What a wonderful week it has been. :) It's been crazy with much going on, but it has been so good. :) We went on two exchanges this past week, including with the Minden sisters, Sister Boehula, Cottrell, and Harr. It took a lot of pondering and praying to decide how we were supposed to conduct this exchange since Sister Giddins was just there as a companion to Sister Cottrell, Sister Boehula was just here as a companion to me, and Sister Harr hasn't been out of Minden in almost 4 transfers. Also, my last exchange before being assigned an STL was with Sister Cottrell in Minden (she was an STL before this transfer). What ended up feeling right was to have me go to Minden with Sister Cottrell and Boehula, and have Sister Harrr come to Shreveport with Sister Giddins. It turned out wonderfully :) I feel that it happened exactly how it was supposed to. I was able to talk with Sister Cottrell and Sister Boehula for an hour each. I learned some powerful lessons as I worked with them and received guidance on suggestions to give and principles to teach. It's amazing how you can learn just as much from what you teach as those that you are teaching. :) I love the sisters here so much, and once again am so grateful to be learning from my Heavenly Father in this capacity of serving as a Sister Training Leader. The spirit is so powerful. He is a wonderful gift! I'm so grateful that He is always assigned to be my companion.
[Our couple investigators] are doing well, but we need to get them progressing a little faster before Satan starts creating a lot of havic for them. :) They are close to each other and have a future goal of marriage. [The man] seems so much more happy, and I am happy for him. We just need to help them along on the path to make it eternal!
[Our sweet female investigator] is also doing well. She is so strong. I love her spirit and her testimony. She knows, despite opposition from family, that the Book of Mormon will help her. I gave her the 12 days of Christ that my Mom sent me at Christmas time and she was so touched it brought her tears. She just wants to know her Savior :) I am so grateful that I have come to know my Savior so much better. I know Him and my Father so much more and they are real to me.
As I was watching a video on Mormon Messages called "Daily Bread: Experience" by
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, a part of what he said I felt really related to how I feel about the experiences I have had on my mission, and the blessing my mission has been. Talking about a hard time in his life he said,
"When this began happening in my life, my prayer was, 'Give me a miracle,' you know, 'Solve this problem.' And it took a while to finally come to the point of saying, 'I'm content to get a daily help, and let it take what time it takes'... It's been a blessing to me ever since to have had that rather harrowing experience, because of what it meant for my relationship with Him. Maybe the greater blessing for us is to have to walk through it with Him."
That has become my experience on my mission, to "walk through it with Him." I know Him and my Father in Heaven because of that. "Come unto Christ and be perfected IN Him." (Moroni 10:32) One of the definitions in the dictionary for 'in' is 'with.' "Come unto Christ and be perfected [with] Him." If you want to know how to walk with Christ, watch the video I quoted, dive into your scriptures, and ask your loving Father in Heavev. He will let you know :)
I love my Savior! I love my Heavenly Father! I love the Holy Ghost! I know that all three are living beings that love us and want the best for us. Choose to walk through life with Christ, and you will come to know the Father and the Holy Ghost too. Remember who you are - a child of God. Keep smiling and laughing! You are loved!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
This last week flew by. Sister Giddins and I went on exchanges with the two sisters in our apartment, Sister Anderson and Barrow. I love them :) I got to be with Sister Barrow to my area. Sister Barrow has been here in Shreveport since my second transfer here and goes home at the end of this transfer. So all together we will have lived together for 4 transfers! I am so grateful that I have had that time with her. She has taught me so much about loving life, making joy in the journey, and learning the doctrine. We have great conversations and laugh a lot haha :) This exchange was a special one because she is about to go home. I learned a lot of perspective by working with her for a day. She knows the end of her mission is coming and she gets to choose how she will live the last of it. That applies to life too. We know that there will be an end. How are we going to use our time while we have it here?
As I was reading from John 17 this morning it hit me when Christ told His Father that He knew His hour had come and that He had done the work His Father wanted Him to do here. Christ knew His last hours on earth were before Him. Joseph Smith had a similar experience. He knew that His time was coming and that He had done the work the Father had asked him to do here. I thought about that.....when we are close to our Heavenly Father we will know when we have finished the work He wants us to do wherever we are at. That could be at the end of a mission or the end of serving in an area. It could be the end of living somewhere or serving in a particular calling. It could be the end of a job, or the end of a particular school. There are many ends, but thankfully with the perspective of the gospel we know that they are really new beginnings. I feel strongly that if we stay close to our Heavenly Father, we will know when an end is before us. We will know that we have done the work that He wanted us to do, and we will be prepared for what is next. I have felt that as I have served in this mission, and I know that it is true for all of us in all of our lives.
This last week was a lot of finding, but I am so happy because I achieved my tracting goal, and we met a lot of wonderful people. . . . I have been blessed to hear about the people in Florence and they are doing so well! It is blooming there and I feel so blessed that I was able to serve there with those people when and how long I did.
I know that our efforts are not wasted! Keep going! Love you all!
As I was reading from John 17 this morning it hit me when Christ told His Father that He knew His hour had come and that He had done the work His Father wanted Him to do here. Christ knew His last hours on earth were before Him. Joseph Smith had a similar experience. He knew that His time was coming and that He had done the work the Father had asked him to do here. I thought about that.....when we are close to our Heavenly Father we will know when we have finished the work He wants us to do wherever we are at. That could be at the end of a mission or the end of serving in an area. It could be the end of living somewhere or serving in a particular calling. It could be the end of a job, or the end of a particular school. There are many ends, but thankfully with the perspective of the gospel we know that they are really new beginnings. I feel strongly that if we stay close to our Heavenly Father, we will know when an end is before us. We will know that we have done the work that He wanted us to do, and we will be prepared for what is next. I have felt that as I have served in this mission, and I know that it is true for all of us in all of our lives.
This last week was a lot of finding, but I am so happy because I achieved my tracting goal, and we met a lot of wonderful people. . . . I have been blessed to hear about the people in Florence and they are doing so well! It is blooming there and I feel so blessed that I was able to serve there with those people when and how long I did.
I know that our efforts are not wasted! Keep going! Love you all!
Monday, June 16, 2014
The Lord's Mission
Today I have very little time, and yet so much to say. This last week was wonderful in so many ways! Going to my first Mission Leadership Council (MLC) was so humbling and uplifting. I know that the Lord is running this mission, and am so grateful to sit in a council to feel that and see that. I know the Lord directs all of His work, and that each of us serves in a part of His mission. We are all called, as we accepted His invitation to Come unto Him and chose to enter the waters of baptism. I know that He will lead us to where we need to be and what we need to do if we will turn to Him and listen for the Holy Ghost. I have a stronger testimony of the purpose and role of the Holy Ghost, and that we need to know Him, just like our Savior Jesus Christ, if we are to follow our Heavenly Father. I know this church is true and I love it! :)
Monday, June 9, 2014
One by One :)
This last week was one of great joy! [Our wonderful investigator] was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a happy man :) I have so much respect for him and am so grateful that the Lord allowed me to get to know him as my brother. It has been a wonderful journey with him, and I am blessed to get to see it go even further while I continue to serve here in Shreveport. It was also special because Sister Boehula got to come back for the baptism along with her two companions (Sister Cottrell and Sister Harr) from Minden! It was a wonderful service, and I feel that [this brother] really understands the purpose of the gospel and Jesus Christ, our purpose as missionaries, and his purpose as a son of God. It was wonderful :)
We also had 3 investigators - besides [the one who was baptized] - come to church on Sunday! It was wonderful! They are all doing great and overcoming challenges as they come closer and closer to Christ.
Sister Giddins and I also had a great experience teaching mission prep yesterday. We went into young womens and young mens during church to announce it, and we had 4 from our ward show up! It was great! It's a stake mission prep class, so we also had 2 others come from another ward.
I'm still really pondering the phrase "one by one" or "ministering to the one." It's been on my mind all week and we applied it in mission prep yesterday as we only took about 15 minutes of the hour we had to open and do a "lesson." Then we broke off into threesomes - 2 youth and one missionary - until the last 10 minutes. The youth got to practice talking to each other about the restoration as if they were talking to a non member friend. Throughout the practice they could ask the missionary questions or for help. I got to observe all three groups as we had one extra missionary. It was amazing how they opened up when they were in a small group with one missionary and one friend. The spirit was strong in the room and I knew that the Lord was teaching each one what they needed at that time. I could feel the strength of these youth and felt such excitement for what they will do to change the lives of many ones.
I know that the Lord truly does minister one by one. I am gaining a strong testimony of that fact, and how it happens. I am learning how to apply that principle to my life as I interact with investigators, members, and missionaries. I know that this principle is so important. As I read this morning from the account in 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon about when Christ came to visit the people here in the Americas, it talks about how He visited with them one by one. It says,
"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:
Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."
Later we read that there were 2500 people there...that's a lot! As I pondered what this experience must have been like, the thought came to mind, One minute with the Savior one on one would have more impact than a day of listening to Him in a crowd. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father work with us and love us one by one, and truly it is the "small and simple things" that let us know of this one-by-one love.
I hope that we too can love one by one. If we could do that, barriers would fall, peace would abound, and understanding would increase. I know this is important to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As Elder Rasband said in a talk in Oct. 2000, "Perhaps never in the history of mankind do we need to be serving on a one-by-one basis more than we do now."
I love each one of you very much, and hope to love you better. I know our Heavenly Father is aware and cares about our individual needs and circumstances. I hope that we will each ponder a little bit more so that we can do those "one-minute" things that will help us to love one by one.
We also had 3 investigators - besides [the one who was baptized] - come to church on Sunday! It was wonderful! They are all doing great and overcoming challenges as they come closer and closer to Christ.
Sister Giddins and I also had a great experience teaching mission prep yesterday. We went into young womens and young mens during church to announce it, and we had 4 from our ward show up! It was great! It's a stake mission prep class, so we also had 2 others come from another ward.
I'm still really pondering the phrase "one by one" or "ministering to the one." It's been on my mind all week and we applied it in mission prep yesterday as we only took about 15 minutes of the hour we had to open and do a "lesson." Then we broke off into threesomes - 2 youth and one missionary - until the last 10 minutes. The youth got to practice talking to each other about the restoration as if they were talking to a non member friend. Throughout the practice they could ask the missionary questions or for help. I got to observe all three groups as we had one extra missionary. It was amazing how they opened up when they were in a small group with one missionary and one friend. The spirit was strong in the room and I knew that the Lord was teaching each one what they needed at that time. I could feel the strength of these youth and felt such excitement for what they will do to change the lives of many ones.
I know that the Lord truly does minister one by one. I am gaining a strong testimony of that fact, and how it happens. I am learning how to apply that principle to my life as I interact with investigators, members, and missionaries. I know that this principle is so important. As I read this morning from the account in 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon about when Christ came to visit the people here in the Americas, it talks about how He visited with them one by one. It says,
"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:
Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."
Later we read that there were 2500 people there...that's a lot! As I pondered what this experience must have been like, the thought came to mind, One minute with the Savior one on one would have more impact than a day of listening to Him in a crowd. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father work with us and love us one by one, and truly it is the "small and simple things" that let us know of this one-by-one love.
I hope that we too can love one by one. If we could do that, barriers would fall, peace would abound, and understanding would increase. I know this is important to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As Elder Rasband said in a talk in Oct. 2000, "Perhaps never in the history of mankind do we need to be serving on a one-by-one basis more than we do now."
I love each one of you very much, and hope to love you better. I know our Heavenly Father is aware and cares about our individual needs and circumstances. I hope that we will each ponder a little bit more so that we can do those "one-minute" things that will help us to love one by one.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
One-derful week :)
This has been another impactful week, but not in a physical way like last time :) Like I said last week, last Monday was Zone Conference (a week ago yesterday). After the Conference President always stays at the building until everyone who wants to talk with him has had the opportunity to. Boy was I surprised when he called me to come and talk with him for a minute. He told me that they were going to give me the assignment this next transfer of being a Sister Training Leader (STL).
For those of you who don't know what a Sister Training Leader is, it's a new leadership position they started in the past couple of years since the flood of sister missionaries came out. We go on exchanges with all of the sisters within a given area each transfer, kind of like zone leaders. There are five sets of STL's in our mission, so we cover a pretty large area, but I'm not sure exactly how many sets of sisters....at least 6, but I'll find out :) We also go to a missionary leadership meeting each month where all of the STL's, Zone Leaders, and Assistants to the President meet with President McDonough in Mississippi. As STL's our "job" is to take care of the sister missionaries and make sure they have the help, support, and love that they need as they carry out their missionary service.
I am excited for this new assignment, and feel very humbled. I know that the Lord has been giving me experiences to help me with it, and I hope that I will have the strength to do His will, His way. I know that all of the craziness that I have gone through the past few transfers dealing with scheduling and being busy has been in prep for this assignment. I feel confident that I have been prepared and that the Lord will be with me, and I am humbled that He is allowing me to serve in this way. :)
The good news that comes with this new assignment is that I am actually staying in Shreveport! The STL's for our area have been staying in Minden, about a 45 minute drive from us, but President has been wanting to move them to Shreveport for a little while. So I will be staying here and Sister Giddins will be joining me. She was already an STL, so she will be "training" me in all that we do. She is from Orem, UT, so not too far from my home! :)
Training really does remind me of having kids....You "raise" them and teach them what you know (spiritually, mentally, physically), and do your very best to help them have all that they need so that they can confidently go out and serve. When the time draws near for them to go (or sometimes in the mission you go), you think back and wonder if you've really done all you could to "raise them right" and put them on a path that will lead them to greater happiness and strength and success. You hope that your efforts have been enough, and that your weaknesses haven't gotten in the way. And now as I watch her go, I feel a peace that I have done what I needed to do. She bore her testimony on Sunday, and it was so powerful. So many people in our ward had never heard her voice before, but that day so many of them did and it was powerful. Many of us were crying - including me. She has a quiet strength and power and hits your heart and warms your soul. She will do great things. :)The good news about Sister Boehula is that she is only going to Minden! So she won't be that far, and she will be in the group of sisters I look over! :) She will be companions with Sister Cottrell and Sister Harr - both awesome sisters! So they will be in a trio! Sister Anderson and Sister Barrow are both staying, so that means Sister Barrow will be "dying" here in Shreveport...meaning she will finish her 18-month mission here. :)
With all of that hovering in my mind this last week, it was hard not to tell anyone, but I kept my mouth closed until transfer calls on Friday. :) It's been a week of much pondering and preparation.
Other good news, [one of our investigators] is going to be baptized this Saturday! He is fantastic. I haven't had a more dedicated investigator. He is committed and already lives a very Christ-like life. We are so excited for him! The cool thing too, is we actually first found him when I was on exchanges with Sister Giddins, and now she will be here for his baptism! It's also possible that Sister Boehula will get to come because they live less than an hour away. Hopefully she does! But we are so excited for [this wonderful man]! :)
I also realized that I didn't say anything about [the woman investigator that was supposed to be baptized] last week. We have had to push her date out for some personal reasons, but she is still on board and still going strong. :) Her date is now August 2nd and we are so excited for her :) Sister Boehula has had a great impact on her. It's awesome to see people you love come closer to their Savior, especially when you get to see the Lord work through you. It feels so good...it is true happiness. :)
There are also many other potentials, and I know there are more people we haven't found yet. I feel that they are out there, and that I still have a job to do here in Shreveport. I'm so glad to be staying another transfer and pray that I will have the strength to work hard and find the ones - the ones that need the gospel and are ready to listen and live it. I love what Elder Bednar said. In an article in the March 2014 Ensign it said, "During a visit to England in 2011, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said when members of the Quorum of the Twelve minister, they seek individuals, following the 'one by one' principle found in the Book of Mormon (see 3 Nephi 11:15; 17:21) and helping 'to lift, to bless, to do something to help an individual or a family.' Elder Bednar added: 'While I’m in England, the Lord sent me to find a one, and along the way I get to participate in a bunch of meetings, and maybe some good will be done. But the keys of the kingdom were sent here to find a one. You don’t talk to a congregation; you talk to assembled ones.'”
I love that last part..."You don't talk to a congregation; you talk to assembled ones." That is one of my new goals - to minister to the one; to find the one. I know Heavenly Father loves each one of us, and has sent His son, Jesus Christ, to atone for us that we might live again and be with Him.
May you all have a One-derful week as you remember your Savior! I love you!
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