The Atonement

Wow. I don't even know how to express my thoughts from this week.

Since I became an STL this week I had the opportunity to go to missionary leadership counsel on Tuesday. This meeting changed the way I look at missionary work.

The entire meeting was focused on the Atonement. The Spirit was strong and at any given moment you could look around the room and see tears in somebody's eyes.

I've been reflecting on it a lot this week. And I learned something.

I learned that the church wasn't restored so that we could have a Prophet, the church wasn't restored so we could read the Book of Mormon, the church wasn't restored so we could go to the "true church."

The church was restored so that we, through the priesthood, could have access to the Atonement.

The Atonement means so much to so many different people through the world, but for me it means we can change. It means that each of us have the opportunity to become better and to become stronger. Word's can't express exactly how I feel about it, and I'm sure I'm doing a terrible job of explaining through text what the Atonement means to me, but I just want all of you reading this to know that I know the Atonement is real.

I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can find peace. Lasting peace. The kind of peace that can only come through knowing there is something bigger than ourselves that we are a part of. The kind of peace that comes from knowing there is a plan that was created by the best planner that ever planned.

The kind of peace that can only be found by accessing heaven.

So I know that the Atonement is real. I know that it works. I know that no matter how far we think we are, how many mistakes we think we've made, or how impossible it looks to come back, He is always there with His had outstretched to pull us to shore.

And that's why I'm here. That's why I've left my family for eighteen months to move across the country to a people I've never met. Because I know the Atonement is the best thing anyone can ever use in their lives, and I want others to feel that same joy too.

So come, find out more.

Disney College Program: Courtney

Like I've said in past posts, I am currently serving in the Buena Vista YSA Ward which is the "Disney World Ward." I asked some of my friends on the college program to share with me some of their missionary and spiritual experiences they had while here on the program. 

This one is a letter I got from a girl named Courtney. Courtney was one of my FAVORITE people to ask to help with missionary work because she is so enthusiastic about it. She loved coming to lessons with us and she even came with us when we set up our booth on the side of the sidewalk by one of the bus stops and pass out pass along cards and pamphlets to people and invite them to church. 

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As a Disney College Program student I was fortunate enough to know some others who had done the program before. Unfortunately though most of them stopped attending church after the first few months of being there. I knew going into this program it would be tough and I would have lots of struggles and up and downs throughout the program. I also knew that I had to go to church to get through it. Growing up in the “Utah Bubble” it was never hard for me to go to church and it was never hard to live my standards because I knew most of the people around me understood or had a small understanding of what I believed. Although coming here put me into deep culture shock! For some people this change brought not attending church and slipping into some bad habits but for me it blossomed my testimony in something far greater than I could imagine while being on this program. 

The first time I met with the Sister Missionaries I cried out all my fears, worries and hardships on them. They simply listened to me and told me that Heavenly Father trusted me and loved me more than I could imagine! That is EXACTLY what I needed to hear and it inspired me to become a better member missionary. Ever since that encounter I knew I had to step out of the “Utah Bubble” comfort zone and share the light of Christ with others. It was one of the scariest times but it was so rewarding to be with the Sisters and Elders out and sharing the gospel! I will never forgot those moments where the Sisters and I would stand outside College Program housing talking to complete strangers trying to share the gospel and a smile with them. Most times it was pretty awkward and uncomfortable but my testimony grew so much those days! 

I am so grateful for all the opportunities I had to share the light of Christ with with others and let them know how much God loves them throughout my program. I learned so much about myself and about the Gospel and I will take that with me throughout my whole life! 

MISS YOU!! 

Courtney Magill - The Best CP! Hahaha!! :)

Disney College Program: Devon

So as you all probably know, I'm currently serving as a missionary in the Buena Vista YSA Ward, which is the Young Single Adult ward right by Disney World. A large portion of the members "work for the Mouse" as they like to say. Disney has a college program (CP) where college students come from all over the world to spend a semester working for Disney. 

I've had the privilege to meet and become friends with many people here on this program. I asked some of my friends as they finished their program here to write for me a spiritual experience or missionary experience that they had while they were here. I got some great stories and thought y'all would enjoy them.

This first one comes from Devon. 

For me the Disney College program was quite the surprise missionary experience. The story begins well before I was in Florida as I was filling out my application. The process was smooth until I got to the part where I had to agree that I was available to work weekends including Sundays. Immediately I had thought “well that's it, I'm not doing it”. I decided that it was much more important to keep the Sabbath day holy. 

That night as I prayed, I informed God of my decision and the result surprised me. Clear as day the response came that I was being selfish. This really confused me so I asked about it and what I got back was that I was so busy thinking about myself and the negative impact the program could have on me that I didn't bother thinking of the positive impact I could have on the people there. I was informed that there were people I was needed to serve there. Finding Gods will to we quite clear I immediately completed the application and went to bed.

Over the next weeks and a couple interviews later, I was not surprised to learn that I had made it into the program.

A couple months later I was in Florida and what I found was that found was that Disney was just bursting with missionary opportunities. Although I was only there a couple months I was able to share the gospel with people I met, I was able to work with the missionaries and I was even able to bring someone to church. I had not felt the missionary spirit so strong since my mission! 

And remember that whole Sunday thing? My manager was able to give me Sundays off! It is amazing how the Lord works.

Overall the Disney College program was far from being an time of spiritual atrophy, Instead it ended up being a time of great spiritual growth! I know God knows us and puts us in situations where we can grow though service to others!