How Does Sister Harris Feel About the Atonement?

Sister Harris' cousins, who live in Arizona, teach a stake missionary preparation class. They asked Sister Harris to share her feelings on the atonement so they could share her thoughts in a lesson for their class.  Here are her responses:

 - How has the Atonement blessed your life? 

The Atonement has blessed me life because it has helped me see that I can change.  One of the most important things to me is growth, getting better, overcoming weaknesses, and sometimes doing that by myself seems like a daunting and absolutely hopeless task.  But particularly during my mission, and I have turned my challenges over to the Lord and asked for the power of the Atonement to help me, strengthen me, and to change me, I find that there have been miracles worked within myself and through me that I know could not have been done at all by just me alone.  The Atonement has helped me realize that I can change and that I can do good wherever I am.

 - How has the Atonement blessed the lives of those you serve?

The Atonement has done so many things for the people I teach.  Virtually no one in Japan is Christian, and so as we teach, we often give these people their very first image of Jesus Christ, a loving older brother who wants to help us, who has already prepared a way for us to find peace and forgiveness and to live with Him and our families forever.   Even for those who are reluctant to believe (which are many), this message of the Atonement has brought a light and peace into their lives unlike any they have ever experienced.  It helps people who are lonely to know that they are not alone.  It helps people who feel like they are past help to receive guidance.  It helps people that no one has ever paid attention to, who have absolutely nothing, and know very little, become better people, people who are happy and know they are loved.

 - What would you like these young men and women to understand about the Atonement as they prepare for missionary service?

There is no limit to the Atonement, and it is just as much for the missionary (maybe more!) as it is for the investigator.  Learning to rely on it is a process, but the Lord can do his own work, and through the Atonement, He strengthens us, and gives us tools to help us get his work done. The Atonement can help with any problem at all that we have and Christ is always there.