A WonDEERful Life

This week has been full of such amazing miracles!!!!

First of all, We found a wonDEERful new investigator ;)

 

 

We went on exchanges and I got to serve another day with Sister Herrera! That is three times now! And whenever we serve together it feels like I am being reunited with an old companion :) The Athens Sisters have been running a little low on miles so we would be biking a whole lot on exchanges, which is fine with me because I love biking! Well, one of their investigators named Don asked us to come see him and it was an eight mile bike ride one way to come see him. But of course we went. He lives up this long, windy, very hilly and steep dirt road which made for a very fun adventure haha. We ended up walking up a lot of really big hills, got chased by dogs down a good stretch of the road and I managed to get stuck in the mud. And we ended up having a wonderful visit with Don. We taught some, got to do service and even ate dinner with him. He absolutely could not believe we even attempted biking to his house, and he was kind enough to arrange a ride for us back home :) It was a fantastic day!

 

 

Another amazing thing! A little while ago we were knocking on someone's door who had told us he would like to talk to us later that day, but he ended up not being home. BUT there was a woman sitting on the porch next door and we were able to talk to her! It was actually her mom's house and she isn't usually there (not a coincidence) and she was interested in learning more and said we could come back! Our first lesson with her was amazing! She talked about how she has felt something missing in her life lately, and wants God to be a bigger part of her family's life and basically that what we were sharing with her was an answer to a prayer. She was excited to receive a copy of the Book of Mormon and when she said the closing prayer for our lesson she asked to know if it was true as well as the things we had taught her, without any prompting from us! How awesome is that?! The other night we were in the area and we felt prompted to go see her and we were able to do some service for her as well as meet the rest of her family :) They are so sweet and it never ceases to amaze me how involved God is in the details of our lives. He always leads us exactly where we are needed, to the people who are truly seeking for His gospel. I am so grateful to be a part of this great work! I am grateful I get to meet such special people and help them come closer to Jesus Christ!

The other night added to my list of favorite experiences from my mission :) We had a lesson scheduled with our little friend Aries who is getting baptized soon!!!! When we got there, we were surprised to see so many people in their home. There was about 7 kids in the house haha so we taught them! Aries's little friends were so excited to be able to participate and read from the scriptures. It was a sweet experience, and by the end they were asking if they could come to church too. It was especially neat to see how excited Aries was to tell her friends what she knew and to show them what she was learning. She is so good at inviting :) It really shows how much she does value her testimony and that this is something that means a lot to her :)

 

 

I would like to leave you with a thought about our Savior :) He who gives us strength, whose spirit comforts us and teaches us truth, and who is the founder of peace and the source of all the sweet experiences we have in life. In preparation for Easter, I have been studying about Christ's Atonement, and these words from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland have really stuck with me.

"As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."

Christ's sacrifice is infinite and perfect. He stands by our side, unwavering. The least we could offer in return is to try our very best to be committed to Him, and when we start to waver to call upon Him. I testify that each time we do He will come to our aide. It may seem like a daunting task to commit to being that faithful, always and forever, but the blessings we receive will undeniably outweigh any sacrifice. As we live our lives to stand for Him, as He has laid down His for our sake, we will be able to stand a little taller, be a little better, and live a whole lot happier.

I love you all, just keep smiling!

 

Still Raining!!

 

He Fulfills His Promises

 

 

What a week! We saw some pretty incredible miracles this week. There was a baptism for one of our dear friends Sherry who is just absolutely amazing :) The spirit was so strong and it brought me such great joy to see her make that essential covenant with her Heavenly Father, and then to be confirmed a member of the church the next day. I know God is very pleased with her decision and her life will never be the same again!

The biggest miracle was probably on Sunday. To give you a little background for this story, we have what are called standards of excellence. These standards are set by our mission president through inspiration so we know what is expected of us and to help us push ourselves. It's basically what the Lord has said that members of the Ohio Columbus Mission can accomplish on a weekly basis. We have a standard to have two investigators at church each week. We worked hard all week to try and help our friends come to church but when it came to Sunday we only knew of one person who was for sure coming, which is in amazing in itself. We tried to be so diligent, running around Sunday morning knocking on everyone's doors giving them one last reminder and hopefully some sort of motivation to come. No success. On the way to church we even stopped a few people on the side of the road to invite them. It was honestly pretty comical. The one thing that could be said was that we tried our hardest, so at this point all we had to have faith and expect a miracle. And it came! Our investigator we knew of came to church as planned and then I got so excited when I saw someone I didn't recognize come through the doors. One of the couples in our congregation brought a friend who was able to help us accomplish our goal. The Lord always provides!

Another one of the standards is to have two investigators working towards a baptismal date. Because of circumstances at the end of this last week, we went from three people working towards a date to one and we were panicking! We knew that we were able to reach the standards, we just really didn't know how. It ended up being Sunday night, we only had an hour left of our evening and our success in reaching the standards depended entirely on the decision we made in that moment. So we prayed. We followed the first thought that we both received after that prayer and trusted it to be inspiration. We hurried to our investigator who we had both thought of and had an unplanned lesson on his porch. There was a point where we were both losing faith that this was possible, but by the end of our lesson with him he agreed to pray about the baptismal date we extended! I know that if we had just made a decision that night based on our own understanding we would not have been successful. It was only possible because God told us it was and He showed us how.

I am so grateful for the guidance of the spirit. It is because of him that our loving Father in Heaven is able to provide comfort in our time of sorrow or anxiety, or direction in our time of need and confirmation of truth. I recently finished reading the Book of Mormon again and took Moroni's promise found in the very last chapter that if we are sincere and pray and ask God, with a willingness to act on the answers we receive, God will show us the truth of all things though the Holy Ghost. That promise was fulfilled again as I knelt in prayer and asked God. I can undeniably testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's living and true church on the earth, and that if we allow Him to, God will always guide us to exactly where He needs us to be.

I am grateful to be His hands in helping more of my brothers and sisters come to know these truths as well!

I love you all, just keep smiling!

 

 

Instruments In The Hands Of God

This week has been fantastic! As I told you all, I am no longer serving with Sister Clark. BUT I do get to be companions with the amazing Sister Tobler! She is so much fun, has the most contagious laugh and every day is a party. We are working so hard and seeing so many miracles everyday! I am so grateful I get to be a missionary!

We started off this week awesome with a party for Sister Thompson. It was her birthday this week and the ward and all our friends pitched in and planned a surprise party for her. It turned out simply lovely and she definitely deserves it. She is the most selfless person I have ever met and would give everything she had for those she loves, it was so wonderful to see something that was all about her for once. At one point during the night she says "I don't need all of this, I have amazing friends. What more could a girl need?" Such a great perspective, so much humility and so much love. I hope to grow up to be like Sister Thompson :)

 

 

We had an awesome week working with members! That is how the REAL missionary work happens. First, we received a referral and all it had was a phone number. It turns out that there was a stake conference recently and everyone attending was invited to think about the people they love most, who they would like to see sitting beside them and have the blessing of having the gospel in their lives. They were invited to send that persons name and their contact information to the missionaries. This was one of those referrals. It was amazing how when we first called this man he actually hung up on us. But when we texted him, explaining our purpose and that we were only calling him because his friend had asked us to, he said he would call us later that evening.  And he did! We had a great conversation and he expressed interest in coming to church! The only reason he opened up to us and even agreed to talk to us was because we used his friend's name. Because of the respect he has for his friend and the love that his friend showed by referring him, he was motivated to listen. That is just so amazing to me. Think of the number of our friends that we can help have an opportunity to hear the gospel by simply allowing the missionaries to use our names when contacting them?

This week we also had a Family Home Evening lesson with a family in our ward. It was so much fun to be with them and we asked if we could come again, they said yes. We then asked if next time they would invite a friend to come participate as well, again they agreed. Now, if simply allowing the missionaries to use your name when contacting one of your friends can open so many doors, image the good that can be done when you personally invite your friends to the missionaries!

It does so much good. The difference you can make is insane. 

I would like to share with you these scriptures that come from Alma 26, my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon. This is a man named Ammon speaking who is an amazing missionary. The whole chapter is his expression of the joy he feels because he was able to help his brethren, the Lamanites, receive the gospel and become converted to Christ.

"And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work"

The gospel is the greatest gift I have received in my life. It has brought me so much peace and joy in my life, it has helped me know where I can find hope and direction and has helped me better understand who I truly am. I know that those blessings are universal. Sharing the gospel can really just be giving the greatest gift ever to the people we love most. I know that as we all make the conscious decision to open our mouths, to share what we know to be true and be instruments in God's hands, we can experience that same joy that Ammon describes. 

I hope you all ponder on that and on what you can do to help those you love :) Have a great week and just keep smiling!

I Love Being A Missionary!!!

This week was so great! We were incredibly busy and it was wonderful! We had three exchanges this last week, plus our missionary leadership council which are both things I love about being a Sister Training Leader! So it was a week full of learning and the spirit!

I'm going to start off with some pretty sad news though. Sister Clark will be transferred :( she has become one of my best friends, and I am so grateful that God knew I need her in my life. She is such a special person, so strong, loving, big hearted, funny, nurturing, and just a beautiful person. She has such a strong testimony and is a light to everyone who has the pleasure of interacting with her. She is going to do amazing things wherever she goes, I am sure going to miss her a lot though!

 

Probably the highlight of the week though was this Monday evening, we just saw so many miracles! We were out a little ways in the country and Sister Clark noticed a place on the map she had never seen before and we felt like we should go. When we get there and got our of our car,  a man was yelling at us from his porch trying to figure out who we were and where we were going. I'd be a little concerned too if two strangers were parked out front on a street that probably doesn't get many visitors. We explained and went on our way. The first person we talked to had met missionaries before and gladly asked us back for a lesson, it was awesome! Then we met his neighbor who was excited to "blow our minds." She told us all about how she has relatives who are members of the church, and her family goes way back. She even named her kids after figures in early church history. She was excited to tell us that she has a Book of Mormon and what she knows about the church. She wasn't interested in learning more right now, but I know our interaction was a very positive one and maybe down the road something will come out if it. 

As we were walking to our car Sister Clark had the impression to knock on the door of the man who yelled at us from his porch. Talk about awkward. But we did it and it turned out to be such a cool experience! He was so nice, and hilarious. He let us know that we have him quite a fright and he actually pulled a gun on us when he was yelling at us, pretty sure he was serious. But he let us right in and we were able to talk with him and his whole family! A FAMILY! It was so awesome! His daughter was excited to show us her children's Bible and was very interested in listening as well as we taught them the Restoration. It was such a sweet experience!

I love being a missionary! I love having the opportunity to teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone we meet, to help people know who they truly are, and unite families. Everyday I think "Wow! How great is my calling!" I am so grateful that I have been placed here and given so many wonderful opportunities to share my testimony. I am even more grateful to know that those opportunities will never cease, no matter where I am in life. 

I love you all! Never be afraid to open your mouth, and just keep smiling!

 

 

Free To Choose Liberty and Eternal Life

I can honestly say I have never been happier! One of my favorite things about life is being able to say a sentence like that, and then the next day being able to say it again. It is definitely all dependent on our choices, especially the choice of how we view the world around us and what we choose to do with our circumstances. It in no way takes away from the amazing experiences I have already had, it just keeps building on them. My goal for my life is that I never have to settle for what I have already had, that everyday is a little better than the last, because God helps me be a little better than I was the last.

I want to share with you some of the highlights from the week :)

First we had exchanges! I spend the day with the amazing Sister Rolfson! She was also trained by Sister Speakman, so we are basically sisters :) Our focus for the day was talking with everyone and it was a perfect day for it! It was so nice out we got to bike and see so many people outside! With this focus for the day, we also learned a lot about receiving and acting on guidance from the spirit. I cannot tell you how many times we saw God put us exactly where we need to be which always came about by the simplest of means, the smallest change in our plans or a seemingly insignificant choice. But like I said earlier, our choices mean everything. Will we choose the right, or not? Will we follow the subtle nudge from the spirit, or not? One of these experiences happened just before we were going in for lunch. We felt like we needed to see someone a little out of the way, which also meant we would be biking home a different way than we originally planned, which was a little longer than the other route. But we followed that nudge. The person we went to see wasn't interested in talking, so we kept on going home. We were almost there, and instead of continuing to the end of the street we were on and then turning, we cut through a parking lot. I thought I was just trying to do something safer than biking on the busy road, but I realized later I had received that thought so we could meet Mistie. She was outside on her break from work, and luckily we also followed the nudge to go talk to her because she was interested in learning more and became a new investigator! So many little choices led up to that, and I know that it wasn't by any coincidence.

My other highlight of the week was Zone Conference! Remember how I said every experience builds on the last? Well that's exactly how this Zone Conference was. I have been talking a lot about my experience studying my patriarchal blessing and realizing more fully the person God knows I can be. At this conference I was reminded that I don't have to wait to become that person. I am that person right now, and I have the opportunity every moment of the day to either choose to be her or to let Satan and the natural man win. To choose to be the victor or the victim. I have the opportunity to make that choice because of Jesus Christ.

 

"26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;"

These verses from 2 Nephi 2 in the Book of Mormon have really meant a lot to me lately. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ. I can testify to you that He is our Savior. He provided an infinite Atonement so that we can be free to choose. Because of this great gift, we don't have to settle for being less of who we want to be, for unhappiness, for guilt, for insecurities, for uncertainty. Every minute of every day we can choose to turn to Christ, to follow the spirit, escape captivity and death, have joy, have confidence, receive eternal life, or not. I am so grateful for the great gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ because it changes my life everyday.

I love you all! Make your choices count and just keep smiling!