This email was sent by Sister Welker on November 20th.  We received it on November 19th.

Week 67: Zone Conference and Cards in our Hands

So there were two highlights this week.  One of them was Zone Conference.

We got to do another road trip!! One of these days I could probably drive there with my eyes closed, but that would be a bad idea haha.  I've just drove to Hamilton heaps and know how to get there.

We usually get to stay the night with Visitor Center Sisters, but because we had even more missionaries at this Zone Conference, I got to stay the night with Sister Garbutt, my Tahitian companion that I served with in South Auckland!! It was amazing to see how far she had come and to be able to remember the good times we've had together.

President Cummings talked all about Repentance being a joyful thing and referenced a talk by Steven W. Owens (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/10/repentance-is-always-positive?lang=eng). It's a good talk.  I recommend it.  Then Sister Cummings talked about how we all carry luggage around, and we don't know what's in other people's luggage.  But no matter how hard life gets, we need to keep carrying that luggage, cause when this life is over, God will ask us to show Him what we've carried in our luggage during this life, both the good and the bad.

Then the best miracle was Saturday night.  We went to go visit one of our less-active sisters who I'll call Maggie.  She's absolutely adorable and is always saying "Food is bae!!" ;) I love it, and I think it's awesome!! Maggie and her family all came to church a couple weeks ago, but we hadn't seen her since then.  We were wondering why we hadn't seen her and every time we went to go visit, we were always given another excuse.  We were about to give up on her, but I'm glad we didn't.  When we went to go visit Saturday night, we were invited in.  We played a fun game that my companion and I improvised.  It was kinda like the game called Head Bands/heads up if any of you know how to play that game.  Basically, you put a piece of paper on your forehead and try and guess what's on it.  1st one to guess it right, wins!!  So we played our fun game and at the end we shared a quote.  I found the quote clear back when I was in South Auckland for an exchange.  It was an Ensign article that compares life to a card game and the quote goes like this:

"So many times, we as young adults find ourselves lamenting the hand we have been dealt with in life.  We wish we had received the marriage cards, the children cards, the good-health cards, or the successful cards in the first round.  It can be so easy to compare our cards with those of our friends and acquaintances -- especially when it seems that they always hold the winning cards and we can't seem to get out of the negative!  And yet, so often we fail to see the good in the cards we are already holding in our hands.  And we forget that no matter what our cards are -- the experiences and opportunities we are given in life -- we can still have a good attitude about them.

"So what then, do you do with the not-so-great hand at hand? The first step is to take a good hard look at what you have in your hands.  Take a stock of all the good in your life and all the positive cards you (metaphorically) hold.  Being grateful for what we do have will help us overcome the pain and bitterness we are prone to feel for what we don't have.  President Uchtdorf also said, "Those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding." ~ Mindy Anne Selu, "Making the Most of What We Have," Ensign, Feb 2017, 22. (https://www.lds.org/ensign/2017/02/young-adults/making-the-most-of-what-we-have?lang=eng)

So in the end we found her concern and she told us she wants to come back to church!!

Since Thanksgiving is this week, take some time to find things your grateful for.  Look at the cards you have in your hand, and don't dream of the cards you don't have.  I'm grateful for my family and the love and support they give me.  I'm grateful for my Savior.  And I'm grateful I can spend 18 months telling others about Christ.  

Thanks again for all your love and support and have a Happy Thanksgiving!! :D

Sister Mandy Welker