Sister Elle Jackson's Adventures in the Washington Everett Mission: Week 53: The Atonement!

Elle's District

The summer here is so amazing! It is hot for a couple of days and then we have overcast weather for the next couple of days. It doesn't rain here very much in the summer....I think it is really nice!

This last week we have been able to give a lot of service. We decided we now have the credentials to open our own painting business, yard work business, and cleaning business. I think we will have a lot of success when doing so!

A Washington Sunset

Tuesday we went on exchanges with the Machias Sisters! I got to go to Machias with Sister Casebolt. Machias was just pink washed with the Sisters, this is the very first time that Sisters have ever been in the Ward and so all of the Members are excited and are being very very helpful. Sister Casebolt is such a good missionary and I was able to learn a lot from her! I am excited to get to see the amazing things that she and Sister Johnson are going to do.

We then went on exchanges with Lynnwood Spanish. We had a day full of service! It was good and I am always thankful for the chance that I have to be able to help other people. It’s so amazing how when you serve others your day only gets better and better!

The Scoffields

MLC ( Mission Leader Conference) was this last week. Although it is a very long day it is one of my favorite meetings of the month. There are a lot of things that I learn in this meeting. I am able to know how to help the Sisters I serve and also our investigators and just receiving answers to questions I have and for ones that I didn't even know I had. Last month at MLC we focused a lot on Repentance and why it is important to make sure that the people we are teaching understand why it is important that we repent and that they know how to repent. There have been a lot of good things that have happened and there were a lot of good things that I learned about Repentance.

This last MLC we focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ! The Atonement of Jesus Christ is something I am so-so-so thankful for! In preparation for MLC we studied a talk by James E. Faust titled, “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope”. It was so amazing. In the talk he states, "Our salvation depends on believing in and accepting the Atonement. Such acceptance requires a continual effort to understand it more fully. One of the cool things about the Atonement is that every time you study it our read something about it you will learn something new. In the talk he shares a story about some young boys.

He Continues: Some years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley told “something of a parable” about “a one room school house in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough no teacher had been able to handle them.

“Then one day an inexperienced young teacher applied. He was told that every teacher had received an awful beating, but the teacher accepted the risk. The first day of school the teacher asked the boys to establish their own rules and the penalty for breaking the rules. The class came up with 10 rules, which were written on the blackboard. Then the teacher asked, ‘What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?’

“‘Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on,’ came the response.

“A day or so later, … the lunch of a big student, named Tom, was stolen. ‘The thief was located—a little hungry fellow, about ten years old.’

“As Little Jim came up to take his licking, he pleaded to keep his coat on. ‘Take your coat off,’ the teacher said. ‘You helped make the rules!’

“The boy took off the coat. He had no shirt and revealed a bony little crippled body. As the teacher hesitated with the rod, Big Tom jumped to his feet and volunteered to take the boy’s licking.

“‘Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?’ the teacher asked.

“After five strokes across Tom’s back, the rod broke. The class was sobbing. ‘Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. “Tom, I’m sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!”

If you want to watch or read President Faust's complete talk CLICK HERE.

The Atonement and the Resurrection accomplish many things. The Atonement cleanses us of sin on condition of our repentance. Repentance is the condition on which mercy is extended/ After all we can do to pay the uttermost farthing and make right our wrongs, the Savior's grace is activated in our lives through the Atonement, Which Purifies us and can perfect us.

I am so thankful for the Atonement and the happiness and peace it brings into our lives as long as we use it. We are able to use it sometimes we have to put our pride aside and accept the help that has already been given to us. I love you all and hope that you have a great week!