Sister Avery Miyahara: A Mighty Change of Heart 6/10/13

Throughout my mission the topic of a "mighty change of heart" has come to my attention freakily frequently! This week I dived into the doctrine of this change. Maybe because my dear Sara was baptized this past Saturday and I witnessed the most mighty of changes. We've been teaching Sara since I got here almost 5 months ago. She is my heavenly friend. She tells me everyday that I was sent to Georgia for her and her family. I believe that.

When she emigrated from South Africa to the States she made a promise to her Catholic priest she and her family wouldn’t change religions when they move to the "bible belt". When Sara is committed, she is committed! Changing her religion has taken months of countless witnesses from God that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. The change that Sara has experienced is entirely in her heart. In Alma 5 it says that "their souls were illuminated" with the joys of the gospel. I testify that our souls can literally be illuminated. I see it in others and I feel it in myself every single day.

In Ezekiel 11:19 we read about how we can receive an entirely new heart through Jesus Christ. Then it hit me! Every single stellar human in the scriptures all experienced a change of heart! Peter...Paul...Alma the younger...Sons of Mosiah...Anti Lehi Nephis...King Lamoni and his father! They all were sinners on varying degrees and then become that greatest followers of Jesus...ever! And what were all these incredible Biblical/ Book of Mormon hero's commissioned after a change of heart??.............

MISSIONARY WORK!!

The commission of every heart changed is always to go declare the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter is commanded to go "feed My sheep." Alma and his buddies become the most kick butt missionaries there ever was! Our very DNA must be converted. Who we are changes, sure! But it is a change that brings the greatest of all God's blessings, eternal life!! Sara has entered the gate of baptism and now she is "pressing forward with an eye steadfast in Christ." Witnessing this mighty change in Sara over the past few months has allowed my heart to be changed. We must let our hearts change daily! Allow ourselves to become the best we can possibly be!

This week was awesome. I have a new MTC trainee, Sister Sullivan from Sandy, Utah. She's cute! We live with Mataele and Richardson (now companions). We have so much fun together!

What a week of celebration for y'all at home!! Happy graduation tomorrow Blakey boy!! Happy 52nd birthday Daddyeo! Happy Father's day Paps! Happy days, all is well! Wish I was home to squeeze you extra tight! I have the greatest family. Thanks for sending that photo album thing! I LOVE IT!!

All my love,

Sista Ave Dawg Miya

A quote I lala loved!

"Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. … Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’” (Mere Christianity, New York: Collier Books, 1960, p. 167.)