Hi, folks! I love you with all my soul.
This morning I finally understood a scripture that I think everyone else has understood this whole time, and maybe it wasn't even a correct interpretation, but it gave me a lot of light, so I think it counts no matter what. I was reading in 3rd Nephi 12:13- "I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor, wherewith shall the earth be salted?" My whole life I have wondered what Christ was talking about there. I finally understood thanks to my lunch yesterday, which was an avocado. Soeur Chytraus kindly shared her avocado with me, and even though it was good plain, it was great with a little salt sprinkled on top. Today as I read that verse I thought about that salt and how it brought out the delicious flavor of the avocado.
Now I'm going to tell you about another experience I had this week and what that has to do with the salt thing. Friday after our district meeting, Soeur Chy and I were leaving the chapel to walk back to our house for lunch. Right as we came out of the chapel gate, I noticed a young girl walking really fast down the sidewalk, and I was so excited to see that it was a cute little girl that I taught in Puurai. I sped over to give her a hug but realized immediately that she was not okay. She was shaking and crying, and obviously very scared. I asked her where she was going and she said she was going to walk home to Puurai from Papeete, which is a far too-long distance to walk for a little girl. I didn't know, but she's been moved to a sort-of foster home now, and that morning a member of her foster family beat her. They thought she'd stolen a cell-phone, and she hadn't. She was too scared to go back to the house. It was a literal miracle that I crossed her path right at the moment she was on the sidewalk. We took her straight in to the chapel, where there is a little self-reliance office and a couple missionary from St. George serving. We sat with her and held her hand, gave her some water and oranges and got her calmed down. Our stake president happened to be there, so he came and made some calls and tried to see what he could do. It was a horrible situation, but I am so thankful that Heavenly Father arranged things so we could take her in. I felt horrible that there was nothing I could really do because of legal issues, but I promised her that even though she might have some very hard things to go through, Heavenly Father would listen to her prayers and help her like He just had. Then we had to leave.
As we walked home, I just could not even take it. I was so burning angry, and so sad. I went upstairs in our apartment and just cried. One of the hardest things about my mission has been seeing people hurt. I hate it. I was really overcome with how plain sad life is sometimes, and for a moment I felt totally helpless. But I decided to say a prayer, and that prayer brought filled me up with peace. I realized that even though the world is a sad place sometimes, the hope of Christ is bigger than that. A very strange feeling- feeling deeply the need for Christ's atonement and then looking down at your badge and remembering that you are one of His missionaries. That's a cool feeling. So we got up and went out and taught one of the best lessons I've ever taught on my mission. I realized that what I am sharing is the one, the literal only thing, that can make things fully and permanently better. That's true. The Savior's Atonement, which completes the beautiful plan of Heavenly Father makes this life make sense. He is what gives us the hope that we have a reason to live, even when things are hard, and that things will always get better. For some, and depending on the period of our lives, His love is what pulls us out of the extreme pain of abuse or neglect, and other times it is what pushes us through a stressful day at work. Either way we need Him.
So I realize a little better what it means when Christ tells us, His believers, that we are the salt of the earth. Many people are just trying to get through this life. It's like a bland avocado- you can do it, you can survive, you can eat and sleep and keep going, because there is no other choice. But when you know the Savior, you know that this life is so much more than that. It is rich and deep, and there is a reason we are here. We are loved. We belong to God's family, and this experience is to make us more like Him.
People need to know that. They need to know that this life is better than they think it is, or at least it's going to get better. They need to taste the joy of the gospel and get the full vision of this little earth experience. And we are the salt. We are there to bring them the message- if we lose our "savor" or our spiritual perspective, we don't serve our purpose.
I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He has a perfect love for us. He is there. Let's all go sprinkle salt in the lives of those we love and make their lives a little better.
All my love,
Soeur Mann
