"Give me All" -- November 14, 2016

Sestra Cade & Sestra Baxter

We have had another wonderful week! Something we did totally out of the ordinary was taking someone's engagement pictures--with permission from our mission president. WHAA? When we were at the women's conference in Brno I saw Zuzka Jelickova. Her family are all members in Liberec. She asked if we could take her pictures. I said, "Like that would be way fun, but I am not sure if Prezident would be down for it." Luckily Prezident was like standing 5 feet away from us, and she went and asked him and it was cleared.  Haha. It was so fun! So we took pictures of Zuzka and Peter I am not sure his last name. They were so cute and made their way out to Pardubice and we found some darling back streets. When I first came to the country I got to see Peters baptism because my trainer found him in Brno. . It is awesome to see that they will be getting married in the temple next summer and starting a eternal family! It gave me a much bigger view of missionary work!


There is this quote I heard this week it says: 

"Give me All. I don't want so much of you of your time, so much of your talents, and money, and so much of your work: I want all. All of you. I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man but to kill it. No half measure will do. I don't want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather I want to whole tree cut down. Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to me and I will make you a new self in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you myself. My will. My heart shall become your heart." (C.S. Lewis. Mere Christianity. Read more here.)

I think my whole mission I am always striving to become better, to improve, to make progress, to change my nature. I am not looking to just change my behavior--I want to change my nature. It is not enough for me to go back the same selfish person I was. I truly want to be like Christ, to turn outward in all things! Although I truly feel like I could do so much more, I am so happy to say that I feel like I have changed but I am so so so thankful I even have more time to be with my Czech, Ghanaian or Romanian brothers and sisters. To help them learn to change their nature. I often think back to Alma 26 when him and his missionary friends get together. I pray and hope that I will be able to have this conversation with missionaries in the future. 

For our brethren and sisters, the Czechs, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work. Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God. 

I am so thankful to be an instrument. I pray everyday I will become the perfect instrument. And though I see do not see thousands coming to the fold of God and least I know on the streets or in lessons the marvelous light of God will be present and even if they don't accept that light, at least I know that they will have felt it. I know we were all made to be children of light. Heavenly Father has made each person on earth a plan to know and feel that light and to stay in it. 

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... because if you will do this you will want to save the trees and pray always.

S Laskou,

Sestra Baxter

Zuzka and her finance, Peter.