.: Honor thy Mother and Father

Time is moving like the speed of light and sometimes I just wish it would hit a brick wall and move forward turtle style. Seriously, I have a pile of bad habits and a mountain of weaknesses that are just chilling on the sidelines. I have a lot of changing to do and sometimes it feels like I am not even putting a dent in my bad habit pile. I'm definitely in the refiners fire and it hurts (so good....if that makes sense). I want to be the kind of missionary that the Lord wants me to be. Sometimes I walk in the door at night feeling like a failure and think, "Well that was a...valiant...effort Hermana Minnick, here's half a gold star - stick it on your forehead!" But there are other nights when I walk through the door so grateful for the opportunity the Lord has given me to recognize my weaknesses so that I can become stronger and more like Him. That's why I love the atonement. It's changing me. Slowly, yes. But surely. Ether 12:27

I honestly can't believe that it is Monday again. I repeat. Time flies.

Anyways, this past week we taught the commandments a lot... surprise! But this week I really wanted to meditate them. I wanted to make sure that I was living them fully before I taught them. So, I started with the 10 commandments, "Thou shalt not kill"... (nope), "Thou shalt not steal"...( does stealing some of my companions milk count?), "Honor thy mother and thy father" (ooppss). I really thought about that one. Have I honored my Mother and my Father? Before my mission I was under the category of "Moody, Rude Teenager." The other day I heard someone say something along the lines of, "Would you have friends if you treated them the way that you treat your parents?" Yeah. Think about that one kids.

So Weston and Zane, are you honoring our parents? I encourage you to do it because it is not only a nice thing to do, but also a commandment of God. I love you parents. Forgive me for being a rude teenager and whining about doing the dishes and picking up my pinkie finger to do you a favor. I truly love my mom and dad! You guys are the best! Thanks for teaching me the gospel.

Moving on to my scene here... its really super frying hot. I love what Samala is teaching me: Patience. I have never developed this attribute in my life, what is a better time than now? I am learning to accept the Lord's will. His time. His way. All that I can do is give my heart and soul to His great cause and let Him do the rest. I have studied a lot about grace in these past two weeks. I think I almost understand it. Jesus Christ doesn't make up only what we can't do. He covers it all. Trust in Him. Remember Him. Strive to become like Him. All that He requires of us is practice.

I love you family. Thanks for your prayers, love, and support. Mom, thank you for the Valentine's package. I just about died when I saw the goldfish!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Minnick

p.s. I am the only gringa in my district.

p.p.s. If you have parasites and your companion from Mexico dares you to eat a chili that will kill you, don't do it, AND especially if you have parasites. I think these little buggers are with me for the duration.