Yesterday in testimony meeting the Bishop shared something that I
loved. He said, "If you squeeze an orange what do you expect to come
out? Orange juice right? When life gets hard and it starts to squeeze
you what you are filled with will come out. If you are filled with
love, then love will come out; if you are filled with gratitude,
gratitude will come out; if you are filled with anger, anger will come
out; if you are filled with hatred, hatred will come out. Hard times
come and how we respond to those hard times is a direct result of how
we spend our time"
I am so grateful for the lessons that I have been learning. I got
called to train a new missionary on top of being a Sister Training
Leader. I realize that what I am filled with is about to be squeezed
out! The stress of life hits us at different times but I know the Lord
is giving me a lot of responsibility because he wants me to work hard
at the end of my mission. I am grateful for the experiences that I've
had so far and the many more to come. My district leader is staying as
well and training a new missionary. I am excited to see what is said
at General Conference this weekend! EVERYONE WATCH GENERAL 
CONFERENCE! It's going to be so good.
I love you all!

This week was good!

Lately I have been hearing a lot about the 3-fold mission of the
church: proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the saints, and redeeming
the dead. I feel like at a different part of our lives we are involved
with each part of this. The desire to be involved in perfecting the
saints, redeeming the dead and proclaiming the gospel begins with our
own conversion. Recognizing the amazing gift that we have and then
desiring to share it comes to each of us through our recognition that
this is truly the Lord's church and we are privileged to know the
steps to get back to live with God and with our families. I'm grateful
that as I am experiencing the "proclaiming the gospel" part of the
3-fold mission of the church. I'm grateful that a huge focus during my
time in YW was spent redeeming the dead. I have a feeling that I am
not done with my role in redeeming the dead but right now I'm just
focusing on my mission! 3 months left of prime proselyting. I have a
feeling that these will be both the longest and the shortest 3 months
of my mission! Hahahaa. I know that I keep mentioning the priesthood
blessing that I got a month ago but it was so insightful. It told me
that I needed to start making plans to go home but also that the Lord
was proud of the service that I had given and that I should continue
to work hard! I love being a missionary!!!

This week has been good for us. We've been teaching more than I was
with Sister Carlson. I know that the Lord is helping us a lot! We got
3 new investigators this week! We had a couple of awesome lessons with
our investigators and Sister Masih and I have been getting along
really well. I really am happy.

General Conference is coming up and I am so excited! It is amazing to
me that we have a prophet, a man who talks with God, that will be
speaking to us. To have the communication with God open again to men
on earth is one of God's many manifestations that he loves us. As we
take our questions to God He answers them through conference. Listen
and take notes. Let God know what you need and he will give it to you.

3 more months!

This week I hit my 15 months of being on a mission. I feel like every
day that passes my spirit grows stronger but my flesh grows weaker.
Hahahahaa. That was my "intelligent" way of saying that I'm tired all
the time. When I got a blessing a few weeks ago it said that "The
Lord's work is tiring and now that the work is being hastened the Lord
will expect more and you". That was Him saying, "Sister Dodd, I know
you're tired but get over yourself!" I am so grateful that I have a
calling that allows me to work hard and to have such pleasure from
seeing the fruits of my labors. Callings provide us with blessings.
There was a talk given yesterday in church from a returned missionary
and his topic was "Bloom where you are planted". He talked about
examples from his mission of bishops and ward mission leaders that
served faithfully and exemplified their callings and ones who didn't and 
how much happier the ward was when they exemplified their
callings. He shared exerpts from Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk "Life Where
You Stand". One of my favorite was,
"You may feel that there are others who are more capable or more
experienced who could fulfill your callings and assignments better
than you can, but the Lord gave you your responsibilities for a
reason. There may be people and hearts only you can reach and touch.
Perhaps no one else could do it in quite the same way.
Our Heavenly Father asks that we represent Him in the noble work of
reaching out and blessing the lives of His children. He asks us to
stand firm with the power of the priesthood in our hearts and souls
and give the calling we have at this moment our best efforts."
I thought that was beautiful. We receive callings because the Prophet
can't do everything by himself and we each have special qualities and
characteristics that others need. Being a full-time missionary is a
calling. You are set apart from the world and asked to labor in other
parts of the world to help save our brothers and sisters. If you think
about callings given in a ward they are not much different except it
isn't a 24/7 duty and you aren't asked to leave your home. Callings are 

given from God and I have come to a firm knowledge of that on my
mission.
I am grateful for my companion. I am grateful for my opportunity to be 

a missionary. 

Fear not!

This past week I had the opportunity to share with our zone of missionaries a message with the topic "Fear not". 

I started with asking the cute sisters in my zone what they're fearing and they said: Fear of not knowing what to say, fear of going home from your mission with regrets, fear of being bold, fear of losing the people you learn to love, fear of talking to people,  fear of Brussels sprouts, fear of disappointing your parents, fear of asking people to be baptized, fear of not progressing, fear of not being all that God wants you to be, fear of not strengthening your testimony as much as you could, fear of getting people on date and then losing them. 

I was able to open up with these fears and tell them that it is okay to fear. There are so many examples from the scriptures of people being afraid and angels coming to comfort them. 

I used the New Testament for examples from the scriptures of "fear not":

🔸Joseph and Mary were espoused to be married and Joseph found out that his fiancé was pregnant by someone other than him. An angel appeared to Joseph and said, "fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 1:20)

🔸When Mary Magdalene went 3 days after Jesus' death to anoint his body she couldn't find his body in the tomb. An angel came and told her, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified." (Matthew 28:5)

🔸Zacharias and Elisabeth were old and had never had a child. As Zacharias went to the temple to perform the labors of being a priest an angel appeared to him and said, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John." (Luke 1:13)

🔸One of the greatest stories ever told was the birth of Jesus. There were shepards that were told of His birth by an angel that said, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

🔸when the apostles were called they were fearful to leave their nets, they feared leaving what they knew and what they loved, Jesus told them, "Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." (Luke 5:10)

🔸In Revelation John quotes Jesus saying, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen." (Revelation 1:17-18)

I then was able to share on of my favorite stories from the New Testament which is Jesus washing His apostles feet. 

-John 13:

"5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen"

We truly are not alone in this life. Especially after the past couple of weeks I have realized that Heavenly Father is so aware of each of us and the struggles, trials, and situations that we are in. He has suffered us to go through these things because he loves us. We came to earth to become like God and we surely cannot do that unless we are out through things that make us grow and develop and become perfect even as our Father who is in Heaven is perfect. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. May we each develop faith greater than our fears. 

Dam**n got baptized!! 

Some weeks are harder than others!

I am just going to make this entry a gratitude entry because I've been
complaining so much lately.
I am so grateful for the gospel. I see the difference that it has made
and has been making in my life. I don't think that I will claim my
mission as the best 18 months of my life but they definitely are the
best 18 months for my life. Every month, every day is changing me
faster than anything I ever could have done at home. I am grateful for
the priesthood power and the fact that I can get a blessing at any
time. I am especially grateful for this during stressful weeks. I am
grateful for hard weeks. Throughout the scriptures and our lives their
is proof that we would not know the good is we never experience the
bad. President Andrus told me this week that "If missions were easy
Heavenly Father would be setting you up for an unfair reality". I am
grateful for wisdom and knowledge and experience. I am grateful for my
body. I am grateful for my family. 18 months seems so short compared
to eternity. I am grateful for my Savior and that I am able to use the
Atonement every day. I am grateful for baptism and the covenants we
make with Heavenly Father. I am grateful that every promise that I
make with Heavenly Father he provides me with so many blessings. I am
grateful for the car that I am driving and for the phone we have. I am
grateful for technology and though it can provide many distractions it
also provides so much convenience and assistance. I am grateful that I
can be a missionary and have this time to convert myself to the
greatest blessing in my life.