October 27, 2013

"For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." 

D&C 25:12

Erin and her companion were helping Sister Tunney move into their new house

This week was really slow unfortunately. We did a lot of tracting, and some of the appointments we did have fell through.  

We were able to take Emerald to a baptism this week, and she really enjoyed it. We have taught her The Plan of Salvation and The Gospel of Jesus Christ; in return, she has been able to teach us those lessons as well from memory. She has told us that she knows that she needs to get baptized, but she said that there is still a lot to learn. We told her that she has been able to teach us some of the lessons very well and that once they gain a testimony, they need to show forth their faith and follow the example of Christ. She knows that she needs to, but she just wants to wait a little longer and learn some more. We are going to be meeting with her even more, and hopefully we can commit her to November 9th for baptism.  

We had a really spiritual experience this week with a lady named Kindra. We were frustrated with tracting because we weren't finding anyone! So one morning we were reading the Pray Often section in Preach My Gospel, and I had a distinct impression that we both needed to pray out loud to our Father. We prayed for over an hour together, and then we got up and went to work. Sis. Hyer felt impressed that we should go visit a former investigator, so we did; he wasn't home. We turned around and Sis Hyer asked me which direction we should go. After 5 minutes I decided to go straight. The first house we knocked on was Kindra. She is a mother of 4 boys, and her husband is always working. She wasn't able to meet with us right away, so we set up a return appointment for the following day (which was Wednesday). We took Sis. Whitted with us, and our 20 minutes appointment turned into an hour long. She was asking all these questions and was soaking up the information about the Restoration. She began asking questions about the Plan of Salvation, so we are teaching her that tomorrow. We haven't been able to get back over to her house because of family coming into town... not my family, unfortunately ;). But we are really excited to teach her! Her children are really active and she wants them to learn, so Sis. Hyer and I are trying to get creative with what and how we should teach her children. They love soccer, so if we can figure out how to teach the Restoration involving soccer then I would consider ourselves All-stars! The crazy thing about Kindra is that I knew her from somewhere... she looked so familiar. Just 2 days ago I figured it out... I had a dream about her 4 weeks ago. I didn’t see her kids, but I saw her face and in my dream she invited us in. HOW CRAZY IS THAT?!? 

Saturday we had the trunk-or-treat for the ward. We were a little late to it, but were able to meet a lot of non-members. None were interested in learning (yet) about the gospel, but they were all great people! We had one of our investigators show up, but she wasn’t very talkative to us... Not a good sign. But after the trunk-or-treat, we still had an hour before we needed to be back home. We went to a former investigator's house, Jennifer Young. The Elders have tried working with her in the past, but she wasn’t really receptive to them. She is a cosmetologist and loves the piano. Well, I love hair and Sis. Hyer loves piano, so Sis. Hyer played piano for an hour while I talked to her about the gospel. I was able to teach her the Restoration, and she loved it. We invited her to church, and she said that she should be able to come but didn’t show up. We are going to meet her later this week, hopefully. Keep her in your prayers! 

We also had the opportunity to meet with Karlene last night. She is a lady that we tracted into, and the first time we met her, she invited us to have Thanksgiving dinner with her and her family. We met her at a Panera yesterday, and we talked about the first part of The Plan of Salvation. She really enjoyed that, but it was still a little hard for her to embrace all this new knowledge. I told her that I have studied this a lot and that she could find all of her answers in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. She said that she definitely would study it. We are meeting with her again on Wednesday to discuss the rest of The Plan of Salvation and then answer any questions that she has. 

I have come to realize my passion for answering questions! I love not knowing an answer and then going home that night and searching and searching some more the next morning during personal study. It is amazing how much information you can find using both the Book of Mormon and the Bible! (kind of a “DUH” moment) I have had the reconfirming knowledge that the Book of Mormon and the Bible go hand-in-hand; both of them preach the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ and they, together, give us the knowledge that we need in this life to learn of what it is that we need to do to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I love my Savior. I love the Atonement. I love the power of God's love, and I love how I can meet someone and right away see them as Christ would and automatically love them. As you all know, I have had a hard time doing this in the past, but now... I see people more clearly through the eyes of Christ. We are all His children!

Sister Gale

October 21, 2013

"And now, my beloved brethern, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have no come thus far save it were by the world of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of hum who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethern, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen."

- 2 Nephi 31: 19-21

Can you believe that it is already my 2 month mark?! It's days like this where I realize how precious time really is, and there isn't time to slack off and mess around. 

Erin in the rain

We had a pretty good week; we only had one new investigator, but we are working with a lot of people right not. Unfortunately, we had to drop Cornell... There are just too many problems that he can't get over, and we have done everything that we can to help him; now he just needs to help himself. We had to break the news to him last night that the Elders and us Sisters weren't going to be able to go over there twice a week anymore because we no longer are helping, and he no longer is progressing. We have been putting this off for a week now, but we had to break the news last night. :( It is so sad to get attached to someone and you can see them dressed in white, and then they're no longer willing to go down that path anymore. Hopefully another set of missionaries will be the exact people that he needs to hear from!
We taught Emerald Wilkonsin a couple of times this week, and she is really feeling and recognizing the Spirit in her life. She has realized now that it is important that she comes to church, so she has decided to come more faithfully. We set a date for November 9th, and she said that she thinks that it is still too soon but will work towards that. She is such a great lady, and I love her to death. Hopefully she continues down this path! :)

Erin with Emerald Wilkonsin

We are also teaching a girl named Nicole Robinson. She is 20, and we were talking about repentance this week. She has mentioned to us that she is trying to change her life around because she realizes that she has made some mistakes in her life. We talked to her about the repentance process, and we gave her a "homework" assignment this last time to help her realize the importance of repentance and how the atonement plays a huge role in it. We demonstrated repentance with food dye and bleach (she is a visual learner), and we told her that when we sin, our sins are as red as scarlet. So we poured bleach into the red water, and it became "as white as snow" exactly how the Lord our God will remember our sins no more. It was a great visual, and it helped her out a lot!

Zone Conference at the Temple

So we had this great idea this week! We have a lady in our ward that lives in an apartment complex where older people are, and they LOVE the piano. Sis. Hyer is super good at playing, so for our service this week, we went to the apartment complex. In the common room, Sis. Hyer played the piano. That got a lot of people out of their rooms, and they sat around the tables. My job was to go up to these people and talk to them about the gospel. IT WORKED!!! We got 3 potential investigators out of it. Two came to church, and one is taking us out to dinner tonight! It’s funny how things like that work out! :)

Erin with Sherri who was recently baptized

We did a tally of all the less-actives that we have in the ward, and it amounts to 86 less active families which is about 170+ people... We missionaries are coming up with a plan on how to get the members more involved in going out and helping their brothers and sisters that have already entered into sacred covenants keep those promises that they made by coming back to church. We are working with the ward mission leader to put this plan into action.

Erin and her companion, Sis. Hyer

I want to finish with a scripture that has been on my mind. 2 Nephi 31:19-21..... The Lord asks if all is done? and he responds Nay... meaning once we have entered into the waters of baptism we have just begun a lifelong process of making and keeping commitments with our Father in Heaven. It is our job as members to help those who have entered into covenants to keep those promises! To keep them close to the Savior and to befriend them. Think about entering a room where you know nobody... it’s hard, scary, difficult, and you just want to leave. That is exactly what these investigators are experiencing. We are asking them to enter a place where they know three people at the most and then to stay in that place for three hours. It is our job as members to befriend them. Show them that they are loved and cared for. We are all family- act that way!

Erin with Sherri's Family

I have such a testimony that it is the missionaries’ job to teach the lessons so that those who are lost can come to find truth. It is up to the members to help those people feel welcome ALWAYS! It is not a two person job; it is an everybody job. Always find ways to help and serve because the work is moving along, and we need to ride the wave rather than ignore it or watch it flow by. Ride it!!! :)

I love you all so much! I miss you all so much!!! But this work is true and needed especially now because the last days are here and happening. Work with each other because the Lord is sending out all that he has. I Love My Job!! :)

Love, 

Sister Gale

Questions with Sister Gale


1. How often do you use the scripture masteries? 

Not all that often... One day, you will have to see the candy land that I made in my scriptures. It is hard to explain over email, but when I get home, you will see what I mean. We use a lot of chapters more than verses. Those are the assignments that we leave with people in regards to whatever questions or problems they are going through. I have a whole list of them because we give them out so frequently.



2. What is the most important concept you have learned in Preach My Gospel? 

Listen! A lot of people are looking for the response before they listen to the whole questions that the investigator has. I have been teaching Sis. Hyer about doing that because she'll start talking before they finish what they are saying. I like to hear what it is that they have to say, think about it for a little bit, and then answer it to the best of my knowledge. There have been many times where I have said, "I am not 100% sure. Let me study it, and I will let you know next time we meet." They really enjoy that because they know that I care about their questions and that I want to answer them to the best of my ability. Most of the time I give them a scripture chase so that they can read from the Bible and Book of Mormon and find the answer for themselves.



3. What was your favorite part of this past week? 

This past week I think I laughed a lot more. I was really active in what was going on with the ward, and we got more members out to teach with us. The members really enjoy coming out with us, and we enjoy their presence. That has made the week a lot better.



4. Where do you go to access your emails on P-Day? 

On P-day we have to go to a public area. We go to a library, and we get one hour to email. Then we go grocery shopping, shopping sometimes (though hardly ever), and then I go home to make a nice healthy lunch and write letters while Sis. Hyer sleeps. Haha! We were going to play volleyball with Sis. Whitted today, but she hurt her calf in a 1/2 marathon that she ran the other day, so we put it off until next week.

October 14, 2013

"There are few things in life that bring as much joy as that comes from assisting another improve his or her life."

Richard G. Scott

A woman in Erin's ward, Leslie Nufer, took this picture. She says, "We are thrilled to have Sister Missionaries in our ward! We love your daughter! Thank you for sending her out to serve. They are wonderful representatives of the Savior!"

This was another great week! Since there are 2 sets of missionaries in this ward, the Elders had two baptisms; they are great people! They were what we call “golden investigators” where the husband read the Book of Mormon in a week and then the wife got on board and fell in love with the church and the people in the church, so they decided that they wanted to get baptized. They are now working towards going to the temple so that they can be sealed for time and all eternity. It is such a great experience to see people want to work towards baptism and the temple!  

Sister Hyer and I have been working with a lady who was recently baptized a couple of months ago, and she is now getting ready to get her temple recommend. We are so excited for her! She thought that she had to wait for her husband before she could go through the temple, but that is not the case so she is meeting with the bishop this week and getting her recommend! :) 

We met 2 solid investigators this week, and I am really excited about them! One of them is Karlene, and we met her out tracting. We talked with her for about 15 minutes, and she was asking about missionaries and if we get to go home for the holidays. We said that we didn’t. Her response was: "We would like to have you over for Thanksgiving." It was such a sweet invitation! I was honestly thinking about the holidays. I knew that we would be taken care of, but it’s weird thinking that it won’t be with family this next year and a half. I was a little sad about it, but it was a great feeling to have someone that you just met invite you over to eat with their family. I think we are going to do it! :)  

We also met Tia who has had the feeling that she needs to get baptized, so Sis. Whitted has been talking to her a bit. We get to go teach her today at 1 pm. Sis. Hyer wasn't too thrilled about taking time out of our P-day and that it's in the middle of the day, but when the work calls, it's time to serve! I'll keep you updated on her. 

We had a really cool experience this Saturday. It was coming down to the end of the day, and we were planning on visiting a former investigator. We pulled up to the apartments, and their house was pitch black. We didn't want to disturb anyone, so we looked around and saw a man out on his bike. We started walking towards him, and he saw that we were missionaries and went into his house, brought out 2 chairs, and told us he wanted to learn more. We started giving the first lesson, and he took the Book of Mormon out of Sis. Hyer's hand and said "I will study this, and come to church tomorrow". Our response was "HOT DOG!" He is from Nazareth and moved to America to live the 'American dream.' I don’t think it has worked out the way he intended, but he came to church and loved it! He stayed for 2 hours and then had to leave, but he wants to meet with us on Tuesday and come to church again! :) 

Cornell isn't progressing the way we hoped for... he didn't come to church, and when we met with him, he said that he just isn't feeling the Spirit. We said that we are going to have the Elders teach him because we don’t know what to really say anymore. It’s sad when you don’t see someone progress anymore... 

We went to the temple on Thursday, and it was great! The Columbus, Ohio Temple is super small but absolutely gorgeous! I will try and send pictures. Transfers are tomorrow, and we are all pretty nervous and excited for them. We have a great zone and we don’t want to lose anyone, so that is the sad part. But the happy part is the fact that we are needed elsewhere, and there is someone that needs to hear our voice! :) 

Well other than that, my week was knocking on doors and trying to find progressing investigators. The ward is great, and we are stressing missionary work now more than ever. We missionaries had a meeting yesterday, and we are doing a fireside on November 14 for all the members to learn how to be a missionary. We are setting up 4 stations that each of us is going to teach. The stations are Commitments, Simplify and Intensify, Referrals, and How to Share Your Testimony in Everyday Situations. This will help the members who come out and teach with us know 1) how to teach, 2) what we as missionaries do, and 3) how to help us missionaries be more effective in this ward! I am so excited to start planning this and progress this work. I know that the Lord is hastening his work and is preparing all to receive his doctrine. Now it is our turn to find those who are prepared and are seeking truth. This work is awesome! The Spirit is real! God is our loving Father in Heaven!  

I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Love,

Sister Gale

October 7, 2013

"The perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Let me start out this email telling you how cold it is! It is in the high 50's today and yesterday it was in the 80's. It rained basically all night so this morning it has cooled off a ton! I can't believe how cold it is and that I am still alive! 

We are going to be putting Emerald on date this week. I think we are going to plan for November 9th. She is a slow learner and she has a desire, but we just need to help her act on that desire, so that is our goal this week! :) I am so excited because we can help bring her closer to Christ. We are also going to start teaching her son, so that will be exciting. He is looking for a house, so we hope that he doesn't move out of our area. Even though we can get other missionaries on him in a new area, it would be great to start the process and complete it!

I want to start off with saying how great General Conference was! I was shocked at how direct they were and yet was excited because some of the investigators we had show-up, needed their talks. The talk I want to emphasize is Elder Holland's talk. 

Erin and her companion went to Mt. Vernon, and there was a carnival going on that takes place every month. The carnival always does a booth about the Church, and usually people get interested and learn about the church. Erin and her companion helped out at the booth and did a really cute game with the kids called "Pin the Tag on the Missionary." Afterwards, the kids got to wear their tag around town.

Saturday morning, we had Cornell all scheduled on coming to every session of General Conference including the priesthood session. We were going to meet at the church and the time was coming close. It was noon and conference was starting, and he was nowhere to be found. We called and texted him to see what was going on, and he didn't respond. Conference started and after about 10 minutes, he texted us an 8 page message breaking contact with us. I was so upset and sad. You develop a love for these people that is so hard to describe, so when he emailed us that he wasn’t going to continue on, I was no longer able to pay attention to conference. I just kept thinking that he has such potential and needs this gospel in his life. Sis. Stephens gets up to speak, and I lean over to Sis. Hyer and told her that we need to go call Cornell right now. So we got up and went outside and called Cornell. The phone rang and rang and rang.... Finally he picked up. We talked for about 30 minutes, and I finally talked him into coming to the 2nd session at 4pm. 

Now I don't remember if I wrote this in the last letter, but Cornell suffers from social anxiety, he is bi-polar, and gets tremors because of the stress. Well he comes to the second session and was kinda-sorta interested, and then Elder Holland gets up to speak. (We all know what he spoke about). I will say I have never heard a talk like that, and it was specific to Cornell's needs. I started to cry because of the directness of the topic and how well it suited our investigator. As he was talking, I would look over at Cornell, and he was listening super intently. One thing that Elder Holland mentioned was the need for a priesthood blessing. After conference, we talked to Cornell about the priesthood again and what a priesthood blessing was. Once we talked to him about it, he got up and asked one of the members in the ward and the Elders for a blessing. We went into the high council room and talked for a little bit, and then he received his blessing. The Spirit was so strong, and he was so grateful that we convinced him to come. Afterwards, Bro. Campbell (the member who he asked for the blessing) invited him over for dinner. We have been praying that a good member would reach out and fellowship Cornell and help him through his challenges. He ended up going to the priesthood session with Bro. Campbell and watched the sessions on Sunday at his house. Saturday night he sent us a text message and said, "Thank you for getting me to come". 

The carnival also had a petting zoo, and Erin took a picture with one of the llamas.

Family, friends, and people reading this.... This is the reason why I am serving a mission. Text messages like that and the help that this gospel brings to every person's life is what keeps me going. Our leaders are called of God, and we are His mouthpiece. Our Heavenly Father knows what concerns we may have and will help us, sometimes through the words of those around us. I know this gospel is true, and I know that this work is the work of God. I have a firm testimony in what the Prophet and Apostles have said, "This IS the time for members and missionaries to work together". Without the help of the members in our ward here in Ohio, many of the investigators would not come to church. Many of those who have been baptized into our ward would not have stayed active. I can't express the importance of this as a missionary. We depend on the members for help because they are going to be more effective than missionaries in some cases. "By the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses" shall this work be done. This is something that I have a testimony of. Let each of us do as President Uchtdorf suggested and bring just one soul unto Christ by Christmas. Many lives will be changed, and many souls will be saved. 

I love and miss you all dearly, but I know that while I am out here, you are being blessed more than if I were home. Keep up the hard work and remember to have fun! :) 

Love you!

Sister Gale







Questions and Answers with Sister Gale

Tell us about some neat places you have been in Ohio so far... 

We haven't really been anywhere in Ohio. We are kinda confined to our areas until we are transferred, so, New Albany is beautiful! This last Friday we went to Mt. Vernon for exchanges. I sent some Amish food home. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. The bakery that I bought it from is the Amish people who converted to our church. They are awesome, and the food is delicious!

What is the weather like in Ohio? Are the leaves changing colors?

It is freezing today, and I have used my umbrella more here than I have the entire time I have lived in Arizona. The leaves are changing colors, and I have tried to take pictures but the pictures don't really grasp the view...it’s beautiful!

Tell us how reciting "My Commission" daily has helped you in your missionary efforts. 

Reciting My Commission by Bruce R. McConkie is a great reminder of the importance of our calling and why we are here serving the Lord. It helps remind me daily that I am bringing souls unto Christ and that this is His work. Without the Savior, none of this would be possible. I love reciting it every morning and thinking about the importance of my calling as a missionary. It truly is the greatest work on the Earth. I love my job!!







What new insight did you personally learn about this past week? 

This past week, I gained a better appreciation for the district leader, zone leaders, and for the leaders of the church. They truly are men called of God and are put in their position as leaders for a reason. I gained a more firm testimony of this church because I know that it is the true gospel. Without the witnesses of his servants, this work would never progress.

One of my zone leaders is out here without any support from any family. He pays his own way and doesn't have anybody email him except for a very few friends. I know that I can’t email him, but I think it would be great for people that he doesn't know to email him and give words of encouragement. 

His email is: jace.abbott@myldsmail.net

Please write him something. And ask others to write him something. I know that he would greatly appreciate it!

Love,

Sister Gale