My Testimony of Christ - October 20, 2013

hey hey hey :)

So... I am staying aquí in Hagerstown! Hermana Zindel is going to Columbia and is becoming one of the very first Spanish Sister Training Leaders. Say what!? My new companion is Hermana Cardona. I don't know much about her- she is very quite but Hermana Zindel said that she is super funny once you get to know her :) Also, she was a cop before she came out so you don't need to worry about me anymore mom! haha! She is also a native Spanish speaker so I am VERY excited about that!

This week, I am gonna be honest with you, was hard. I would rather not even talk about some of the experiences. When Hermana Zindel and I were at the lowest of the low, we both just broke down in the car. Then, Hermana Zindel started to talk about the Atonement. Far too often we think about the Atonement only as Christ dying for our sins. It is SO much more that that!

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfuilled, which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

-Alma 7:11-12

Christ know every pain, affliction, temptation and sickness. He is literally sitting there with us. HE experienced exactly what Hermana Zindel and I did. He felt the pain that we felt. He know exactly what happened and He is who we can turn to for relief.

This scripture has really started to mean a lot to me...

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto you souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. "

-Matthew 11: 28-30

And I love Elder Bednars explanation...

"Consider the Lord's uniquely individual invitation to 'take my yoke upon you. Making and keeping sacred covenants yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, the Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and pull together with Him, even though our best efforts are not equal to and cannot be compared with His. As we trust in and pull our load with Him during the journey of mortality, truly His yoke is easy and His burden is light."

So, I just want to testify that I know Christ died for us. I know that no matter what we are going through, if we rely on The Savior, we will find relief, peace, joy, comfort, happiness and strength. I also want to testify of how important it is to endure to the end. This is probably the most important step! No matter how down you feel, keep pushing through it all. When you feel like you can’t  go much longer, this is when the blessings come! I know this is true because it is exactly what happened to us. After a week of trial after trial, hardship after hardship, Hermana Zindel and I got to the point of being ready to throw the towel in. But, we didn't, and this is when we were blessed.

Yesterday we had the most amazing lesson with Y! WE taught el Libro de Mormon. As we were teaching, I looked up and she was just crying. She told us that she just felt so good, that God can give her what the world cant. It was a beautiful experience.

After that we stopped by L’s. His sister A. came outside with us. During exchanges (oh ya, I was in Frederick for 2 days) Hermana Zindel had dropped off a Book of Mormon for L Well, A., his sister, started to read it! We haven't taught her at all! She came outside yesterday and said "You know that book you dropped off for L., Ive been reading it. I am on Chapter 4" WHAT!? We cant even get people we have been teaching for months to read. It really was a tender mercy from the Lord. Even though this week was ROUGH, even though it seemed like nothing good was gonna happen, even though the miracle didn't come until 7:45 on Sunday night, it came and I know that they always will if we just keep pushing and enduring to the end!!!!

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

-Hermana Mangum!

p.s. We found out one of our investigators broke his parol and is most likely going to jail- not juvey- jail, for a year and a half. I will just have to write him in the clink, I guess.

These are our old neighbors :)