Patience is to endure without letting everyone know that's what you're doing

This week went by so fast!! We had our mission historical tour on Tuesday where we took a bus up to Chorley and Preston and all of the early church history sites. It was incredible really to be able to walk around the places where the early apostles taught the gospel and where the early Saints from England first heard the message and were baptised. We stood on the banks of the River Ribble and saw president Hinckley's flat. I had so much gratitude in my heart for these people who gave up so much in order to provide for their families and future generations. Because of my ancestors accepting the gospel and having the courage to leave all they knew behind them, I am here today. I have everything that I have today because of them and they're great faith. I also went on exchange with a new sister! Her name is Sister Barlow and she is from Seattle!! She is fantastic. It was so much fun to go to Wrexham and be able to get to know another sister. She is so much fun! Just talks to everyone about literally everything. And you would never guess she'd only been on her mission for 4 weeks! It was a blast. Also, I think I broke my jaw eating a piece of bread. Sister Barlow heard it from the other room. But it's all good now! I just take a lot of ibuprofen and don't feel anything. :) But! It was so wonderful because we were able to meet with Carol again this week after so long and she is still the sweetest lady ever. She has two severely disabled children whom she considers her greatest blessings, so you can tell she has a heart of gold. Whenever we call her she answers " hello..?" And then all I say is "hi carol!" and she automatically knows who it is and answers "OH HELLO! HELLO LOVELIES, how are you??? It's a beautiful day isn't it??" I love her so much! Haha AND in the appointment with her she accepted a date for baptism before the invitation was even given! So she is working towards the 15 of August. I was studying this week in 2 Nephi and I just love discovering and making new connections with the Book of Mormon. And also, I love Harry Potter... And so I had fun finding some connections this past week haha so bear with me as I share with you a few of my thoughts. I really want to just expound upon a verse, 2 Nephi 27:3 "And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion." So there is a lot there to really digest and I could write a few pages but I'll just sum up my thoughts :) here we go! Satan provides a vanishing satisfaction, a temporary solution, a shadow of happiness without the promise of it ever truly lasting. Ok, Harry Potter reference time! In the fourth book during the World Cup Ron caught some gold coins during the match from the leprechaun thingies. Realising he could now pay Harry back, he quickly turned his new fortune over to his dear friend relieving him (or so he thought) from his guilt, debts, and solving his problem. It wasn't until much later that we and Ron all realised that the coins had actually disappeared. The temporary solution had in fact vanished, uncovering everything that Ron had tried to hide/fix/erase, and now adding to it the embarrassment of having defaulted so quickly to such an "easy fix". Satan provides these easy fixes for us at every point of our lives. But what he is actually offering is satisfaction that will vanish when it's short life expires. A solution that, even on its best and most desirable days is only temporary. And like a shadow, it only appears to have the form of true happiness-without the promise of it ever lasting. I know this gospel is true, and that because of my Saviour all wounds can be healed. We can be made clean, we can have the hope of eternal happiness. I love being a missionary in the blessed land of England. I will forever be grateful for these sacred truths at I hold so dear and will always try to share hem with those I love. I love you all!!! Have a wonderful week, Love, Sister Reed