Hallo All,
I am here in Mannheim, and I love
it so far! It is very different from Wiesbaden. It actually looks more like a
German version of Manhattan. My companion is the fabulous Sister Megli.
She is from Sandy Utah, and is
simply lovely. She has about five more months of her mission left, she is
an artist and super super sweet. I am really excited for the time we'll get to
serve together.
This week was the first time that
I have gotten to experience Chalking. Chalking is when you go to a public
area, like the shopping strip or main plaza, and you draw the Plan of Salvation
or something in chalk on the ground. So there are usually a couple missionaries
chalking, and the rest talking to people asking
"Have you ever heard of The Plan
of Salvation?" or something like that.
People stop to stare and are
always super curious as to why a bunch of well-dressed young folks are drawing
in chalk.
I got to have some really
fascinating conversations with people. My favorite was this young girl who was
visiting from a different country who spoke only broken English. We gave her a
Book of Mormon in her language, and she took a selfie with me.
I also was talking to this guy who was waiting for his Bahn. I quickly
walked him through the chalk drawing of the plan, and asked if he wanted to
learn more. He said yes, and I asked for his contact info. He gave it to me as
his Bahn pulled up. He then ran across the street and just as he got up to the
doors, they shut, and the Bahn pulled away. I felt soooo bad.
"Hey, ya there....haha sorry I made you miss your train, but I'll be
keeping you from missing the eternal train...."
His number didn't work, somehow I am not surprised. Just kidding.
Haha
(almost...)) .
It's just a simple, seven word sentence.
"...and [they] gave unto them battle..."
It's like the Book or Mormon way of saying
"you hungry? Good, 'cause I'm about to give you a knuckle sandwich!"
But I think it has some real, daily applications as well. This was
proactive, offensive, deliberate battle. There was no
"You shoot first!" mentality. That was long in the past. The peeps in
Zarahemla had done themselves in with disobedience, and they were being
slaughtered.
I think temptation or weakness or complacency can be like this too.
It comes in by the back door, when we least expect it, like a thief in the
night, or justification in the nfheurhfhfjend day time.
Sometimes I think we just kinda coast along until we run into something,
and then we change course.
Folks,
AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT
You want to lose out on
happiness,
freedom,
accelerated progression,
dreams achieved,
success,
love,
peace?
I sure don't.
So what do you do when life's got you down?
Just keep swimming
a.k.a. beat the ehdhdhddjejd out of the things that scare you.
Be proactive. Fight for the right to hold close the things that inspire
you.
God provides, God inspires, God instructs, God redeems, God supports, God
is your loving Father, who wants nothing more than your eternal and current
happiness and satisfaction.
That's worth fighting for.
So what do we do?
Simple.
Be obedient.
Ask God for His direction in your life.
Read in the Book of Mormon everyday.
Look, search, dig, and discover the good in everyone around you.
Give up that awesome TV show to go visit or call someone who is lonely.
(It's worth it, I promise. I've been there, done that, and it is more than worth
it).
Write a missionary....................
"...repent, and cry unto [God], even until ye shall have faith in
Christ..."
And never, ever give up.
Alma 56
47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did
think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives;
yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God
would deliver them.
56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to
the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never
were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such
mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and
for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of
war.
Yeah, whatever, Sister Roderer, this was OBVIOUSLY beginner's luck.
HA
Nope.
This is the product of faith. This is
the product of acting on truth!
This is the promise given to each of us.
This is the power we hold in our covenants, in our obedience, in our daily,
consistent sacrifices.
This is what it means to believe in a
just and merciful God, who is filled with grace and truth, and whose glory and
goodness defy description.
So go, go grow up.
Go be free,
And fly,
Fly, my pretties!!
All my love,
Sister Roderer
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