Are you SURE you don't have a secret Uruguayo boyfriend?

Hello hello!! Happy Monday!! This week was a good one. We had a conference with Elder Christensen of the seventy (and he's been in the seventy for longer than any other seventy in the world, so I guess he wins a medal or something) and it was PHENOMENAL. And the leaders got to have a meeting with him before, so that was even more fun (even though I showed up late cause the dang bus system here oops). Thought I'd do something a little different for my email this week cause I don't have a lot of time. So here you all go, a bunch of mini shpiritual shpeels, and a big shpiritual shpeel.

MINI SHPIRITUAL SHPEELS:

• Humility isn't thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. -C.S. Lewis

• "Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us." - Russell M. Nelson

• "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." - D&C 8:2. Sometimes we feel the spirit in our heart. Other times it's thoughts in our mind. When it's both, that is pure revelation.

• We read the scriptures to FEEL something, not just to READ something. - Hna Orgill

• You do not invite people to a party you're not going to. If we are to invite others to come unto Christ, we've got to be on our way to His party.

• The more you truly know a person, the more you love them. If you want to love someone, get to know them. The Savior loves you perfectly because He knows you perfectly. If you want to love your Savior, get to know Him.

• "For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.
  
  Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood.
  
  But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for behold I know my sheep, and they are numbered.
  
  Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them." - 3 Nephi 18:29-32
  

BIG SHPIRITUAL SHPEEL:

The scripture Matthew 11:28-30 is super well known. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
It feels like it is used in just about every talk, saying that if we are with Christ, life with be "easy and light". But a couple weeks ago I sent out a spiritual thought about cross bearing. We all must bear a cross (or two) if we want to be disciples of Christ. And that is neither easy nor light. Crosses are big and heavy and hard to carry and not fun. The same things could be said of yokes. I personally have never carried one but I feel like it would be big and heavy and hard to carry and not fun. Those poor cows. Anyway, this week my mission president shared this scripture in a way that changed my perspective entirely, because I really didn't know the balance between heavy and hard crosses and light and easy yokes.

Yes, I do think that Christ is telling us that when we yoke ourselves to Him, our lives are "easier" and "lighter". At the very least, we have a "peaceful conscience and a restful soul" (one member told me this week that's how he feels when he keeps the commandments). That is how I have read this scripture my whole life. As we take the yoke of the Savior upon us, our life becomes easy and light.
But what if it's something different? Or something more? I now think it means that if we yoke ourselves to the Savior, it is easy and light for Him to carry us where we need to be.

A lot of us are carrying yokes (or crosses) in circles, all the day long, making us "heavy laden". Christ promises that if we come with Him, He will take us where we need to go. And He will do it with ease. He already suffered the hard part. So the "carrying us where we need to go" part is a piece of cake. If we "learn of [Him]" how to be "meek and lowly of heart" and follow the path set out for us, it is in fact "easy and light" for Him to take us to the eternal reward.

I've spent a lot of my life trying not to mess up or be too sad or sin because I felt bad that Christ had to suffer for me. The less I mess up, the less He had to suffer. (Which was actually kinda backwards cause then I got frustrated with myself when I did mess up, which... that frustration adds to the suffering so yeah. Didn't think that one through.) But I think of my best friends. When they're sad or overwhelmed or ranting or any kind of emotions, I want them to be happy for their sake, but I'm not bothered in the least to be there to listen to them rant and be sad and hug them when they cry. That's Jesus. But times a lot. He was willing to do it. Not bothered in the least. And not only that, He wanted to do it. Was it hard? Yeah. But He did it cause He loves you.

He loves you. He invites you to "learn of [Him]" because He is the Master Teacher. You are not a burden to His yoke. You are in fact very light. And He is very happy to have you on the other side of that yoke.

So if you feel overlaboured, or heavy ladened, buckle up. Strap yourself to Him. Work just a bit harder to get yourself comfortable next to Him, and it is there you will find rest and peace and comfortableness (is that a word?). After all, it's a lot easier to work when you're doing it with someone you love. And lucky you, Jesus loves you.

- hermana allen