He learned about suffering in a different way
when He actually went through it, when He actually experienced every
kind of suffering. The Spirit already knew, but Jesus suffered in the
flesh so that He would know according to the flesh.
Jesus truly understands us. He has been there. He is a God who weeps
when we suffer, who truly comprehends and even feels our pain, and He
truly knows how to help. Sometimes, He knows when to do nothing
because that is what we need. Sometimes, He knows to give us increased
capacity to carry because that is what we need, and sometimes, He
relieves our burdens because that is what we need. He truly has been
there and knows, according to the flesh. That is one reason we
celebrate. God was not just with us in the sense that He was present
on the earth, He was really with us through all our successes,
failures, disappointments, sicknesses, sins, pains, and joys. We thank
Jesus for all He did and for who He is."
I love you all so much and am so excited to get to talk to you on
Wednesday! I love you:) Love Sister Rushton
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