Attitude of Gratitude

Thanks for the quotes, Mom, especially the experience from Elder Bednar about prayer. This week we had Skype studies with the sisters in the zone and we focused on praying with faith. There's a section in PMG about prayer that gives suggestions on how to improve your prayers. It says, "Always express gratitude for your blessings. A conscious effort to be grateful will help you recognize how merciful the Lord has been in your life."

Towards the beginning of my mission, I was studying Moroni 10:3-5 and wondered why Moroni first exhorts us to remember how merciful the Lord has been unto the children of men and to ponder it in our hearts. I realized that those are very important steps to placing our hearts in line with God, to prepare ourselves for revelation, which ultimately is our goal with any prayer we utter. We speak and we want to hear back from our Heavenly Father. 

Gratitude is so important to our communications with our Heavenly Father and those around us. It softens hearts. Studying that this week has made me more aware of how I pray. Do I always remember that I am communicating with the most powerful, loving, merciful Being in the universe? I owe Him a lot more than a surface-level, repetitious prayer. 

I got Grandma's package this week. I'll let you know when yours arrives.

Here's a picture of me with our truck finally. Also a picture from a Relief Society activity we had this weekend. The sisters made Christmas crafts.

Happy Thanksgiving this week! Sister Mangelson and I are going to celebrate it somehow on Thursday. All of the young missionaries in the branch right now are American (rarely does that happen). There were complaints yesterday at church that none of the hymns we picked for sacrament meeting were Christmas hymns. Canadian Christmas starts much earlier. None of us are used to that. :)

Thank you for everything, Mom! I am staying healthy. Don't worry. I hope that all of you are as well.

Love you!

Sister Renda