Praise to the Man!

Dear all, 

It has been another glorious week in the work of the Lord. Miracles are what happen in the TSAM, and we are seeing them left and right. It is incredible to be a part of. 

I love the Lord, I love this mission, I love my companion, and I love this gospel. 

On our favorite bridge! (In honor of my family's family pictures this week! ha ha!)

When I first began my mission, I had many experiences when my testimony of the Restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith was questioned. One man drove me to tears with relentless questions. One woman called my companion and me fanatics and hurled insults left and right. In each case, I sat helplessly as my seemingly fearless companions testified powerfully. 

I came away from those experiences with a stronger testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith's sacred calling, yet I was too afraid to declare it. But, if I had known then as I know now, no power on Earth could have restrained me from making it clear that I stand with the Prophet Joseph. 

Trainer/Trainee Meeting. Look at all the wonderful TSAMers! :D

We read in the Bible of a people who worshiped God. A people who heard His voice and followed His commandments. We read of the many prophets whom God sent forth to teach these people, to call them to repentance, and to help them to know the ways of God. 

God has always used prophets to help His children return to Him. 

We are no different today. 

The time after the death of Christ and His apostles was dark. Priesthood keys and presiding authority were lost. The simple truths of the gospel were corrupted and doctrines were distorted. False ideas were taught as truth. The people of the world were lost and confused. There was no prophet on the earth to guide them to the truth. 

Oh how my heart rejoices in knowing that our Heavenly Father has once again reached out in love to His children! How I yearn for every ear on this earth to hear of the glorious news of the Restoration! We have not been left alone! The pure and simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ have been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith! 

From his First Vision in the spring of 1820 to his martyrdom 172 years ago today, Joseph Smith acted as God's mouthpiece on Earth. It is through Brother Joseph that our God was able to bring back such vital truths as the simplicity of the doctrine of Christ and the joy of eternal families. He was the instrument in God's hands in bringing forth sacred scripture and the restoration of the priesthood. 

I bear witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is our Redeemer. And He chose a righteous man to lead the Restoration of the fulness of His gospel. 

I echo the words of John Taylor when he declared: "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it" (D&C 135:3).

"Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer. Blessed to open the last dispensation, kings shall extol him, and nations revere" (Hymns, 27). 

I will forever praise my Lord, who saw fit to restore His everlasting gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. 

"What do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! ... A voice of truth out of the earth... Glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! 

"... Shall we not go on in so great a cause?... Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad" (D&C 128:19,22)

I love you all!

Sister Waite

I'll Never, No Never, No Never Forsake

Dear all, 

It's been another wonderful week in the mighty TSAM, but I have come to expect nothing less. We said goodbye to some great TSAMers, then turned around and welcomed some wonderful new missionaries. I can hardly wait to watch them learn and grow in the work! Sister Hardman and I also worked diligently on the mission history, and we are almost caught up! I am so grateful for the opportunity I've had to compile this remarkable history. 

My compa and me!

My heart is full of such gratitude for this wonderful mission full of missionaries who know and understand their purpose: to teach repentance and baptize converts! My companion and I are working with so many people who are so ready and willing to live the gospel. It is inspiring to watch these converts allow the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to change their lives. 

At the Alamo with the new missionaries!

The message of the Restoration is either true or it is not, and if no one else has the courage to declare this glorious news, then I will. I stand as a witness that the pure and undistorted gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. You can take my word for it, for the truth of the Restoration has been etched upon my heart. The blood of the Restoration flows through my veins and the fire of the Restoration burns deep within my soul and I cannot put it out. 

God does not sleep. He has not left us alone. He will never leave us alone. He has restored to us the knowledge of the covenants He made with our fathers and is offering to us those same blessings. The truth of this is etched onto my heart and it will never fade.

Off to do some missionary work with Sisters Loveridge and Olsen on their first day!

Nearly 200 years ago, Joseph Smith knelt in a grove of trees to ask God a simple question. He could never have imagined the impact that simple prayer would have on generations to come. 

In his own words, Joseph says:

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-- (Joseph), this is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. In Their infinite and eternal love, They chose and prepared him to be the Prophet of the Restoration. Through him, They restored every truth, every principle, and every priesthood key necessary for our salvation. 

The San Antonio Temple

When I was a junior in high school, I had the opportunity to visit this sacred grove of trees. I found myself a quiet place and opened my scriptures. I read in Joseph Smith-History and began to pray. Then I waited. And waited. Before long, it was time to leave, and I was still waiting. I wondered what I had done wrong; why I hadn't received my own "sacred grove experience."

I will never forget the answer I received that night while pondering. As I pondered, a thought entered into my mind: "Sister Waite, you already know. You have done your homework. You received the witness you are seeking long ago. Was that not enough?" 

Mission Leadership Conference

We too often we make our testimonies conditional, saying things like: "If I can visit the Sacred Grove, I'll know that the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith," or "I won't know that President Monson is the Prophet of the Lord today until I shake his hand and look into his eyes," or "Until I kneel at Christ's feet, I won't really know that He is my Savior." This should never, ever be the case. We can know it now. 

Brothers and Sisters, I love you. God loves you. And because He loves you, He has restored His gospel to this earth! Because of this Restoration, we have a knowledge of the covenants that the Lord has made with our fathers and are able to partake of those blessings. We have the opportunity to make covenants ourselves! What a wondrous blessing!

There are many scriptures that describe my feelings about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most illustrative is Jeremiah 20:9. It reads: 

"... his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."

The fire of the Restoration is shut up deep within my bones and I cannot put it out. I cannot stay any longer. Because of my knowledge and testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been converted and cannot stay the same any longer. I cannot stay my tongue in declaring this glorious message!

After enduring persecution for his testimony, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: 

"Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it..."

Joseph knows it. God knows it. And I know it. And I will never deny it. 

The wonderful hymn "How Firm a Foundation" closes on this powerful note:

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not, I cannot, desert to His foes. That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, no never forsake! 

May this be the cry of all our hearts! 

I love you all! 

Sister Waite

JOY!

I got to ride my bike in Eagle Pass! So much fun!

Last night with President Slaughter and the Assistants!

Dear all,

The work is truly hastening! It seems as though time is moving faster and faster each day! This week was full of exchanges, training meetings, history writing, transfer planning, and other such missionary things!

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Sister Budke, one of my MTC companions.  What a blessing that was! Then Sister Hardman and I traveled to Eagle Pass to work with the sisters there. My, how wonderful that was! The missionaries in the TSAM are so inspiring!

Friday we had the opportunity to receive one last training from President Slaughter before he and his family return home later this month. He is so inspiring. I learned much from the Spirit that day. Mostly, though, it was confirmed to me just how much the Lord knows each and every one of His children. The Slaughter family has been such a blessing. I cannot imagine not having the Slaughters to have learned from for the last 17 months. However, I am so grateful, as well, to learn from President and Sister Polley for the last month of my
mission. The Lord knows us! He gives us exactly what and who we need.

Speaking of how we have WHO we need, I cannot miss the opportunity to express my love and gratitude for my sweet companion. How she puts up with me every day is a mystery to me! I have been blessed with another six weeks with her and yet another six weeks here in Balcones Heights. What an incredible blessing! This area is bursting with work to be done, and it's a pleasure to be a part of it!

There are miracles happening every day. Just yesterday, our investigator, Sister Bucher, turned to us after sacrament meeting and asked when the next baptismal service was. It took both of us a second to realize that she was asking when she could be baptized! She told us that she feels peace whenever she's at church or reading the scriptures and truly feels at home with the people of the Balcones Heights ward. We are excited for her!

One of the Lord's most repeated promises to His servants is that there are people prepared RIGHT NOW to hear the gospel. I see that promise fulfilled every single day as I meet more and more people of San Antonio and declare to them the glorious news of the Restoration. Not everyone accepts, but those who do are truly ready to progress in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionary work takes faith and trust, but as we are willing to share what we know, prepared people come flying out of left field, as President Slaughter puts it. What's wonderful about this promise is that it does not only apply to missionaries who wear a
black name tag. There are prepared people EVERYWHERE! We must only be willing to open our mouths.

I have never felt more joy than when I have been in the service of my God. I have come to know the Master whom I have served (Mosiah 5:13). The deepest truths of the gospel have been etched upon my heart.

Exchanges with Sister Budke, one of my MTC companions!

Selfie with Mexico in the background! Just beyond the Rio Grande in the background!

There is a fire that burns deep in my bones, and it will never be put out; only burn brighter for years to come.
I love you all!

Love,
Sister Waite

How Great the Goodness of Our God!

That storm wasn't there a minute ago! Texas weather! 

Exchanges with Sister Wells!

National Hug Your Companion Day!

President and Sister Slaughter!

Dear all,

I am impressed by the words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "I feel, and the Spirit seems to accord, that the most important doctrine I can declare, and the most powerful testimony I can bear, is of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Over 2,000 years ago, a babe was born in Bethlehem. From the manger bed to the garden tomb, our Lord live a perfect life. There has been no greater life lived by any man, nor will there ever be.

He went forth in the service of His Father and of His people. He healed crippled bodies as well as broken hearts. He walked on water and brought the dead to life. However great these miracles were, though, there is one miracle that stands above the rest: His atonement.

Elder McConkie once taught, "[Christ's] atonement is the most transcendent event that ever has or ever will occur from Creation’s dawn through all the ages of a never-ending eternity."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "Beginning in the spiritual anguish of the Garden of Gethsemane, moving to the Crucifixion on a cross at Calvary, and concluding on a beautiful Sunday morning inside a donated tomb, a sinless, pure, and holy man, the very Son of God Himself, did what no other... person had ever done nor ever could do."

Without the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God, we would be lost, for "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all" (Mosiah 14:6).

"Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again...

"And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above...in a state of happiness which hath no end" (Mormon 7:5, 7)

Oh how great the plan of our God!

I add my own witness to the powerful final testimony of Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

"And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God--I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.

"I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

"But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way."

May we all come to a better understanding of the sacrifice that has saved us all!

Love,
Sister Waite