Real Intent

Hey guys,

Shot out to Nick Gladwell!!!!

So yeah this week was pretty good! Here are the highlights: Sister
Erickson was super sick:( the poor thing!! We found out Rex is indeed a member (yay kinda) hahah & we had zone conference yesterday with Elder Hamula from the First Quorum of the 70.

Tuesday Sister Erickson was so sick, I felt really bad. It's the worst
when your companion is sick! Because you want to help them as much as you can, but there's nothing you can do. I guess that's probably how Heavenly Father felt when his Son was preforming the Atonement. I think that's one of the hardest things about missionary work! There are so many people you want to help, but you can't. Yeah that's hard.

Anywhoo...the rest of the week went pretty well! One day we were just driving down the street and we saw this GIANT balloon floating above Rex's house and we were just kinda like hey what the heck is that? So we went over that day to talk to him about the word of wisdom (because of the mysterious scent of weed in his house) and it was a giant beach ball in his pine tree?? He told us that his son, Wayne, (who's like 55+) climbed all the way up this tree to decorate it? So yeah apparently it's just decoration hahaha!

Sunday was Oak Ridge Ward's primary program. Ah it was so cute! It's so special to see kids of such a young age bearing their testimony of Jesus Christ. And there were a ton of non members there. Then during Sunday School we had our “Power of the everyday missionary class" and Sister Stone was there, we talked about fears of doing missionary work and she just broke down and started crying and said how she is really trying to help this family (the Sorensons who we've taught before) but she is really close friends with them and she doesn't want to push them too far. It made me feel bad because I had been complaining in my head
how the members need to do more missionary work haha but then I really realized that it's hard for them! It was cool to see her perspective.

Yesterday we had the amazing opportunity to hear from Elder &
Sister Hamula. They were so good! We talked a lot about “Real Intent". We were asked to study the whole Book of Moroni before the conference. It's funny how many times I've read Moroni 10:3-5 on my mission, but haven't really payed much attention to what "Real Intent" means. I've thought about how many times I've prayed and thought I wasn't receiving answers and then I realized I wasn't praying with real intent!
 
I read this quote from President Eyring, "praying with real intent
includes a willingness to obey whatever instructions come from the
Lord: The young Joseph Smith showed us how to pray that way. He
believed in the promise he read in the book of James. He went to the grove with faith that his prayer would be answered. He wanted to know which church to join. He was submissive enough to be ready to do whatever he was told to do. So he prayed, as we must, already committed to obey" It made me realize that Heavenly Father will answer my prayers, but I just have to have a willing heart and be ready to act on any answer I receive, even if it isn't the answer I want to hear;)

Anyway sorry this is super long again. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. Choose the right & read your scriptures!

Love always,
Sister Sobotka

Sister Sobotka, Rex and Sister Erickson