Once again here we are with another email. Although it seems like I wrote my last email yesterday, this week has been unbelievably slow. First week of the transfer and we’re starting things off… well… just fantastic… (that was sarcasm) basically all of Paris has covid so nobody wants to meet with us and all of the people we’re teaching are sick so we can’t meet with them either. On top of that the members are sick too so we never have dinner and they can’t come to lessons when we actually have them. Just for the extra cherry on top, I have covid too. So the whole week I’ve been super sick and felt like crap and get quarantined. So we’re doing absolutely fantastic.
As you can see, not much has happened this week. I’m really happy to be staying in Paris and I hope I can continue to help the people here. I love the ward and I love the people we’re teaching. They mean so much to me and it’s definitely gonna be difficult to leave them. It also randomly decided to snow in Texas so that’s awesome.
One thing that I’ve learned this week is that change is really really hard. And if you’ve been on a mission, you know that change happens rather often. It’s definitely not my favorite thing. You grow so close to other missionaries and create friendships like never before, just for them to get transfered somewhere else. I’m not gonna lie it’s been pretty tough for me. I built a lot of close relationships with people and they became a big support system for me. Then this transfer happened and tore everything apart. But that’s what a mission is all about I guess. Building everything back up. But I truly am grateful for the friendships that I have created that will last forever.Ā
One highlight from this week was the opportunity we had to meet with an Ex-communicated member who wants to get re-baptized and everything. It was such a cool experience to see him and how he wants to change. The repentance process will be long, but he is so determined and I really admire that. I shared with him Alma 7:11-16ish and I focused on verse 14 which says,
“Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.”
And as I was reading that with him I pointed out the last line. It says he is mighty to save and will cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. It doesn’t say he will cleanse us from some unrighteousness or few sins here and there, but all unrighteousness. It was a real testimony builder to me about the atonement of Jesus Christ. It helped me see the power of sharing your own testimony and how it can strengthen it even more. I love that no matter what mistakes we make in this life, we all have the chance to recieve forgiveness. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is the desire to change and the sincerity in your heart. I love this section in Alma 7 about the atonement and we can learn so much from it. I invite you all to study this chapter and identify how Christ’s atonement has impacted you. How has the sacrifice of Jesus Christ changed you? It certainly has changed me. I can’t even tell you how many times I have fallen and came back to God begging for forgiveness. Through this divine plan of God, we have the chance to come closer to him. To come closer to Christ. And receive a remission of our sins.
I hope you all have a fantastic week and know that I love each of you dearly. I can’t express my gratitude for Jesus Christ and this Gospel. Sometimes I feel like life could not get any worse. That I’m completely alone. But every single time I realize that my Savior is standing right beside me every step of the way. I love you all and don’t forget to email me and tell me all about your lives! I love hearing from you. Muchos Besos! And remember, God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!!
LoveĀ Elder Grubbs