I can hardly believe that this day is here. Mixed emotions, of course. :) I am just so incredibly grateful for this time I have been able to serve the Lord as His full-time servant for the last eighteen months.
The last couple weeks have been such a blessing--Matt Marquez is getting baptized on July 11th, and Casey Cook has a baptismal date now, as well! The Lord has blessed us with miracles, and I couldn't be more grateful. I know I was supposed to be here in the Wellington Ward for the last six months, and I know I was supposed to be here in the Fort Collins, Colorado Mission for the past eighteen months. Now, it is time for me to turn the next page of my life. I know the Lord won't leave me; I know He will be here for me in all I do. He is constant. I have a burning testimony of this gospel. I know Christ is the Head of this church. We are watched over so much more than we realize. I have received guidance and direction from the prophets, seers, and revelators; they are called of God. Their words are truth. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I have gotten nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. We have the same organization that Christ established. Covenants bring power. God always keeps His promises when we keep ours. The gift of the Holy Ghost is SO real, and I know that He will guide us, warn us, comfort us, testify of truth, and so much more. With faith, all things are possible! The gospel of Jesus Christ is the way. I feel so blessed to have seen the Atonement change people's lives as they have lived His gospel and sought for truth. God will answer your prayers and fill you with light as you live His gospel and obey His commandments. All of it is true--I know it is. I pray each of you will continue to seek Him. He wants you to know Him! I am so grateful for His love and the Atonement of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you all for the support, love, encouragement, and prayers you have given me. :) You have all been so instrumental in the hastening of the Lord's work. I love you all!!!!!!!!! (p.s. find me on FB-- Marissa Budge) :) Please stay in touch!!!!!! Love, Sister Marissa Budge It has been a really great week--my faith has definitely increased, and the Lord is talking care of His vineyard. Miracles! :) As I am sure many of you are aware, the First Presidency has been placing a lot of emphasis on the Sabbath Day. We have been receiving trainings in ward council, zone conference, and Sacrament Meeting. I have been thinking a lot about the Sabbath Day this week, and I felt the difference in how I was filled during Sacrament Meeting because of it. President Foster (stake president) came and spoke in our ward yesterday on the topic, as well. It was absolutely amazing to note the difference in reverence as the congregation exited the meeting yesterday! In order to increase our faith, be more protected from the world, and become more spiritually filled, we must hallow the Sabbath Day! I invite you all to prepare for the Sabbath Day, for the Sacrament, this week. How will you give the Sabbath back to the Lord? What sign do you want to give Him on the Sabbath? I know as you increase your faith, your understanding of the Sabbath will increase. I know as you become more consecrated on the Sabbath, your faith will increase.
For some reason, my life just keeps pointing back to Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi 8 and 11. Seriously like this whole transfer. Over and over. There is so much to learn from these chapters! I would remind you all to continually HOLD FAST to the iron rod. Hold fast to the words of the living prophets, as well as the words of ancient prophets. Study their words. Listen to how the spirit would teach you. Increase your faith by preparing for and keeping the Sabbath Day holy. I know that as we do hold fast, the adversary won't be able to overpower us to blindness. Love, Sister Budge It has been a really good week. Sister Helsing and I have definitely seen miracles and felt the guidance of the spirit as we have acted in faith. We had a good lesson with Brother Marquez--still progressing and agreed once again to be baptized when he knows it's true. We are really focusing still on helping him understand the importance of truly studying and praying about the Book of Mormon. He's a scientist, so we're helping him understand what the spirit feels like. He's really starting to get it. I believe he will be baptized soon! :) We had the opportunity to work in the mountains this weekend and meet some really incredible people! LOVE the mountains! :) *****I want to close with a quote by President Ezra Taft Benson: "The Lord has on the earth some potential spiritual giants whom He saved for some six thousand years to help bear off the kingdom triumphantly and the devil is trying to put them to sleep. The devil knows that he probably won't be too successful in getting them to commit many great and malignant sins of commission. So he puts them into a deep sleep, like Gulliver, while he strands them with little sins of omission. And what good is a sleepy, neutralized, lukewarm giant as a leader? We have too many potential spiritual giants who should be more vigorously lifting their homes, the kingdom, and the country. We have many who feel they are good men, but they need to be good for something....In short, we must be shakened and awakened from a spiritual snooze." We have SOO much potential as the sons and daughters of God! I invite you all to assess where your testimony is. What are you doing to nourish it? Serious troubled times are coming, and we need to decide where we stand. The adversary's power is increasing, and the Lord needs His saints to prepare for His coming. Love, Sister Marissa Budge P.S. My homecoming is going to be on June 23rd at the church building in Paris, Idaho; haha trust me, it's not too hard to find--just off of highway 89 :) It will be at 9:00--Sacrament is first!!! (Sorry to all of you I told it was last. :/) I would love to see whoever is able to make it!! <3 I just am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and for the Lord's mercy. I have truly felt His guidance and love this week. I am doing so well. Just like Ammon, I feel I cannot glory too much in my God. I am so incredibly grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the light that comes through Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and for His mercy in allowing me to be a part of His great work. 1. Sister Helsing's plan of salvation with play-dough....the best! :) 2. Me and my wonderful companion!! <3 3. Pride Rock...is in our area. :) We had an amazing week!!! We just saw so many miracles. I feel more fulfilled than I have felt my whole mission. Sister Budge 1. Beautiful rainbow!! 2. The cutest baby bunny we saw on the side of the road!!!! :) (one more pic on the way...) We had an amazing week!!! We just saw so many miracles. I feel more fulfilled than I have felt my whole mission. Sister Budge 1. Beautiful rainbow!! 2. The cutest baby bunny we saw on the side of the road!!!! :) (one more pic on the way...) It has been a pretty crazy week--lots of good, though!! :) On Monday night, we had dinner with the Buchanons--LOVE them!! Christine (oldest and not a member/she is our investigator) had a lot of questions, well they all did, really--and we were able to address her questions. She is a very deep intellectual thinker, and she said most religions would just avoid her questions, but we answered them. She said she was blown away. I am amazed at the progress she has made since the first time I met her about four months ago. :) Brad Peterson is still doing incredible! He is on track for baptism on May 9th. He got an incredible answer this week to his prayers. We had prayed specifically that while he was gone that week for work (he is a trucker), he would notice things that happened that were not a coincidence but an answer from God that this is the path he should go. Well, we had a lesson with him on Wednesday night, and that morning, he had driven to Denver, and this guy went up to him to figure out paper work and what not, but the first thing he asked him was, "Do you know the Lord?" WHAT?! He was so surprised! In all his years as a trucker, none of these guys had ever said anything like that before! They ended up having a half-hour conversation on God. That night, I had Sister Guymon with me (an incredible Sister missionary I got really close to up in Laramie) on exchanges, and she testified of Christ, to which he said, "That is totally crazy; that guy I talked to today said exactly the same thing you just said--word for word." It was so incredible!! I asked him if he felt like God did answer him that this is the path He wants him on, and He said, "Well, He definitely showed me that today!" He and his family were also able to attend a baptism with us on Saturday, which was so great! :) Continue to pray for him--prayer is so REAL!!! Last night, we were able to go down to Boulder for a baptism of an investigator Sister Helsing taught. :) We brought the Buchanon family with us, and it was so great!! I was even able to see Sister Hay--tender mercies! :) Never forget the power of faith in Jesus Christ in all you do. Let His light shine through you. Believe Him that He can make you worthy, strong, and and incredible instrument in His hands. Love, Sister Budge I am doing so well! I am so excited for Friday--we have a leadership training with Elder Martino from the quorum of the seventy on Friday. :) Also, I just love Sister Helsing, :) I love serving the Lord here in the Wellington Ward, and I definitely see His hand every day in my life. We were able to meet with Arianna again--haven't been able to the past few weeks. :/ We had the best lesson we have had with her yet. We were able to talk and get out some of her concerns and just talk with her. She is starting to understand the importance of experimenting and reading God's word. She needs prayers, as well!! I know that God lives. Jesus Christ is YOUR Savior, and He can lift you and strengthen you. Through Him, your weaknesses can become strengths. Let Him in. Please never disregard the importance of the little things--STUDYING daily the Book of Mormon and other scripture, SINCERE and HEARTFELT prayer, attending and PREPARING to take the sacrament and learn from the Spirit each Sunday, and living you life obediently and in accordance with His will. He will strengthen you. Love, Sister Budge |