Wife Me Up (in like 8 months)

To clarify things, the title of my email only comes from the fact that I've been cooking a lot recently ;)

This week was full of ups and downs. We've been learning a lot (especially how to cook and improvise) and have had to leave a lot of people we are teaching. It's always hard to leave people that aren't progressing but that opens the way to find the Lord's elect. But all is well :)

Recently I was reading in a Liahona and I found a painting that caught my attention along with the paragraph that described it. 

This image was inspired by Matthew 4:1 as clarified by Joseph Smith: “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be with God” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 4:1). As the Savior prepared Himself for His ministry by fasting for 40 days and nights, He taught us the importance of taking time to commune with our Father in Heaven to find divine guidance and strength to complete our work here upon the earth.  

This is something that I have come to notice in the past few weeks. Communication with our Father in Heaven isn't just a nice thing to do every morning and every night, it's absolutely necessary to do with the right attitude. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day and offer a quick, half-hearted prayer or to forget to offer one at all. It's important to remember who you are communicating with. It is God himself. But, more importantly, it is your Father in Heaven. He wants to know about you, your day, your trials, your joys. He worries about you, just as your father here on Earth does. After all, this is ¨His work and HIs glory —to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man. (Moses 1:39)  He desires your eternal life. 

It is important that we remember to pray with faith, knowing that He hears our prayers. I love the scripture form the Bible in James 1:5 that says (and missionaries you already know which one I'm talking about) :

 5 ^aIf any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that ^cgivethto all men liberally, and ^dupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ^aask in ^bfaith, nothing ^cwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Faith is an essential part of prayer. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that we must ask for in order to obtain. We are truly able to pray in Christ’s name when our wishes are the wishes of Christ. We then ask for things that are right and thus possible for God to grant. Some prayers remain unanswered because they in no way represent Christ’s desire but spring instead out of the selfishness of man. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/prayer?lang=eng) Faith is hope in that which isn't seen but what we know to be true. I always imagine sitting face to face with God and expressing all of  my doubts, fears, worries, joys, and pains. I have come to learn that when we take the time to talk to God, He blesses us indefinitely. 

Praying with faith will be what gives us the strength to go on in the day or the week. It will give us a new perspective in life and allow us to remain joyful throughout whatever may come. I know that prayer, although it maybe small, brings grand blessings in our lives. I want such blessings to be able to reach your own lives. I encourage each of you this week to take time and really talk to your Father in Heaven. ...thus we see that by ^bsmall means the Lord can bring about great things. 1 Nephi 16:29

I hope you all have a wonderful week and are able to recognize the blessings of the Lord in your day to day life. I love you and wish you all the best!! 

Con Cariño, 

Hna Thompson

P.S. This is a really good talk I like from a recent General Conference that just so happens to talk about prayer ;)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/13hales?lang=eng