Subject: ElderBednar
From: whitney.pinder@myldsmail.net
To: s_pinder@live.com; doug@provoland.com; whitney.anderson@myldsmail.net
It's been a good week. I really like my companion, she is really experienced and that can be intimidating. It's kind of funny though because It's like last transfer all over again. She takes Chinese tours and I just follow and nod my head pretending like I know what is going on. Just like when Sister Watanabe would give Japanese tours. I'm sure that won't be the last tour I go on with a sister that speaks another language though.
Today I was blessed to go to a devotional where Elder Bednar spoke. It was so good! He talked about how testimony is not enough we need conversion. Testimony is a knowledge we gain through the spirit. Conversion is when we apply what we know. Conversion isn't a one time thing it's a process that we need to continue. He then related that to the 10 virgins. He said the lamp is our testimony, the oil is our conversion. We cannot give our conversion to someone else. That is why the 5 virgins tell the other 5 that they have to go get their own, it's not because they are selfish it's because they literally can't it won't do either of them any good. And when the bride groom comes, he tells the women that he does not know them because they didn't take the time before hand to truly be converted. We can't wait to come unto Christ thinking that we will do it at the last moment. It doesn't work we have to earn that oil drop by drop day by day it's never going to come all at once. It was really good! He talked about how when people are converted it's not because they had good missionaries, or good teachers in church or anything to do with the members of the church, it's because they have the sincere desire to follow Christ no matter what. That's why we always need to build our knowledge-testimony- and then do what we know. No one else can convert us, it has to be our desire to love and follow Christ. So how much do you love Christ? How willing are you to follow his example? Because it is literally up to you to accept or reject god and his teachings. Pretty powerful hun?
Oh our Baptism was sooo awesome. Nick was amazing. Sister Wantanabe and I talked about baptism and it went pretty well. We shared the waters of Mormon scripture and 1 john 1:7. The spirit was really strong. The next day when we called Nick to see how he was doing he told us that that evening when he was driving home he picked up a hitch hiker. Now I was a little worried because I didn't want him to think that now that he was baptized he had to do service all day long, because he's the type who would:). But he said, "honestly I don't normally do that because it is dangerous but I really felt like I needed too, so I did. The man got in and we started talking, he said that he was on a bus headed to the hospital to see his wife who was having open heart surgery; but he was kicked off the bus." That's when Nick picked him up. He said that they talked about how the lord puts certain people in our path for a reason. Nick told him that he was just coming back from his baptism and they continued to talk till the man was dropped off at the hospital. It was a really neat story because Nick wasn't even a member of the church quite yet and he was still able to listen to that prompting. He asked me the next day if that was how it was going to be from now on, and I just smiled. haha he's a bit worried about that haha. But truly what the lord wants to happen will happen. He is going to be one of those who is truly converted and I'm grateful for that.
Well life must be busy because I haven't heard from anyone in a week I hope that's a good thing :) I love you all, have a great week.
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