. Lexi in Poland .: A small bucket filled to the brim!

Dear Family and Friends,

Amazing things are happening in the world of the missionaries, and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to be a part of it all! :)

This past week all of us missionaries around the world were able to watch something called a "Worldwide Missionary Broadcast", and it was incredible! My sweet companion and I had been praying for guidance in how to progress with our work here in Bydgoszcz, and so many of our prayers were answered during this little broadcast. I am so grateful for inspired leaders, and the spirit that is able to convey to us the words of our Heavenly Father. Amazing things are happening and I. can't. wait!

A few weeks ago in our Zone Training, our Zone leaders asked us to focus this transfers studies on something that has come to mean SO much to me... The Atonement of our Saviour. It was surprising to me to hear that, because just a few months before, I had focused my studies around the Atonement as well, and the experiences I had gained from that were, and still are, some of the most sacred of my life. And it truly has been the most amazing experience being able to study about the Atonement again this transfer. In the course of this week, I have been studying and thinking so much about something that has come to have so much personal meaning to me, and I wanted to share some thoughts with you all about it.

Before this mission, if someone had asked me what the word "repentance" meant, I probably would have replied with a simple answer such as, "Confessing our sins to God" or something to that affect. Of course I had made mistakes, and I had absolutely felt the enabling power of my Saviour's Atonement through the process of repentance, but I can honestly tell you - the spiritual and emotional significance that word had to me then, is nothing compared to what it means to me now.

Before I get going on that, it was amazing this week because as I had spent my time studying about the gift of repentance, it was made so clear to me very quickly that I wasn't the only one with it on my mind! The Missionary Broadcast I mentioned earlier, and both of our member's WONDERFUL talks in sacrament meeting yesterday were completely focused on the gift of repentance, and the love of Heavenly Father has for us even when we make mistakes. :) It was INCREDIBLE! I want to share a little summarized version of a story from a talk given by one of our sweet members yesterday.

Once, there lived a sinful man. Throughout this man's life, he had made mistake after mistake, and it seemed to him that he was beyond the hope of return. However, one day, in the midst of his sorrow and shame, he heard tell of a man other's called "The Saviour of the world." The sinful man was intrigued by this talk of a Saviour, sent to save the world, and he set out to find Him. The journey was not easy, and his burden was not light, but the sinful man was determined, and he knew this Saviour could help him.

At last, the sinful man found this Saviour, of whom all had been talking, and asked Him, "Lord, how can I be made clean from the past of sin I carry?"

The Saviour of the world, with His eyes full of light, told the sinful man that if he would fill a small bucket with water and return it to him, the past of sin this man carried would be forgiven him, and the Lord would remember his sins no more.

The sinful man went straight away to his home, and filled his small bucket with the water from his well. He filled it to the brim, and set out to return to the Saviour. He had almost made it back to the presence of His Lord, when he looked down and realized the bucket he had filled was empty. "How could this be?", he wondered - for the bucket was in perfect tradition, and free of holes or scratches. After much thought, he came to the conclusion that it had been the water with which he had filled the bucket.

Next, he filled the bucket with the water of a nearby stream. He filled it to the brim, and set out to return to the Saviour once more. He had almost made it back to the presence of His Lord, when he looked down and realized the bucket he had filled was again empty.

The sinful man tried everything in his power to fill the bucket. He filled it with the water of every stream, every river, and even the water of the far away sea, but no water he found ever could keep the bucket filled.

Being completely discouraged, and overcome with sorrow, the sinful man returned to the Saviour and kneeled by his empty bucket. His words were barely audible as he whispered a single sentence to the Saviour of the world, "I have done all I can, my Lord..." As he whispered those words, his eyes filled with tears, and a single tear fell into the bucket by which he knelt. At once the bucket filled to the brim with water, and the sinful man heard the loving voice of his Saviour, "Arise, my child... Thy sins are forgiven thee."

I hope you all, as you read that story, are able to feel the spirit as I did when I first heard it. I encourage you all this week to think of this story, and how we all relate to this sinful man. How grateful I am for the Atonement of my Saviour, and this that because of it, we are never beyond the reach of His outstretched hand.

I apologize for the lack of details about my week this week, but I love you all so much, and hope you know that! Have an amazing week!

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp

Heart attacking Ania's door! :) We love her!