Another Lesson from Hermana Raynor (Week 35)

I'm adding these personal lessons that Ashley has shared with me because I am so proud of what she is learning.  She is constantly amazing me and I am so grateful that she is teaching me as well as those she is serving in Arizona.  This is an excerpt from her report to her Mission President - President Toone:
           .....All of that has been bothering me this week, and the cherry on top of it all was that we taught a lesson yesterday, and I was just totally lost and it was just awful. So this morning I was really sad and I was just doubting a lot. I had received a confirmation about 

serving as a Spanish speaking missionary weeks before my call even came and then when 

you and I talked about the possibility of a reassignment, I got another confirmation. But 

today I was just doubting. I was thinking, "Why isn't it easier?" "Why do I have to struggle 

so much?"  "I believe in the gift of tongues! So why can't I have it?""What am I doing here 

President?"  It really was awful. Then with personal study came revelation.

     This morning I was reading in the first chapter of Ether, there begins the story of the 

Jaredites with the Tower of Babel and all that good stuff. But as I was reading I began to 

wonder why the Lord decided to confound the language instead of going all Sodom and

Gomorrah on their wicked city, so I cracked open the bible and read the full account and 

then it hit me. He confounded the language because the people needed to be humbled.

They had built this high tower to reach God, to place themselves at His level. They were 

full of pride and they were trying to force their way into heaven by building quite literally upon 

the things of the world to get there. They needed to be humbled. That is when I realized 

why I needed to be reassigned, I needed to learn a lesson about humility and relying in the 

Lord. I wasn't as proud as the people at the tower construction site, but in English...

I was a bit proud. 

Not so proud that people needed to stay at least 3 feet from me to avoid being 

struck by lightning, but proud enough to feel like I didn't need the help of a companion.

Before my mission, I was a ward missionary, so I already knew how to teach the lessons 

and that whole part was easy. I didn't need to rely on my companion and didn't need the 

Lord's help there because teaching was one of my strengths (don't worry, I have definitely 

repented from this mindset.) Then, I got switched. I was humbled, I need the Lord's help to 

know what words to say and now I flounder without my companion. Without the language 

change, I would be stuck.

A few weeks ago I learned that Challenges + Faith = Miracles. I had faith, but I wasn't 

challenged, so I hadn't experienced the miracle that is conversion. I needed to be brought 

low.To quote you President, "real learning begins at a fine line between conceptual 

understanding and experience," I realize now how true the words are. But I choose to          

replace "learning" with testimony, so now it is "a real testimony begins at a fine line 

between conceptual understanding and experience." I believed in the enabling and 

ennobling power of the Atonement before, but it wasn't until I was humbled by Spanish 

that I experienced that power in my life and received an unwavering testimony of it.

Now, a little more humble
Sister Raynor


The Church is true, The Book is Blue, and Moroni stands on a ball.

Sister Raynor