December 16, 2013

Merry Christmas! 

Well there isn't that much to report on this week.  All our investigators we were suppose to meet this week flogged us and are being bums trying to get all the Christmas stuff done.  It's all good though because we had an amazing Ward Christmas Party! So many nonmembers showed up and the food was so good.  I talked to loads of people and one girl we talked to who is a baby sitter is really interested.  She wants to come to church and asked so many good questions.  The only bad thing is she lives in London. But she wants to come to our ward so that is cool.  Hopefully we can teach her hear and then baptize her.  Nice thing is she is in our mission so we could still see her.  I swear that every time I say the work is picking up in Slough to you guys the next week is one of the hardest slowest weeks.  It is really frustrating and makes me just want to sit in our flatt and be a bum.  I know that the only thing that will change Slough is hard work.  I know that we will be blessed so much and soon! Just have to remember that we can't change our circumstances, but we can change ourselves. 

My spiritual thought for the week is the enabling power of the Atonement.  We are all very familiar with the healing power of the Atonement, but not so much about the enabling.  Elder Bednar gives a fantastic talk about it, if you wish to hear more about it.  A lot of us think that the Atonement is just meant to heal us from our sins and sorrows.  Even though that is important and amazing the enabling power of the Atonement is what changes us.  If you read in the Book of Mormon when the people are struggling like when the people of Alma are in captivity they never ever pray for their circumstances to change.  They pray for the strength to endure there bondage and to have burdens made light.  Because of their faith the Lord made their burdens light.  He didn't take them away, but made them light.  The people of Alma then went about cheerfully doing there work and gave thanks.  Another example is Nephi when coming back from Jersulem with Ishmaels family and his brothers tie him up.  He does not ask God to change his circumstances or to chasten his brothers, but he asks that according to his faith the Lord will give him the strength to burst his bands.  Nephi understood that he was weak, but that through the enabling power of the Atonement could call upon God to recieve strength to change himself not his circumstances.  I hope we will allow the enabling power of the Atonement to cleanse of our sins, but then to also let it change us.  I hope and pray that we will all be the ones to act instead of being acted upon.  

I love you all to shredzz and have a fantastic week! 

Love,

Elder Wilson