Settling in

On Monday afternoon I got a call from Adele Ballam who lives in Maryland. She told me she was in Sister Gordon's ward and had been visiting for  two weeks, but would be flying back on Tuesday morning. There was enough room for me to send a package if I had anything. On Tuesday morning I got up and made whole wheat bread and sent that with some homemade jam. Sweet miracle, the same day I made bread Nikki was eating it way back in Maryland! that is soooo cool!- Mom

  Sister Ballam called this morning and said she is bringing me a package. you are so sweet! Sister Ballam fed us right before she came to Logan. So.... She is from Germantown which is where our church is, I live in Gaithersburg which is a neighboring town, and Quince Orchard West is the area I serve in. :) . Things are going really well! We are staying super busy. Festival just ended so we have more time in our areas! Yay! We were able to spend a whole evening in our area last night. We were able to visit a lady from our ward who seems super busy, but, we will be visiting her with cookies soon. :)  Another lady from our ward needs our help with some service. I am so excited because we will be helping her move things and we get to wear our jeans! Yay! ha ha! Also, we stopped by the home of a family that is struggling to strengthen their relationship right now. We are working on a good family home evening for them.

   Family Home Evening is so important. Not only so that true doctrine can be taught but that our families can experience a greater closeness and strengthening of love. I know that true doctrine when understood changes behaviors and draws us closer to Christ. A Christ centered home gives us a safe haven to turn to where we can feel love and learn and grow. It gives us a place where we can leave the world behind and feel peace. I love when I have been able to have a peaceful home as a safe haven from the rest of the world.

  yay for visiting teaching! Visiting teaching is so so so so so so so important. I am seeing that if everyone who is able to would visit teach then we could meet a majority of the individual needs that our ward members have. What a wonderful way to make friends and to offer service to others. Service is so important! For when we are in the service of our fellow man we are only in the service of our God (Mosiah 2:17).  Of course God wants us to have friends that share His great unconditional love for us! And what better way to show our unconditional love for God than to help Him to care for others? I remember a visiting teaching message I read once that says something along the lines of ... How wonderful it is when our prayers are answered, but how even more wonderful when we are the answer to someone else's prayers.

    I was thinking the other day about the importance of going to church. I thought about it and was reading in Nephi 15:15  "And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true Vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?"  I love this scripture because it lets me know that church is a place to go for strength and nourishment. Someone might argue that they can receive that strength and nourishment at home from reading the scriptures at home, which is true, and  we should be doing that on a regular basis.... Along with that daily study we can go to church to receive EXTRA strength and nourishment from each other and from God. And somethimes, it is important to go to BE somebody's strength and nourishment. I know that often I have been sitting in church and someone says something that I needed to hear. If I had not been at church I would not have heard it. I hope that something I have said has also effected someone in this same manner. I hope that through my words that someone could have a prayer answered. Or through my acts, such as visiting teaching or just talking with a friend or neighbor that I could be an answer to a prayer. Because I know that is what Jesus would do if he were here and that I can stand in His place and do His will for the betterment of others. We are all wonderful instruments with different sounds and talents and as we work together we can make a beautiful concert.

 I love you very much and I hope you all know that.

God be with you till we meet again.

  Lots of Love,

         Sister Gordon

Note from Mom-

The other day I saw Andy Johnson heading into the post office. I thought I would wait until he came out and say hi. After waiting some time he didn't ever come out and I left. So I facebooked him and asked him if they had put him in a priority box and taped the box up. He replied back that he was trying to convince them to send him to D.C. for Nikkis birthday. so when I wrote her about this story this is her reaction.

P.S. Andy is so funny - include that story - and also that I am sad that they don't ship people for Birthdays. :) Ha Ha!

I am glad you are doing well. Know that I am happy and exhausted in the Lord's work. :)