This week has been absolutely incredible!! Tuesday night our
Devotional was M. Russell Ballard. He is such a sweet old man. And his wife
seems like such a sweet old lady. His talk was super good; it was about be
dedicated to this gospel. The thing that I want to talk on is when he said
"Listen to the Prophet and the apostles. We won't lead you astray. We
CAN'T lead you astray." When he said that they couldn't lead him astray it
got me thinking a lot. This is Christ's church. In Helamen 5:12 it says
how Christ is "the surest foundation, a foundation whereon if men build
they cannot fall." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really truly
is Christ's church.
We are all on the right path, and His apostles and prophets
will never lead us astray, and Christ won't allow them to lead us astray. And
that got me thinking about the Avengers (I have a good reason, trust me). In
the Avenger movies there are of course the villains (Loki, Hydra, those evil
elves, etc.) And of course there are the Avengers (Hawk Eye, Black Widow, Hulk,
Iron Man, and Captain America). Yes, those movies are amazing and everything
(especially Captain America) but I realized how perfectly those movies portray
these days. In the last Captain America
movie you didn't know who to trust anymore because of Hydra, which reminded me
a lot of the "secret combinations." We live in an Avengers movie
today. The villain is the worst villain of all, he is evil, he is worse than
all those villains combined—he is Satan, and his evil minions that follow him.
But, we have 15 Avengers. Every one of them is better than all 6 of the Marvel
Avengers combined. Our modern day Avengers are the First Presidency and 12
apostles. Their armor is the Armor of God and the Shield of the priesthood. We
can always trust and rely on our modern day avengers. As long as we listen and
reread the conference talks and really obey what it is that they have told us
to do, we will be safe. We will be protected. It reminds me a lot about this
quote: "comparing Satan's army to God's army is like comparing two toddlers
with squirt guns to the entire US Army." I love that quote because it
really shows the power of God's army that we as faithful members of the church
will always have against Satan if we are faithful to our commandments, serve
others, and endure to our endowment. Satan is gonna be the big fat LOSER and he
knows it, and he wants to make everybody else a big fat loser too. He knows he
is gonna lose, but we all know that we are going to win so gloriously. Keep
pressing forward with faith!
In seminary whenever someone would ask "if you could go
back in time to any event in the Book of Mormon, what would you go see?" I
always have wanted to see what Helaman's army looked like; what the Stripling
Warriors looked like. I realized this week more than ever that I see Helaman's
Army each and every day. In the new Sister's in Zion song it says "we are
enlisted in Helaman's army, in numbers much greater than ever before..."
it is so true. I am enlisted in Helaman's army. I get to serve everyday alongside
the Stripling warriors. It is so humbling to be surrounded by missionaries each
and every day. Whenever I see a big group of elders walking by, I still get the
goose bumps because there is so much priesthood power that shines forth from
them. I absolutely love it here. It is incredible to be enlisted in Helaman's
army.
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| Motra Coleman and Motra Zollinger Last Sunday in the MTC |
I feel like I have changed so much and it has only been 2
months. I cannot wait to see who I become as my mission goes on. I have never
prayed more in my life. I have never been this happy before in my life.
Something that I have learned while being here is why I am doing this, why I am
on a mission. I am not on this mission for me. That is the last person that
I am here on my mission for. I am on my mission for my Lord and Savior; I am
here out of gratitude for what he did for me and also for Heavenly Father for
this wonderful plan of Happiness that we have the oppurtunity to live. I am
here for my Albanian Angels whom I promised I would come find. I am also doing
this for my ancestors and for my family, to try and represent my family and all
the sacrifices that my past relatives have made so that I would have the
oppurtunity to be serving a mission. I feel like I have become a better sister
since being here, I have realized how not good of a sister I was to my
sibilings. And I have changed. Lastly, I am doing this for my future
family- just like in the scriptures about Helaman's army “they did not doubt
what their mothers taught them." My husband and I will be the parents to
Helaman's army too. I want to be the best Mom and wife that I can possibly
be.
I know that this Church is true. The Atonement is the
greatest gift we have besides the chance that we have to have a body. Christ
suffered for me. He died for me. And He still loves me. He is my divine
Brother, my Savoir and my Redeemer. I will forever be in debt to Him and my
Father in Heaven. Heavenly Father is so incomprehensibly loving. I love the
father's day video, the one about a Father's viewpoint I love the end where it
says "out of all the names that God could have been called, he has asked
us to call him Father." what power there is in that name. I know that my
Heavenly Father loves me. I am His Daughter. I feel a source of power of
divinity and confidence from knowing who I am. We are all Children of God. If
God could love me for who I am, then I can love every single person that I ever
meet. This gospel is true. There is life after death. Death does not exist in
our gospel; it is simply the transferring of our spirits to another life, a
better life, a painless life, a life with our Heavenly Father. The Book of
Mormon is true. Every single word, every verse is true. It has the ability to
empower all who read it with the Holy Ghost and the love of Christ and Heavenly
Father. Joseph Smith truly saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The
priesthood has been restored on the earth today. Thomas S. Monson is a true
living day prophet of God. His Apostles are Apostles of the Lord. I have seen
them bear testimony of our Savoir Jesus Christ, being in the same room you can
feel that power of their priesthood and of their testimonies. This Church is
true. I know it is. Come unto Christ. Only through Him are we able to go
through our lives happily. Give Him all of your problems all of your concerns,
your worries your sadness’s. He has already suffered for you; he already knows
exactly how you feel and only He is able to succor you and help you how you
need it. There is a power in serving others. Serve others each day. You will
come closer to Christ and to our Heavenly Father by helping your brothers and
sisters, by helping God's children. It is true. It empowers you with happiness.
Serve. That is the answer to everything. Serve and pray. I love the temple.
Today I went to the temple for the last time for the next 16 months. I sat in
the celestial room and cried because I did not want to leave, because I knew I
wouldn't be back for a while. The Temple is a holy place. Go there often, it
truly is a refuge from the world. It is so important to always be worthy (and
trying to stay or be worthy) of a temple recommend. That is part of your armor
of God. I am just so excited to go to Albania in 4 days!! I cannot wait to be
able to go and share this gospel message. I cannot wait! :D
I love you all!
Love,
Motra Zollinger
ps sorry for my awful spelling... Albanian has messed me up
that way....
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