Hey loves happy Monday :)

Posterity Shot--My Hijas

So the other day my companion and I were knocking doors and came to a gate. A good amount of houses are gated, so we just flung the gate open and let ourselves in, like usual. We knocked on the door and immediately a guy answered and said "WHAT IS MY GATE DOING OPEN?"

And well, before I continue, there's a few big things to know about southern California: Traffic is wild at all hours of the day, people love "organic" and keeping to themselves, there aren't many yards and if there are it's fake grass, and... people LOVE THEIR DOGS.

This guy continued to say "There is a German Shepard on the premises... walk back to the gate and make no sudden movements". So we slowly but urgently walked back to the gate while holding ourselves back from punting his incredibly obnoxious chihuahua snapping at our ankles. Just as we made it to the sidewalk and finished sliding the gate shut, the German Shepard came running and barely didn't make it to us.

Ha, so I'm pretty sure all mailmen and missionaries have similar stories to this (if not worse) but I wanted to share it in comparison to a lesson I learned this week.

So lately I've been thinking a lot about decision making. Every day we make decisions- big or small- but I realize in these next few years of my life I'm going to have to make some big decisions.

It's scary. It's exciting.

But as I'm here in the safest environment to learning life lessons, I want to master decision making by the Spirit as much as I can.

So this is what I've felt, and help me out if I'm wrong.

-We have a desire. Or a goal.

-We live the gospel, keep the commandments, and put God FIRST

-We get to WORK! We do everything we can to reach that goal.

-Along the way:

     *When there is a fork in the road- Talk it over with God and LISTEN. I think we would feel a whole lot less lost and uncertain if we just took time to listen.

     *When there's an obstacle- We realize those obstacles are sometimes placed there by others, and sometimes by ourselves but each time we have the choice to either walk straight into it and resent it or climb on top of it to get a better view.

     *When there's sorrow, affliction, temptation- Remember we are in the hands of God. Remember the Lord knows everything we don't want anyone to know and loves us anyway. Remember we can quickly repent and get back on our way.

-Open our eyes to the blessings and possible routes God has provided that are actually far greater than what we imagined.

-Through it all give gratitude and pray unceasingly. For this task to reach our desires isn't just about the outcome, but more about the journey.

Alma 38:5

"And now... I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your TRUST in God as much as ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up the last day."

My thoughts stem from the words of Elder Holland in the Mormon message "Wrong Roads". He and his son reached a fork in the road and didn't know which one to choose. Jeffery invited his son to pray about it. They both felt the right fork... to find themselves at a dead end. His son was troubled as to why they felt so strongly to go down that road if it was wrong. The lesson is that sometimes Heavenly Father allow us to go down the wrong road a few hundred yards to a dead end so we can know with a sure knowledge and conviction that indeed that is the wrong road and the other one is right. Rather than driving down the correct road for miles and miles with uncertainty.

Sometimes Heavenly Father lets His ignorant little children into gated properties with protective German Shepherds so later on they don't throw open a gate to ferocious lions.

I'm grateful for a loving God that allows us to make decisions but is there beside us all along the way.

Love you !!! Keep praying and reading your scripys :,)

XOXOXO,

your girl sis chels d

My new Companion Sister Brown

Farewell to Sister Ipson