Changes

Hello everyone! Changes are happening! Mostly just that I'm getting a
new companion tomorrow. I had been feeling nervous but I'm ready and
excited now. It was hard to just drop Sister Clark off at the mission
home and say goodbye though.

It is so crazy that I only have six weeks left! It will be weird to
get a new companion for only six weeks, but I'm excited to make a new
friend :) I'll tell you about her next week. The work has been going
extremely well here though, and I am happy that I will be leaving from
such a great area!

Sister Clark and I had an awesome study this morning that I want to
share. Here are my concluding thoughts!
The original question, stated to us from my girl Maddie is, "Why is
George Washington so much more believable than Joseph Smith?"
Essentially, we believe text book stories about George Washington,
even though anyone can go in and change them at any point. But people
don't believe the record of Joseph Smith's experience. So here are my
thought:

When we hear something questionable about George Washington, we don't
become hateful toward him and talk trash about him and completely
doubt all that he has helped to establish. Overall, we don't up and
leave the country that he worked so hard to establish. Why is that?
Because we still are able to benefit from the blessings of his life's
work.
When we hear something questionable about Joseph Smith, however, so
many are prone to become hateful toward him and talk trash about him
and become completely doubtful about all that he helped to establish.
Regretfully, those people then choose to leave the church that he
worked so hard to establish. Those actions are completely unfounded
because we still benefit from the blessings of his life's work! It is
important, I think, to ask ourselves these questions:
-Do I feel peace when I enter the church building?
-Do I find answers in the Book of Mormon?
-Am I led to make choices that protect me and lead me to be more like Christ?
-Do I seek to have a clean life to be able to enter the temple?
-Do I have a closeness to my family because of the direction of church leaders?
-Do I experience health by following the Word of Wisdom?
-Do I remain financially secure by paying tithing?
-Do I feel confident in my marriage (current or future) by living the
law of chastity?
-Do I feel forgiveness of my sins when I repent and then partake of
the sacrament?
-Are my children (current or future) kept protected because they live
the church standards?

Wow, that was long! But I thought these were some pretty cool
thoughts. Do you have any additional thoughts?

I looooooove you all! Tell me what's happening in your life!

Love, Sister Amber Flower Ricks