Carly Helton (Sister Helton): Another week down! 2-4-2015

I love being a missionary.

This week I have learned a ton. I had one of the most powerful personal studies of my life on Monday. I was reading in Mark chapter 9 about Christ and this man who had a son who was sick. The man took his son to Christ's disciples and asked them to heal him. Christ's disciples tried but could not and so the man went directly to Christ himself and said:

"If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us."

Christ then says:

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

Verse 24 is what just really hit home to me. It reads:

"Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

When I read that I just realized how Jesus Christ can literally make up for everything about us that isn't complete. Even our lack of faith.

So many times I feel like I believe. I really, really believe, but I know I don't have a perfect belief. The thing that had never occurred to me until now is that, even if our faith in God isn't perfect, Christ makes up for the rest. He makes it possible for our little amount of faith to bring about miracles. He has done it all.

I can just picture this man crying before Christ and recognizing his lack of faith and dependency on Christ, and pleading with his whole heart to have more faith but not knowing how he can possibly increase it. At that moment, Christ makes up the difference. He heals this man's son.

I love Jesus. The more I read about Him, the more I realize that everything I am and will become is because of the hope and light He brings to my life. He has made change possible.

On Sunday we had a meeting as a Zone. It was our first meeting together since the new transfer began and it was seriously the best. At the end, our zone leaders had us all walk around in a little circle quietly and then when they told us to stop, we had to look at the sister closest to us. We had to look into their eyes and tell them what we saw in their eyes.

It was beautiful. I think sometimes being an all-sisters mission, it's really easy to create these false ideas of who people are based on what we see on the outside. This activity really taught me to look at the person's heart and truly try to see them, like God sees them. Maybe an idea for Young Women's?

Literally, all of us were crying at the end because every single person is a son or daughter of God. Everyone has a light and everyone has something unique and divine about them. I wish I took the time to truly look into people's eyes and try to see them like God sees them. It is powerful.

I love you so, so much!

-Sister Helton

P.S. The first pic is from "MTC contacting." Sisters come to Temple Square from the MTC for a few hours each Saturday night and get to experience what it's like to serve at a visitors center before they actually go. This sweet Sista is going to the visitor's center in Omaha, Nebraska!

This next one is Sister Bellais and me at the Humanitarian Center waiting for tours...

it was a slow day haha
We can do service there in between tours. Last Friday we were there and we only took 2 tours from 10am-4pm. In the meantime, we can call our investigators or take chats so we just did that this time. If we want, we can go up to the second floor and quilt. The HC puts out 25 quilts per week!