Hey y'all!
[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has the time or attention span to read this.]
An update from last week's edition. The four of us have a new dryer (our 3rd one) & it works! Hurrah! In other news they have a new apartment and they are splitting us up. Hopefully we will have til the end of the transfer but we don't know.
I'd much rather have a broken dryer than have my sweet sisters taken away. But the transfer ends soon anyways.
Lately (the last two-ish months) I've had lots of people help me ponder on the Word of Wisdom.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we have The Lord's Law of Health or the Word of Wisdom. It is what the Lord has asked us to do to take care of bodies. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to take care of our bodies because they are sacred gifts. We are specifically taught to eat healthy and to not use harmful substances. My trainer used the word C.A.T.T.S. to describe what should not enter our bodies. C-coffee, A- alcohol, T- tobacco, T- tea, S- scary drugs/substances (depends on audience).
The blessings for living in accordance to the Lord's law of Health include; health (go figure), wisdom, treasures of knowledge, and protection. These are powerful promised blessings!
[For additional information or to fact check please refer to page 86 of Preach My Gospel or Doctrine and Covenants 89]
There's been so many people that get stuck because of their addictions.
In my mission there’s a rule where if someone hasn't been to Sacrament meeting in two weeks we can't teach them anymore. This may seem harsh but I can testify that even though us missionaries have to give up on people the Lord never ever does. The Lord is always aware of them and ever preparing them to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
With this rule things tend to be fast paced because a lot of people don't come to church.
I've met people that do come to church but we can't continue teaching them because they continue to drink coffee or smoke (that's a big one), or they're alcoholics (this one is so sad).
One lady I had the privilege of teaching for a short time had been having drinking problems for a long time. She lost custody of her kids when they were little for it. She was meeting with missionaries because she wanted to change because she was about to meet one of her now adult daughters. I won't be there for the happy ending but eternity is long and people have many, many opportunities to make changes so I'm confident there will be a happy ending but maybe not soon.
Two days ago we met a man named Tim. Tim spends $300 on alcohol every week. He was able to stop for 15 months but now it's as bad as it was before. Tim thinks about what that $300 could do for someone that really needs money but he can't stop.
On Friday night when we met Tim he said he knows he's dying. And he is. He has some pretty extreme liver issues. And Tim says everyone he knows is going to heaven. Everyone except him. And he's scared. He doesn't want to burn.
Well, the Lord's plan is far more merciful than that and Tim has a lot to learn. And hopefully I'll get to help teach him but it could go either way. While I was drinking the water that's been blessed by the priesthood, Tim was drinking something else.
If Tim does come to Sacrament meeting I know he'll be blessed with an increase of the Spirit and that'll get him pretty far.
Tim is a good person and he's not going to burn. But he's still got some work to do. So do I.
Please never mess around with potentially addictive anything. Drugs, alcohol, pornography. There's just no valid reason to mess with it. There just isn't.
Addictions ruin lives in so many ways. Tim is physically dying. The woman I mentioned earlier probably will not be in contact with one of her daughters in this lifetime.
I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can and do heal and help fix anything and everything. But if we can avoid needing healing and fixing let's avoid it.
Love ya!
Still holding to the rod,
Sister Owens
Summary: Word of Wisdom= 
Addictions=
Here's the link to my mission pictures album:
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