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SERVICE! collecting and filling big
trucks to go help the people in the fires!
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SOOO this week was FILLED with service!!! We had so much fun and were
humbled by the stories of the people in Valparesio. Over 2,000 houses were
eaten by the huge fire 2 hours away. I am so jealous of the Elders because they
got to go there and help!! I wanted to so bad but Presidente found it in our
best interest to stay. He reminds me of
daddy.... Boys get to do all the hard working help stuff and the girls have to
stay home in. Yes, it may be justified
but I REALLY WANTED TO GO HELP. That’s
also a big thing I am learning on my mission.... how to be more dependent on
people and I am not as much as a feminist as I used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for woman’s
rights, but there is an extent. Women
and men are different and I am okay with that (: I don`t know if anyone outside
of my family will remember or even knew this but it used to be a big problem
for me that men had the priesthood and women could not, but before my mission
and every now and then on my mission I pray for a confirmation that this is
really how it should be and I receive a loving answer from my Heavenly Father
every time. (: So I don`t mind now that we can’t have the priesthood in the
same manera (manner) that the men have it. Just as long as I can receive the blessings
and help support the Power that Heavenly Father allows them to have, I am a
happy woman! ♥
I want to send something that Presidente Cook sent us; it is of course
about the Resurrection since it is Easter (By the way we had a fantastic Easter.
Hermana Ryback hid eggs for us and we ate SO good♥
she’s an angel!!) Okay here it is♥
SEVEN WORDS FROM THE CROSS
During the agonizing hours that
the Savior hung on the cross he only uttered seven statements. They are often
viewed only in the context of the event and not their larger significance. Let’s examine each one and how they apply to
each of us.
1. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
This is such a powerful statement when we consider that Christ was taking upon
himself the sins of all mankind including those who were in the very act of
crucifying him. Do you really believe
God has forgiven your sins? Do you take
time on a regular basis to confess your sins to God so that you might enjoy the
freedom of forgiveness?
2. “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) This is one
of the most astounding and encouraging verses in all of scripture. Jesus promised the criminal would be with him
in Paradise. Yet the text gives us no indication that the man was a follower of
Jesus. We do not know the depth of his
repentance, still his cry to be remembered seems to be an expression of trust
in Christ. Each of us must also trust
him, as we cry similarly, “Jesus, remember me.” Have you staked your life on
Jesus? Have you put your ultimate trust in him? If so, you shall also one day
be in Paradise.
3. “Woman, behold thy son!” (John 19:26) As Jesus was dying, his mother
was among those who had remained with him. As far as we know, most of his male disciples
had fled, with the exception of one who was called Beloved. The presence of Mary at the cross adds both
humanity and horror to the scene. We are
reminded that Jesus was a real human being, a man who had once been a boy. Mary
may have been reminded of the prophecy of Simeon shortly after Jesus’ birth,
when he said to Mary: “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul” (Luke 2:35). It is
clear that Jesus was asking his disciple to take care of Mary. Even as he was dying on the cross as the
Savior of the world, Jesus was also a son, a role he did not neglect in his
last moments. The death of a child is one of the most painful of all parental
experiences. To watch one’s beloved
child experience the extreme torture of crucifixion must have been unimaginably
terrible. Yet, the very act that would
cause Mary such pain would be the means whereby her pain would be overcome.
4. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) James E.
Talmage wrote of this awful cry: “What mind of man can fathom the significance
of that awful cry? It seems, that in
addition to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of
Gethsemane had recurred, intensified beyond human power to endure. In that
bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in the most terrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be
consummated in all its fullness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support
of His immediate Presence, leaving the Savior of men the glory of complete
victory over the forces of sin and death. The cry from the cross, though heard by all
who were near, was understood by few.” At times when we feel alone or forsaken
we must remember we are not the first to have felt those feelings. But God’s love for us is not diminished any
more than it was for the Savior. Always
remember, Jesus was abandoned by the Father in that moment, so that you might
not be.
5. “I thirst.” (John 19:28) No
doubt Jesus experienced extreme thirst while being crucified. He would have lost a substantial quantity of
bodily fluid, both blood and sweat. John
notes that Jesus said “I am thirsty,” not only as a statement of physical
reality, but also in order to fulfill the Scripture. (Psalm 69:20-21) ,
As you walk the streets of Santiago, you may have experienced the need
to relieve your thirst. You must ask yourselves if you feel a similar thirst
for the spirit, which is also necessary to sustain you in your labors? Do you
yearn for the living water that Jesus supplies? (John 4:10; 7:38-39) And do you
yearn to share it with others?
6. “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Surely Jesus was expressing relief
that his suffering was over. But the Greek verb translated as “finished”
(tetelestai) means more. “It is done . . . complete.” Jesus had accomplished
his mission. He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had
revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by
dying for the sins of the world, thus opening up the way for all to live again.
The keystone of the Father´s plan was now in place. We have the great privilege
to declare that great and merciful plan to those Christ died for. Do you live each day with the urgency to share
that plan with everyone? Do you likewise
strive to complete in every way the mission with which God has entrusted you?
7. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) Again the Savior was quoting scripture, (Psalm
31) He not only entrusted his future to his Father, but also implied that he
would be delivered and exonerated. No, God would not deliver him from death by
crucifixion. But beyond this horrific
death lay something marvelous; the resurrection. Have you put your mission, your life, and,
indeed, your life beyond this world, into God’s hands? Gethsemane, Golgotha and the Garden Tomb
combine to bring all mankind the most important event in all of human history.
It is the clarion call of Christianity and the Restoration. As the least of the
Disciples of Christ, we declare our personal witness that death has been
conquered, victory over the tomb has been won. May the words made sacred by him
who fulfilled them become actual knowledge to us all. May we all remember them, cherish them and honor
them. He is risen. Such is our fervent prayer.
PRESIDENTE COOK IS SO GREAT♥
But we worked hard this week and learned a lot (: I am so grateful for
the experiences we have had this week we are truly blessed!
Well have a super sassy week♥
Austin your tractor is the bomb as always!! And enjoy the last few months of school, especially you Landonnnn (: it’s your last! woohoo!
Love you xoxooxox
Hermana Cook
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| Super independent Hollyhock flower that was like 20 feet off the ground! It made me smile |
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| General Conference April 2014 |
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| Yummy food at General Conference |
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| Hermana Taylor and I at General Conference |
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| Temple trip with elders |
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| Temple trip |
