Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Subject: Transfer 12, Week 1: Viola, God loves His Sons and His Daughters, and a New Companion
You're probably wondering what the first part of the title
today is: I have been preparing a musical number for the last transfer for a Temple Square Mission Musical Fireside with Sister C from Taiwan who
also plays violin, and it was going so great. The piece we've been preparing is
the Handel/Halvorsen Passacaglia "Impossible" Duet for violin and
viola, and so I just arranged it for 2 violins (my music theory teachers should
be proud once again that I still remember all of that). BUT, then
the Lord called Sister C Outbound to a mission that is waiting for her this
transfer this week, so I thought we no longer would play it, but the duet is still on the program.
So I've been praying that we'd find someone else to play it with me. Then comes Sister M. Sister M from Taiwan, who is a
VIOLA PLAYER and has ALREADY played the duet before!!! WOW. So no
arrangement needed necessary! We're playing the original!!!!
That is NOT a coincidence AT ALL! And then the next question-- where to find a
viola for her to use? Well the new senior missionary couple who is serving in the office just
happens to own a viola and will let her borrow it all transfer! WOW. The
hand of the Lord in our lives - He cares about what we care about.
The quote from my 4th comp, Sister D, comes to mind:
"What matters to you,
matters to Him, because YOU matter to Him!"
Amazing. I'm still dumbfounded that all the details have
worked out.
From that, comes the lesson that God loves His Sons and His
Daughters.
Somehow, I'm writing Transfer
12 at the top of my emails now, and therefore I'm asked to speak in Sacrament
Meeting for all the sister missionaries (all the "departing" sisters
always speak before they leave.)
My topic is particularly challenging but I've really prayed
about it, and there was just so much said about it from this last Conference.
So voila! I've had a few requests for it so here it is:
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My
topic today is:
"Through
the infinite fairness and love of God, all men and women were given equal
partnership, gifts, blessings and potential through priesthood ordinances and
spiritual gifts."
I
have really prayed to know what we need to hear about this topic.
I
feel inspired to focus on the
partnership of men and women, and
that only by working together in unity, we will accomplish God’s Plan for His children.
Carole
M. Stephens said this last week in General Conference:
“As
surely as we know that God’s love is
“alike” for His sons and His daughters, We
also know that He did not create men and women exactly the same…Sacred responsibilities
are given to each gender. As
men and women, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters of God, we move forward
together. This
is our opportunity, our responsibility, and our blessing. This is our
destiny—to prepare the kingdom of God for the return of the Savior.”
I
will focus on three major points today. . . .
·
First, we must know what we must accomplish together.
·
Second, we must know what our unique roles are, and focus more on what
we must accomplish together and less on our differences
·
And third, we must respect both men and women, and see all our brothers
and sisters as who they can become, and help them become that.
"There
exists today a great need for men and women to cultivate respect for each other
as sons and daughters of God …
We
all need each other. Sons of God need daughters of God, and daughters of God
need sons of God."
We
are here to move forward God’s plan, and God’s work TOGETHER.
Elder
Christofferson in his recent Conference talk, warns us that one way the Adversary
prevents this is:
“By
blurring feminine and masculine differences, we lose the distinct,
complementary gifts of women and men that together produce a greater whole.”
When
men and women become the same, we lose our effectiveness and our divine roles
and spiritual gifts God has given us to fulfill His great Plan of Happiness.
2.
So what is our divine role that the Adversary is trying to prevent us from playing to
destroy the plan?
There
are unique roles that we as women can only fulfill. It was established that way
from the very beginning. If we don’t fulfill those roles, no one else can.
It’s
not that men or women aren’t smart enough, or aren’t capable enough to do so,
or won’t receive blessings to help fulfill other roles, but it is because God
needed both genders to help in His great plan.
God
delegated different roles of that plan so that the work would be effectively
done and that His children could come back to Him again. Life is hard enough.
To be able to be truly happy, successful and find fulfillment, we must put
first in our lives the roles God needs us to perform. If we don’t, the plan
will be frustrated.
Elder
Christofferson said in the same General Conference talk:
“Most
sacred is a woman’s role in the creation of life. We know that our physical
bodies have a divine origin and that we must experience both a physical birth
and a spiritual rebirth to reach the highest realms in God’s celestial kingdom.
Thus, women play an integral part (sometimes at the risk of their own lives) in
God’s work and glory “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of
man.”
We
see this effect all around us. Elder Dallin Oaks in his General Conference talk gave
these shocking statistics:·
“The United States now has the lowest birthrate in its history,2 and in many
European Union nations and other developed countries, birthrates are below the
level necessary to maintain their populations.
·
•In America, the percentage of young adults ages 18 to 29 who are married fell
from 59 percent in 1960 to 20 percent by 2010.4 The median age for first
marriage is now at its highest level in history: 26 for women and almost 29 for
men.
·
•In many countries and cultures (1) the traditional family of a married mother
and father and children is coming to be the exception rather than the rule, (2)
the pursuit of a career instead of marriage and the bearing of children is an
increasing choice of many young women, and (3) the role and perceived necessity
of fathers is diminishing.”
There
are a few ways the Adversary has tried to distract, change, and destroy our role in
God’s plan. Elder Christofferson names them:
“1.
The devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career.
2.
Sexual immorality and of revealing dress reinforcing the lie that a woman’s
sexuality is what defines her worth.
3.
A third area of concern comes from those who, in the name of equality, want to
erase all differences between the masculine and the feminine. Often this takes
the form of pushing women to adopt more masculine traits—be more aggressive,
tough, and confrontational.”
-------------------------------------------------
Think
of just about every movie or modern book you’ve read before you came on your
mission. Every single woman fits one of those lies Satan is trying to tell.
The
Former Young Women General President Margaret Nadauld taught:
“The
world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are
enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women
who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and
fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more
goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough
popularity; we need more purity.”
What
is preventing each one of us, the 200 women in the room, from using our divine
gifts to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man?
What
are you putting before marriage and family and building God’s kingdom after your
mission?
(Me --Share
personal story in the music school.)
3.
Lastly, we must see those around us, our brothers and sisters as who they can
become.
(Me share Story:
the reason why my Dad married my mom was because “she believed in me that I
could become all that I wanted to be.”)
I
really know that the reason my Dad became who he was is because my mother
believed in him and helped him fulfill his role in God’s plan.
As
women of Temple Square, even here on our mission, but even afterwards, we have
to fulfill our purpose in God’s plan. And
we must inspire those sons of God, and other daughters of God around us to
fulfill theirs as well. It is the only way that God’s Plan can go forward.
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My new companion is a Kiwi! Her name is M, not Peewee.
Our new apartment is crazy nice, I sleep so well now, it's worth the price!
Our new apartment is crazy nice, I sleep so well now, it's worth the price!
Our main assignment is on the Square, we're going to work
really hard and show all how much we care!
I'm going to endure well to the
end, share my testimony how Christ is my friend.
I love this work but now I'm done, being a missionary is the best- it's much, much fun!
I love this work but now I'm done, being a missionary is the best- it's much, much fun!
I love this work and feel so blessed to be a part of it!
Love you all,
Sister Fisher
P.S.---- Dad, thanks for your letter this week. It had
exactly what I needed to read in it!Sister Fisher
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