(This is my post from last week, but it never showed up so I am hoping this one does!!)
Hola,
Umm this is literally blowing my mind. Tomorrow marks my 1 month mark on my mission! I feel like I got to the CCM just yesterday. But then I look back and realize all the things I have learned and it seems like I´ve been here forever. I don´t know how to feel about anything!! I love the CCM. I love Mexico. I am so sad that I have to leave Mexico, but at the same time I am really glad I get to go to Riverside, California. Bitter sweet. Siempre!!
This week has been great though! Like I mentioned in my last email, we had a member of the quorum of the 12 come and speak to us on Saturday. It was an amazing experience to hear from Elder Anderson and to feel his sweet spirit. He was such a down to earth guy it was super cool! He was joking around with us and stuff so it was really relaxed, but then he started speaking on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and you could see the change in his face and countenance as he was there representing the Lord with his message. We all got to shake his hand as well and greet him so that was pretty cool! Just from that short encounter I was assured by the Holy Ghost that Neil L. Anderson truly is an apostle of the Lord.
One of the messages that stuck out to me most was a thought that I had as he was talking, I wrote in my journal "Nothing can be about me anymore. I need to be solely focused on The Lord; on His work and His children. There is nothing more important in all of the world than the Atonement of Jesus Christ" I know that message is true. Another thing that he shared with us is the fact that we don´t need to have a long and grievous repentance process with some major sin in order to fully understand the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. He suffered for all our pains and afflictions, not just out sins. Anytime we feel alone or afraid or hurt or depressed, we can take comfort in the fact that our older brother, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ suffered so that we don´t have to. I love this gospel with all of my heart and I have come to have much more of an appreciation of missionary work in the last month.
I´m sorry I don´t have much time today but I want all of you to know how much I love the gospel. I love all of you and I love missionary work!!
Con Amor,
Hermana Rutherford