Week 55: Treasures in Heaven (July 22, 2019)
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; ... But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." 3 Nephi
13:19-20
Some weeks seem to bring fortune after fortune, a never-ending pot of gold; while others may test your patience and endurance. Well this week showed us how to recognize both, and how to truly look to the Savior, walking in the meekness of His spirit (D&C 19:23).
We woke up Tuesday morning, went on a run, and on our way back my companion, Sister Jones, pointed out that something from our car was laying on the ground outside. So I ran over, thinking we must have dropped it last night, only to look inside our car and see that it was torn apart. Papers, pass along cards, everything we owned inside of it, was thrown and spread in all different directions. Someone had broken into our car, and stolen a lot. We spent the majority of our morning cleaning the mess, and talking to a police officer.
Now, all of that may sound horrible and honestly it felt that way initially. But I don't think I have ever felt so calm, so at peace, and so indifferent towards the person who had done it. In fact, I felt love for that person. Whoever had done it did it fast, and left some things they probably could have made a deal with. Whoever did it, is in a lot worse of a place than me, and probably needed that stuff more. All of that stuff can be replaced, to a degree. And all of it, was just stuff. The Savior taught us to love everyone, including those who may use us. I have learned of Him, I understand His teachings, and this situation gave me an opportunity to act on what He has taught me.
We let the matter slip away, and we went on with our day. We had an amazing lesson with someone we are teaching named Russ, where he cried and expressed his desire to be baptized. It was an incredible uplift for our day. Flash forward to the next day and you'll find Sister Jones and I, sitting inside a vehicle that won't start, on a random neighborhood hill, far from our next appointment.
So we walked. And walked. And walked. We walked to the nursing home, and back again. Should we have been stressed the car would not start? Probably. But it wasn't stressful at all. In fact, we knew it would work out. The car is just a thing. A call to our vehicle coordinator, and some random flipping and turning let the key turn in the ignition and sent us on our way. It is a good thing too, because we took that vehicle on yet another road trip to Great Falls, for exchanges with some lovely sisters.
So I have family heritage in Great Falls, but I gotta tell ya, that place is WEIRD. I have only been there twice, and yet I have had some of the weirdest experiences there; but also some of the best! The exchanges with those sisters were incredible. The sisters I went with, really just needed to talk. So we walked, talked, laughed, and cried. We took problems that involved things, and found where our true treasures lie. Sometimes we just have to get our problems out, shove them inside a balloon, and let them go. Like all of the hard things that happened to us this week, they involved temporal treasures. They were things that just needed to be let go of, because they would eventually stop working, anyway.
Back in Helena, we were driving when I saw out of the corner of my eye, James! If you don't remember, we met James last week and set up a lesson with him at his friends home... But he did not show up. Through a series of events, we got his address and phone number and decided to stop by Sunday evening. When we arrived, we immediately knew we could not go in by ourselves. This was a sketchy part of Helena, and we knew as soon as we pulled into the parking lot that the Spirit was not a frequent resident here. The Elders came, and we had one of the most painful lessons of my whole mission. I say painful, because I have never witnessed a soul so lost, so broken, and in so much need of repair. There are no coincidences, and the Lord's hand led us there.
All of these events taught me on a deeper level what it means to be meek. It is the feeling of patient, submissive humbleness. It is to be submissive. To walk in the meekness of His spirit, we have to be submissive to His will and to the things He has asked us to do! When our car stopped working, when sisters needed help, when I sit inside an apartment laced with drugs and alcohol and watch someone deteriorate because they feel no purpose, I learn to walk in His spirit, that I may find meekness.
"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."
And you shall have peace in me... Peace! Through every event, through every lost thing, I had peace. I felt calm and assured that I would not be left and it would all work out! I would never change the events that occured this week. Not a single one. Because the Lord helped me follow Him a little better, even though I did not realize the fulfillment of it all in the moment.
The Lord helped us end our week with a bang, with Symphony Under the Stars, one of the biggest events in Helena. I have never seen so many people in one place on my mission! We collected food donations, and there was thousands of pounds of food collected. We enjoyed part of a symphony, and got to watch the fireworks from our porch at home. One of the men running the event said, "Whenever I work with Mormons, I feel like I am working with angels." It was an incredible night.
I would invite you to look for the joy in the "bad" stuff this week... To find the "why" behind your experiences. But let's be honest, any event can be turned to our good, when we look to our Savior. He will always reach down, pull us up, and carry us if necessary. But we cannot develop patience, faith, and the hope for better to come, if we are not required to use it. So use it, rejoice in it, and He shall give you peace.
May you walk in the meekness of His spirit this week.
Sister Walstad
Some weeks seem to bring fortune after fortune, a never-ending pot of gold; while others may test your patience and endurance. Well this week showed us how to recognize both, and how to truly look to the Savior, walking in the meekness of His spirit (D&C 19:23).
We woke up Tuesday morning, went on a run, and on our way back my companion, Sister Jones, pointed out that something from our car was laying on the ground outside. So I ran over, thinking we must have dropped it last night, only to look inside our car and see that it was torn apart. Papers, pass along cards, everything we owned inside of it, was thrown and spread in all different directions. Someone had broken into our car, and stolen a lot. We spent the majority of our morning cleaning the mess, and talking to a police officer.
Now, all of that may sound horrible and honestly it felt that way initially. But I don't think I have ever felt so calm, so at peace, and so indifferent towards the person who had done it. In fact, I felt love for that person. Whoever had done it did it fast, and left some things they probably could have made a deal with. Whoever did it, is in a lot worse of a place than me, and probably needed that stuff more. All of that stuff can be replaced, to a degree. And all of it, was just stuff. The Savior taught us to love everyone, including those who may use us. I have learned of Him, I understand His teachings, and this situation gave me an opportunity to act on what He has taught me.
We let the matter slip away, and we went on with our day. We had an amazing lesson with someone we are teaching named Russ, where he cried and expressed his desire to be baptized. It was an incredible uplift for our day. Flash forward to the next day and you'll find Sister Jones and I, sitting inside a vehicle that won't start, on a random neighborhood hill, far from our next appointment.
So we walked. And walked. And walked. We walked to the nursing home, and back again. Should we have been stressed the car would not start? Probably. But it wasn't stressful at all. In fact, we knew it would work out. The car is just a thing. A call to our vehicle coordinator, and some random flipping and turning let the key turn in the ignition and sent us on our way. It is a good thing too, because we took that vehicle on yet another road trip to Great Falls, for exchanges with some lovely sisters.
So I have family heritage in Great Falls, but I gotta tell ya, that place is WEIRD. I have only been there twice, and yet I have had some of the weirdest experiences there; but also some of the best! The exchanges with those sisters were incredible. The sisters I went with, really just needed to talk. So we walked, talked, laughed, and cried. We took problems that involved things, and found where our true treasures lie. Sometimes we just have to get our problems out, shove them inside a balloon, and let them go. Like all of the hard things that happened to us this week, they involved temporal treasures. They were things that just needed to be let go of, because they would eventually stop working, anyway.
Back in Helena, we were driving when I saw out of the corner of my eye, James! If you don't remember, we met James last week and set up a lesson with him at his friends home... But he did not show up. Through a series of events, we got his address and phone number and decided to stop by Sunday evening. When we arrived, we immediately knew we could not go in by ourselves. This was a sketchy part of Helena, and we knew as soon as we pulled into the parking lot that the Spirit was not a frequent resident here. The Elders came, and we had one of the most painful lessons of my whole mission. I say painful, because I have never witnessed a soul so lost, so broken, and in so much need of repair. There are no coincidences, and the Lord's hand led us there.
All of these events taught me on a deeper level what it means to be meek. It is the feeling of patient, submissive humbleness. It is to be submissive. To walk in the meekness of His spirit, we have to be submissive to His will and to the things He has asked us to do! When our car stopped working, when sisters needed help, when I sit inside an apartment laced with drugs and alcohol and watch someone deteriorate because they feel no purpose, I learn to walk in His spirit, that I may find meekness.
"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."
And you shall have peace in me... Peace! Through every event, through every lost thing, I had peace. I felt calm and assured that I would not be left and it would all work out! I would never change the events that occured this week. Not a single one. Because the Lord helped me follow Him a little better, even though I did not realize the fulfillment of it all in the moment.
The Lord helped us end our week with a bang, with Symphony Under the Stars, one of the biggest events in Helena. I have never seen so many people in one place on my mission! We collected food donations, and there was thousands of pounds of food collected. We enjoyed part of a symphony, and got to watch the fireworks from our porch at home. One of the men running the event said, "Whenever I work with Mormons, I feel like I am working with angels." It was an incredible night.
I would invite you to look for the joy in the "bad" stuff this week... To find the "why" behind your experiences. But let's be honest, any event can be turned to our good, when we look to our Savior. He will always reach down, pull us up, and carry us if necessary. But we cannot develop patience, faith, and the hope for better to come, if we are not required to use it. So use it, rejoice in it, and He shall give you peace.
May you walk in the meekness of His spirit this week.
Sister Walstad
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