Excusing vs Forgiving

Well, autumn was fun. It's really cold! It's beginning to feel a lot like Canada.
So, you know how you can start singing Christmas songs after Thanksgiving? Well, Canadian Thanksgiving was last week so now we sing a Christmas hymn every morning to open up companionship study, which is maybe the best thing about that fake holiday. Very fitting, it's already colder here than it ever gets back home! It snowed the other day during our morning run :)

Larry has the priesthood! And he's doing great. He is a miracle, and such a good example to us every day of holding strong against adversity.

The next person and date to pray for is Jacques, scheduled to be baptized on November 15th. He's totally going to get an answer to his prayers by this Saturday and then we're home free.

Last night a member that we're really close to asked kind of shyly if she could know our first names. Telling her was a very spiritual experience for me. My first name has become something very personal and close to my heart. Sister Brunet still calls us Sister Schmuhl and Sister Lonas but having her know my first name created a very special bond. Also, I realized that I love my first name. Thanks, parents :)

I was thinking this week about the difference between excusing and forgiving. We are commanded to forgive all men, and this includes ourselves. We repent, and then we forgive ourselves. That is a huge blessing and beautiful part of the gift of repentance. However, that is different from excusing our actions. Justification is not a step of repentance. That's a lesson I needed to learn.

I made little cheesecake delights this morning because Elder Mecham's birthday is tomorrow and we aren't having district meeting this week (usually that's when we would have treats). I feel very sympathetic towards other missionaries who also don't have family around to celebrate birthdays with! Also I just love baking, so we had Lorenzo creepily find out his favorite dessert. Sister Schmuhl and I got a little overexcited about the fact that we were finally able to celebrate someone's birthday together.

We're super excited about the temple open house, it's getting closer! After it's open, we're going to be able to go once a transfer. I'm so excited, I miss the temple so much.

Culinary accomplishments of the week: cheesecake, sugarless banana muffins, hard-boiled eggs (definitely should have figured that out earlier in my life), thai peanut butter sauce.

Something funny about Sister Schmuhl that I'm mostly writing just so I never forget: she refers to inanimate objects as "he". When she likes something, it's "He's a good friend."

Sister Schmuhl and I are pretty sure this is our last transfer together, but we're going out with a bang! Working super hard, being exactly obedient, preaching the gospel to all the world! We are as the armies of Helaman.

Things are great! I'm really really happy :) The harder we work, the happier we are. God truly blesses us so much and it is according to our obedience. Being a missionary is the best thing ever!

I love you all!
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes ♥
Soeur Lonas