The Plan of Happiness

Hello,

I am in Cottonwood Heights.  I live with the Bagley family, and they are super nice.  You can send mail to their house (ask my mom for the address). I am in the Butler Stake working with the 1st, the 8th and the 12th wards.  I am in all English speaking wards and teach all in English. I am still with Sister Guerra, so I can speak a little Spanish with her.  We have no investigators right now, and will probably mostly be working with less actives.  There are so many here.  We saw the movie Ephraim's Rescue with the mission on Wednesday; it was super good.  When the guy dances at the end I cried.  I am glad his feet were saved. 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Speaking of anniversaries, after the parade on Wednesday we went to Nordstrom, and it is the Anniversary Sale.  There were the cutest boots ever there.  My two favorite pairs of shoes were the tall boots (brown) with the laces at the foot like a regular shoe but then were tall and the light blue patent leather oxford Cole Haans which are to die for!  But you would all be so proud, I didn't buy anything! I don't have any money or really need anything, haha, but it was fun just to be in Nordstorm for a while. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were a blur.  Sunday was church all day.  And now it is today.  

Today I'm kind of having a meltdown.  Sometimes you just hold it together for so long that it just all comes out at once.  It's just hard to understand sometimes. I almost forgot, happy birthday tomorrow, Dad!  A few missionaries went to Argentina today.  That is hard; hope is hard.  Sorry to be down on your birthday. On the bright side, the people in Cottonwood are great.  I am excited to work with them.  But no one knows how to do missionary work like the Spanish wards.  I will miss them.  

I am trying to keep an eternal perspective.  When it comes to missionary work, perspective is everything.  It helps give everything focus even when it doesn't seem like talking to the drunk man is worth it.  Knocking on door after door is discouraging.  Every time I teach a new person about the restored gospel and its ability to bless families I think of the same memory.

I was 9 years-old and wanted nothing more in the world than a little sister.  One night for family home evening, I walked out to the backyard with my brothers to a GIANT chalk drawing of the plan of salvation.  My parents began teaching about the plan of happiness with the premortal spirit world.  We all stood in the giant circle that represented the preexistence, and they talked a little about how we had lived there as the spirit children of God before we came to earth and how we had chosen to come to earth to gain a body, to learn and gain experience, and to choose for ourselves to follow the Father and how because we would make mistakes a Savior would come who would show us the way and make it possible to repent from our mistakes.  After talking about the premortal spirit world my dad jumped into the circle labeled "earth," or mortality.  My Mom shortly followed him.  They talked about their lives on earth and their preparation to be sealed in the temple.

Then it was time for them to have their own family.  They prayed and waited 9 months and Camron left us with a dramatic jump and moved to earth to join Mom and Dad.  It went the same for me, and then Marc and Nic jumped together to earth.  My Mom then said that she was going to have another baby.  I was so happy.  I knew it was my sister.  The one I had prayed for my whole life!

That wasn't the best part, though.  We continued going through the rest of the Plan of Happiness with further explanation about each part.  At the end we got to judgment.  Mom and Dad went first.  They talked a little about each kingdom and told us their goal to go to the celestial kingdom and both of them went and stood in the sun.  Then, on at a time they asked us where we wanted to go, and one by one we walked to join them in the sun.  In the end we were all there standing in the chalk sun on our back patio.  We made a goal as a family to be there together.  I still can remember that spirit.  I knew that I could not be happy in any other place.  Nothing can beat he feeling of standing all together in our representation of the Celestial Kingdom.  

That experience and feeling is what I think of with every investigator or less active member.  I picture them and their family standing in a chalk sun, and I remember that feeling and want it so bad for them!  It helps every part of missionary work seem worth it.  

Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation or Happiness gives meaning and purpose to all of life.  It answers the important "whys" and "hows".  And it helps me to understand how salvation can come only in and through the name of Christ.

So Dad, that story was for you. Thanks for everything you have taught me.  Hope you have a great anniversary and birthday!

xoxo,

Hermana Chloe

ps.  I am worried I am never going to learn Spanish:( 

pss.  I can't believe Whitney had a baby, and I didn't even know she was pregnant.  Family you are all in TROUBLE!  I need to know these things!!!!!  She is beautiful, but finding out like this kind of hit me like a truck.  What is her name?

I cried saying goodbye to Edgar, Laura and Camilla. 

 I was sad to be leaving Hermana Nielsen again and Elder Ricks, who also served in our ward :(