A sword and a hammer

 I went on exchanges with Elder Keller this week! We stayed up till about 1 sharing our life stories. Elder Keller is a pretty incredible person! He's one of the Chinese elders I came in with so we got to talk about Chinese program things. We're both coming to close of out mission (wink) so it was cool to have a whole talk about everything we've learned and what we hope to accomplish with the time we have left.

On Monday we had interviews with President Larson and I officially extended my mission 1 transfer. July is just too soon lol and I need more time to study my languageS and the gospel as a missionary. Plus I believe God told me to.

President Larson also shared with me that a stake president from the south of our mission was talking with him and said “I heard you have hindi elders…I would love to have one here.” so I will be going to Saratoga. 

We started exchanges with the ASLders that night and I got to be with Elder Ardineger- he is such a treasure! He is Deaf and has been serving since December. We had soooo much fun!

Nehemiah is a very special book of the Old Testament. Despite being near the middle, chronologically it's the very last book to take place. Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer, meaning the king trusted him with his life (kings were sometimes poisoned) when Nehemiah learns about the efforts to rebuild Jerusalem he really wants to go. So he asks the king if he can. King says yes, gives him some guards and Nehemiah heads out. 

When they arrive Nehemiah runs around the whole place taking a mental inventory of everything that needs to be repaired- which is everything. King Nebuchadnezzar really did a number on this place.  

Nehemiah finds the guys in charge and then becomes the man in charge.

ALSO- the whole time- the Samaritans are tryna kill them! Samaritans WERE Israelite, they're just the ones that intermarriage with Babylon and Persia and stuff after Israel was carried captive. They still “believe in God” they just had adopted other nations' ways of believing in God and so they were no longer allowed to help with any of the rebuilding of Jerusalem or the temple. So instead of repenting or something they just try to kill the Jews. 

So- here is the point of everything I've shared- Nehemiah 4:17

“17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon”

With one hand they are building the lords kingdom. With the other they are ready to fight. This is exactly how I feel as an Elder. I feel like I have one hand building the kingdom and teaching (sometimes I do teach with both my hands) and just as important as the first hand, I have a hand defending myself from Satan's attacks. He doesn't want me to succeed. He has very sneaky ways of fighting. BUT

“14 And I[nehemiah] looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

20 …our God shall fight for us.”

So do the lords work

Defend yourself from Satan and don't be afraid.

Remember God will fight for you