The refiners fire

 This week was pretty crazy and full of traveling and not missionary
work. We were able to go down to Salt Lake and go to the temple and
then to zone conference the next day. Lots of spiritual smacks in the
face! My favorite kind of revelation to receive is the kind that I
recognize I need and then apply.
At the training they talked about the refiners fire and when a gold
smith is refining gold he has to watch the gold which is very
uncomfortable for the refiner because of the extreme heat in which
gold must be purified. As the gold smith watches the gold he can see
the gold become soft, then the impurities melt away and then the dirt
rises to the top of the pool of liquid gold. Once the dirt rises the
gold smith knows that the gold is ready to be taken from the extreme
heat and molded.
This beautiful analogy reminded me we cannot become all we have the
potential to become without being in uncomfortable circumstances,
without erasing the impurities we have in our lives and without
getting rid of the dirt that keeps us from living with God. It isn't
easy for our gold smith to watch us go through the refiners fire.
Instead he watches us to know exactly when we must come from the fire.
I'm grateful for the gospel. I love my Savior and Redeemer.

The greatest message

Sorry that I didn't write last week! I just completely forgot.
Obviously I'm getting to the end of my mission because my bad memory
is coming back.
This past week was super good!! We got 2 new investigators and they
both agreed to be baptized on November 7th!!! Can you say delayed
birthday present?! It's going to be so good. Ka**en is 9 and he is
adorable! He just kept saying that he wants baptized because Jesus
Christ was baptized. His Dad is a member but not active in the church
and his mom is not a member. His grandma is awesome though and takes
him to church after she finishes working. The key to successful
activity of kids in the church is the support they have from their
parents or other adults they trust.
Then McK**zie is 9 and recently got a blessing from the elders and she
told them she wanted to be baptized! Her 3 older siblings are all
baptized and the mom is a member but isn't active. She isn't crazy
about the church but is supporting the kids in their decision to go to
church and in Mc**nzie's decision to be baptized.
The Lord is constantly preparing people's hearts to receive the
message of Jesus Christ. The fact that we can be saved to live with
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and our families is the greatest news
that we can give. The fact that the pain and the hardship and the
guilt that we experience in our lives can all be erased. What greater
message is there?! I love every day of being a missionary. Some days
are hard and I think it would be easier not to be a missionary but
every day is full of miracles that make me realize how amazing He is.
Sometimes I don't realize until my head hits the pillow but the
realization always comes. There is nothing greater than sharing this
message with those that I come to love here in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
I love you all! Have a great week.

I got a greenie!

This week was great! I'm training a greenie! Her name is Sister James and she
is from Glendale, Arizona and she knows THE BERTHELSONS!!!!!!!! She is
so ready to do the work which is a much needed change because I've
always had companions that have been dying down. She is obedient to
most things I tell her and she studies Preach My Gospel which is a
blessing! I think this transfer will be so good and also a lot of
work.

Conference....I feel like I can write forever about the revelation
that I received from it but obviously that wouldn't be the things that
everyone else got from conference. I really liked Elder Hales talk and
Elder Renlund's testimony. I feel like there is always something that
Heavenly Father knows that I need to hear from someone else. I am
making decisions that will help me when I get home but it's so hard. I
feel like everything in my mission has prepared me for life after my
mission....I know you're all thinking, "Sister Dodd, shut up, you
still have 2.5 months left". I KNOW! In a blessing I got it said that
I needed to figure out my post mission life and that I need to be
humble and accept help from others. Being humble is the test of my
life time. I feel like I recognize my constant need of my Savior's
help and my need for the Spirit and for Heavenly Father but
recognizing that they help me through others is hard. I don't like
feeling like an inconvenience to others and I just feel like I can do
everything by myself. Heavenly Father wants to help us but also
recognizes that as he sends others to help us they are blessed because
they are able to serve and we are blessed. In seeking service we must
also allow others to serve us.

I love you all, have a great week!!!