May 4, 2014

Hey Mom!

To answer your question, my birthday will just be a regular day except for my surprise party at the Nelsons which will be approximately one hour. We're having cake and ice cream.

Remember how when I first started college the doctor told me I had acid disease and that it would strike up at stressful times in my life? Well, I guess having the salvation of the souls of Macedonia in my hands qualifies as a stressful time because it came back. Honestly I would have been offended at my conscience if it hadn't. My stomach hurt SO BAD for a few days but luckily this time I knew what to take for it and I've been pretty good ever since. 

We continue to have no investigators but we have worked super hard lately. 

Ratko has taken the place of Elder Krajnc in translating during church meetings. It's nice because now I get some good listening in for Macedonian.

Ana was called as a Sunday school teacher, so I think it's good that we're making church less and less English for them. Although she speaks Serbian and not Macedonian.

While contacting one day, me and Sister Schofield were called over by a guy working at a bookshop. He started talking to me about religion while his friend hit on Sister Schofield. We made an appointment with them and I walked away with a cool old Swedish bible that he gave me and she walked away with yet another flower. The elders almost died when they saw her with it.

I could tell you more stories about people we've contacted, but it's really just more of the same old stuff and they have all fallen through with coming to lessons and no one showed up to church!

Oh yeah, a long time ago I sent you a video from lds.org about parents. Did you ever watch it? I really liked it.

I love you so much. Yes I got the e-card. It was very nice! Thank you mom. I miss you.

Love, 

Sister Riddle

There is no greater expression of love than the heroic Atonement performed by the Son of God. Were it not for the plan of our Heavenly Father, established before the world began, in a very real sense, all mankind—past, present, and future—would have been left without the hope of eternal progression. As a result of Adam’s transgression, mortals were separated from God (see Rom. 6:23) and would be forever unless away was found to break the bands of death. This would not be easy, for it required the vicarious sacrifice of one who was sinless and who could therefore take upon Himself the sins of all mankind.

Thankfully, Jesus Christ courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. His mental,emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; D&C 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving the purifying gift of the Holy Ghostby confirmation, and accepting all other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us,and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God.

The Savior later endured the agony of inquisition, cruel beatings, and death by crucifixion on the cross at Calvary. Recently, there has been a great deal of commentary about this, none of which has made clear the singular point that no one had the power to take the Savior’s life from Him. He gave it as a ransom for us all. As the Son of God, He had the power to alter the situation. Yet the scriptures clearly state that He yielded Himself to scourging, humiliation, suffering, and finally crucifixion because of His great love towards the children of men (see 1 Ne. 19:9–10).

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was an indispensable part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for His Son’s earthly mission and for our salvation. How grateful we should be that our Heavenly Father did not intercede but rather withheld His fatherly instinct to rescue His Beloved Son. Because of His eternal love for you and for me, He allowed Jesus to complete His foreordained mission to become our Redeemer. The gift of resurrection and immortality is given freely through the loving grace of Jesus Christ to all people of all ages, regardless of their good or evil acts. And to those who choose to love the Lord and who show their love and faith in Him by keeping His commandments and qualifying for the full blessings of the Atonement, He offers the additional promise of exaltation and eternal life,which is the blessing of living in the presence of God and His Beloved Son forever.

M Russell Ballard Our Search for Happiness