Hey y'all!
[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]
In our mission (perhaps all missions, I don’t know) we have something called recitations. Where we all stand and say a bunch of things. We sound like a glorious chorus of robots. I still don't know our recitations too well but I'm certainly getting there. But I digress, one of our recitations is Doctrine and Covenants section 4 it contains 7 verses total, in my mission it's described as the job description of a missionary.
I must admit that at first recitations annoyed me. Sometimes they still do, perhaps because I haven't 100% applied everything we say or maybe because it feels like the majority of missionaries say it just to say it and not like they really mean it.
In an effort to be a consecrated missionary I've been taking recitations (and many other things) more seriously. As I have studied and pondered Doctrine and Covenants 4 I have thoroughly enjoyed the metaphor of harvesting.
Often, missionary work is compared to planting seeds. “Well don't worry if she's not ready to listen yet, you're just planting seeds.” or “Just keep watering, keep inviting,..” I’m not here to plant seeds. I'm not watering a garden. I'm here to harvest.
“The field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;” (D&C 4:4)
I'm thrusting in my sickle with all my might. Believe me, the field is white already to harvest. We have 10 new members in the Fayetteville 4th ward. Yesterday in our new member class the teacher expressed to everyone that we missionaries will leave. And a bit like a parent, we will never stop worrying about these people that we helped come to Christ. It's up to the ward now. It's actually been up to the ward the whole time. They plant the seeds, they do the watering.
I'm temporary hired help here to harvest.
The field is white already to harvest. There's a lot of people out there looking for truth and hope and the joy that only the gospel can bring.
I've been planting seeds and watering as a disciple of Jesus Christ for a long time we are all sowers and now I have the opportunity to harvest.
It's been kinda fun to harvest.
This week after Sacrament we chased The car of one of our friends so we could talk to him about baptism. There's very few things that make me run because generally running brings me minor pain and disappointment. But I ran to catch someone in their car to talk about the joy of the gospel.
Love you! Keep being so amazing and stuff. I'm literally just tired of writing this now.
Still holding to the rod,
Sister Owens
Summary: #here2harvest (for more information read the email above) 
Here's the link to my mission pictures album:
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