Reflections on the Atonement

TEMPERLEY, Argentina -- Hola hola hola! How is my wonderful family doing this beautiful sunny (or maybe snowy for you) Monday? I hope this email finds you all doing well with big smiles on your faces. Life is So good... no? Yep. Life is good! 

This week was good. A little tricky at times, but good. We found a few new investigators and are praying that they can start progressing. It’s interesting to be a missionary because you can’t rely on yourself for anything. You have to rely on others for EVERYTHING! It’s been a learning experience for me for sure. We have to rely on Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost to teach and find, we have to rely on the people we find that they will choose to come unto Christ and progress and then we have to rely on the ward to befriend these people. 

Long story short... I have learned that in the church -- in the gospel -- we are not alone. We always are working in unity and helping one another. We can’t think just about ourselves. Nope, we need to serve and help others. That is how we are going to make it back to the Celestial Kingdom, together. :) 

The Atonement was on my mind a lot this week as well. 

First off, wow, how blessed are we to have the Atonement!! Priceless! Hermana Calderon and I have been working with lots of people and all of them are completely different! We have a less-active with schizophrenia, an investigator with a crazy family, members who have health or marriage problems, and of course, people whose hearts are so hard they can't even receive our message right now. Everyone is different but EVERYONE can and needs to use the Atonement. 

My whole life, I have learned about the Atonement and how important it is. And yes, it is important, but I don’t think I really understood how important it is until I came on my mission. It is a gift from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! We need to take advantage and use it daily. 

I read this morning in Alma 7:11-13. He died and suffered for all of us so we can be happy and learn to become like him. This week I have increased my understanding of the Atonement, and I am so grateful for my big brother, who died for me. 

What a blessing. I feel blessed to be a missionary who gets to share the message of the Atonement with these people here in Argentina. 

I really saw the Atonement in action this weekend, when the elders had a baptism of four people! It was amazing to see these families change and come unto Christ. If I were to show you a picture of these people I am sure almost all of us would think, ¨hmmm... really? Are they ready?¨ 

And that’s where the Holy Ghost and the Atonement come in. 

God knows who is ready -- not me or my companion or anyone else. It was amazing to see these people take out all their piercings and change into white and enter the waters of baptism. The Spirit was so strong I can’t even do it justice by describing it. Happy day we have four new members in Banfield 1!  We are also on the search to bring more to the fold :) My favorite part!! Well, I hope you have a wonderful week!

Exitos y cuidense!! Te amo! 

Con amor,

Hermana Newman :)