"A testimony is spiritual knowledge of truth obtained by the power of the Holy Ghost."- David A. Bednar
This weekend we were able to witness the baptism of 4 sons and daughters in the Mansfield ward. It was truly a great experience!
This week has been great with preparing the kids for their baptism. Their mother was so excited and was inviting everyone that she could send a text to. It was so great to see her excitement for her children. Although none of her family was able to come to the baptism or confirmation, the baptismal service looked like a sacrament meeting; there were so many people that came to support these wonderful people in their decision to follow Jesus Christ and take upon themselves His name.
We were able to have a lot of less-actives come, one including Sis. Mills. We decided to go and check on her Saturday morning, and she answered the door frantically exclaiming that she "wasn’t ready yet." Sister Dana and I looked at each other confused and just listened to what she had to say. She then proceeded to ask what time the baptism was at and then all things started to make sense. We told her that it started at 6 and that we just wanted to check up on her but that we would be back later to pick her up. As we were leaving, we both were laughing because we had totally forgotten that we have invited her to come. She has not been to church since the 80's and when she walked in the doors, many members who were there when she was baptized were shocked to see her. It was a great experience for her though because it reminded her of her own baptism.After the actual ordinance took place, Tracey, the kids’ mother, was crying. We had talked to her earlier this week about a goal for baptism, and she said that she wanted to shoot for November 8th. Well, Saturday night sealed the deal! Everyone was asking her when she was going to get baptized, and she would say confidently, "November 8th!" A member in the ward hosted an "after party" to celebrate the choice that these individuals made, and it was a great opportunity for these new members to meet and mingle with members in the ward; it was also great for the less-actives to get more acquainted with the members.
We were also able to talk to Tracey last night about working towards her baptismal goal and some of the things that she needed to do before then, and one of the things was get married. The Spirit guided our conversation, and we were able to set a goal for her to be married on November 1st and then be baptized the week following. We are so excited for her and have a plan in place to get things started going!
There is so much more that I want to talk about this week, but there are a few things that have been on my mind this week as we have helped God's children enter into the fold and also as we were asked to help teach Relief Society about pass-a-long cards. I really want to encourage you all to think of one individual, friend, acquaintance, or even a colleague that you know that could benefit from the treasured truth that you cherish and know. Each of the 4 baptisms that took place this last Saturday were not done by missionary efforts; they took place because members of the church OYM'd (Open Your Mouth). Treyvon and Ak-elee started coming because their neighbors invited them to cub scouts. Merilyn was baptized because a member struck up a conversation with her in line at the dollar store about family history. Cheryl was baptized because a member in our congregation started befriending her and slowly but surely started getting into some gospel related topics that led to coming to church and ultimately becoming a member. All of the instances happened because someone held to their baptismal covenants, all because some members were an example of Christ. All because some members took the initiative to invite. Friends and family... it is truly so simple. For those who are not members, you really need to learn of this! I urge you to ask questions! That is how the gospel was restored to the earth. I know this to be true! I know that the covenants that we make are true and sacred. We truly can show forth our love for God by "keeping His commandments" every single one of them. Again, I strongly encourage you all to OYM- Open Your Mouth. There are many people around you that are looking and waiting. Post things on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram (if you know how to). Tell people what you are doing and what you learned at church. I promise you that you will find someone who is anxiously waiting and looking.
I love this gospel so much. I know that it is the one true church on the earth today. I have the blessing to see firsthand what peace, light, and happiness it brings to individuals and families lives. I know that it can bless you all so, so much. I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet today and that he is called by God to lead this church during these Latter-days. I love you all so much, and I love my job!
-- Sister Gale
Sunday, October 26, 2014
October 21, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
October 14. 2014
"On the other side of that veil there are angels riding with their chariots of fire to be a protection for your child."
- Jeffrey R. Holland
Let me tell you, for those
that have not served a mission, there is no such thing as "normal;" in fact, "normal" is just a setting on the dryer!
We had our serious talk with Tracey on Monday night, and it went so great! Sister Dana watched the kids while Sister Anderson and I talked to Tracey about how we weren’t going to go through with the baptism unless she was going to be there to support them and help them every step of the way. Sister Anderson even laid it out there saying that she wasn’t going to take them to the interview unless Tracey came with them. Well, I will tell you that the Spirit definitely guided that conversation because we were able to be bold but also super loving. There were tears shed between Tracey and I, and we were able to talk to her about the importance of baptism, how this step will change her children's lives forever. She finally understood, and every day this week she has been there for the lessons, she came to the interview, she came to church, and she is now inviting everyone to their baptism this Saturday. She is awesome, and I know that the Lord needed her to hear specific things that evening. I am grateful that Sister Anderson and I could be the instruments that he used that evening.
We also were able to have a great lesson with Sister Price- two actually. She always signs up to feed us, and when we share our messages with her, we are helping the kids learn in a different way and help her as she brought herself back to church. We shared a really powerful message about visions that pertained to General Conference, and that led to the importance of knowing God's Plan of Salvation. She told us that she had forgotten about this Plan and asked us to re-teach it to her and her children. We are going through everything using the scriptures as reference for her and the kids. It has been great and has given me the opportunity to do a lot more studying on it all!
Wednesday night was a great night but also a little scary. The previous Wednesday at our missionary coordination meeting, I was asked by our Ward Mission Leader to make sure that both he and the bishop were adhering to the guidelines in Preach My Gospel. I was so happy that he gave me that responsibility but I also was a little nervous because I know that there were some changes that NEEDED to be made. So I talked to the other missionaries, and we decided that if questions were asked, we would all support one another and I would bring it up by saying, "May I return and report on an assignment given to me last week?" They were responsive to it and really grateful that we all brought it to their attention!
The next day was a little crazy! ... I went to Marion on exchanges, and we had a great day planned with lots of appointments! Well, I will tell you that the reason why missionaries are so exhausted is because they experience EVERY type of physical exhaustion known to man! Not only is there physical, spiritual, and mental exhaustion but also emotional. In one day I was angry, happy, mad, excited, sad, patient, glad, frustrated... and the list can go on and on. It was a day that I will never forget because we had one member who is a recent convert that is literally losing her mind! She was yelling at us because the care home that she was living at was not answering her questions. We had a 6 minute appointment with someone because she pushed back the time, and it took us forever to sit down and get started. We got anti's super bad! (I’ll get to that story in a minute), and we met a lady who also is a recent convert. She started smoking again, and she asked why she shouldn’t be allowed to? What else is there after baptism? We told her that there is the temple to work towards, and she responded, "Oh ya..." Haha it was so funny! Needless to say, she is going to quit smoking and work towards that!
So the anti story... we had to leave our 6 minute appointment on time because we had this appointment planned with someone at the church. Right when we pulled up to the church, we got a text from the investigator saying that they couldn’t make it anymore to which we responded, "Well the member is on his way to your house right now." He texted back saying that he will follow the man to the church then. So when he pulled up, he had two other men with him. Sister Nalls decided that we should give them a chapel tour and everything was going great! We were in the chapel explaining what all went on in this part of the building and then they just wanted to talk in there. Well, we decided that it would be more respectful to go into the other room and talk, so once we got all the chairs set up in a circle we sat down. Within one second they went crazy! I swear they planned to just come in and disrespect the Prophet Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, and everything else that we believed. They jumped to so many conclusions and then would ask questions but not give us time to respond. They also kept quoting things from the Bible, and finally Sister Nalls said "What is the greatest commandment?" They responded, "To love the Lord thy God." And right after that, she said, "And what’s the second greatest commandment?" They just looked at her, and she said "Do you love me right now?" And they just went off saying that she is choosing to feel offended and how the guilty take the truth to be hard... blah blah blah... Sister Nalls said that she wasn’t offended but that she felt completely unloved at the moment. It was getting intense, and the Spirit was completely gone. We are commanded that when the Spirit isn’t there, we shall not teach. I finally had enough of them and said, "You know, this is completely uncalled for. We didn’t invite you into our church building to tell you that you are wrong. We invited you in here to learn about what we love and know to be true. If you don’t agree, that is totally fine and completely your choice, but it is not okay to talk like this or act like this in our church and in front of us. It is time for you to leave." I probably could have said it in a lot nicer way, but I was sick to my stomach of how satanic the feeling was in the room. It was crazy! It was not the greatest experience, but I really felt so sad because I completely love them still. It is so hard when people choose to act like that!
On a brighter note, I got back on Friday, and we had Treyvon and Ake'lee's baptismal interview. They passed with flying colors!!! When they each finished with their interview, they had the brightest light in their eyes. Even Tracey noticed a difference! It is going to be a great baptism this week especially since each companionship will be having a baptism. We have the elders with one, the other sisters with one, and then us with Treyvon and Ake'lee! It is going to be so special and so awesome!
We finished off this week with having interviews with our mission president and then being instructed by his wife. I think that it all went well, and President Daines told me that I would be a great lawyer! YES!!! Haha I really enjoy him as our mission president because he is strictly adhering to Preach My Gospel, and that has made things so much easier!
I completely love this work, and I am so grateful for all that is going on! I know that "all things are done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." As we constantly follow the Lord's example and do as He instructs, we will not be led astray, and we will do as He did... serve one another and treat others the way that we would want to be treated. I am so grateful for my amazing family! They are truly wonderful and do so much good in this world! Keep up the great work! I truly love this work, and I love my job!
-- Sister Gale
We had our serious talk with Tracey on Monday night, and it went so great! Sister Dana watched the kids while Sister Anderson and I talked to Tracey about how we weren’t going to go through with the baptism unless she was going to be there to support them and help them every step of the way. Sister Anderson even laid it out there saying that she wasn’t going to take them to the interview unless Tracey came with them. Well, I will tell you that the Spirit definitely guided that conversation because we were able to be bold but also super loving. There were tears shed between Tracey and I, and we were able to talk to her about the importance of baptism, how this step will change her children's lives forever. She finally understood, and every day this week she has been there for the lessons, she came to the interview, she came to church, and she is now inviting everyone to their baptism this Saturday. She is awesome, and I know that the Lord needed her to hear specific things that evening. I am grateful that Sister Anderson and I could be the instruments that he used that evening.
We also were able to have a great lesson with Sister Price- two actually. She always signs up to feed us, and when we share our messages with her, we are helping the kids learn in a different way and help her as she brought herself back to church. We shared a really powerful message about visions that pertained to General Conference, and that led to the importance of knowing God's Plan of Salvation. She told us that she had forgotten about this Plan and asked us to re-teach it to her and her children. We are going through everything using the scriptures as reference for her and the kids. It has been great and has given me the opportunity to do a lot more studying on it all!
Wednesday night was a great night but also a little scary. The previous Wednesday at our missionary coordination meeting, I was asked by our Ward Mission Leader to make sure that both he and the bishop were adhering to the guidelines in Preach My Gospel. I was so happy that he gave me that responsibility but I also was a little nervous because I know that there were some changes that NEEDED to be made. So I talked to the other missionaries, and we decided that if questions were asked, we would all support one another and I would bring it up by saying, "May I return and report on an assignment given to me last week?" They were responsive to it and really grateful that we all brought it to their attention!
The next day was a little crazy! ... I went to Marion on exchanges, and we had a great day planned with lots of appointments! Well, I will tell you that the reason why missionaries are so exhausted is because they experience EVERY type of physical exhaustion known to man! Not only is there physical, spiritual, and mental exhaustion but also emotional. In one day I was angry, happy, mad, excited, sad, patient, glad, frustrated... and the list can go on and on. It was a day that I will never forget because we had one member who is a recent convert that is literally losing her mind! She was yelling at us because the care home that she was living at was not answering her questions. We had a 6 minute appointment with someone because she pushed back the time, and it took us forever to sit down and get started. We got anti's super bad! (I’ll get to that story in a minute), and we met a lady who also is a recent convert. She started smoking again, and she asked why she shouldn’t be allowed to? What else is there after baptism? We told her that there is the temple to work towards, and she responded, "Oh ya..." Haha it was so funny! Needless to say, she is going to quit smoking and work towards that!
So the anti story... we had to leave our 6 minute appointment on time because we had this appointment planned with someone at the church. Right when we pulled up to the church, we got a text from the investigator saying that they couldn’t make it anymore to which we responded, "Well the member is on his way to your house right now." He texted back saying that he will follow the man to the church then. So when he pulled up, he had two other men with him. Sister Nalls decided that we should give them a chapel tour and everything was going great! We were in the chapel explaining what all went on in this part of the building and then they just wanted to talk in there. Well, we decided that it would be more respectful to go into the other room and talk, so once we got all the chairs set up in a circle we sat down. Within one second they went crazy! I swear they planned to just come in and disrespect the Prophet Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, and everything else that we believed. They jumped to so many conclusions and then would ask questions but not give us time to respond. They also kept quoting things from the Bible, and finally Sister Nalls said "What is the greatest commandment?" They responded, "To love the Lord thy God." And right after that, she said, "And what’s the second greatest commandment?" They just looked at her, and she said "Do you love me right now?" And they just went off saying that she is choosing to feel offended and how the guilty take the truth to be hard... blah blah blah... Sister Nalls said that she wasn’t offended but that she felt completely unloved at the moment. It was getting intense, and the Spirit was completely gone. We are commanded that when the Spirit isn’t there, we shall not teach. I finally had enough of them and said, "You know, this is completely uncalled for. We didn’t invite you into our church building to tell you that you are wrong. We invited you in here to learn about what we love and know to be true. If you don’t agree, that is totally fine and completely your choice, but it is not okay to talk like this or act like this in our church and in front of us. It is time for you to leave." I probably could have said it in a lot nicer way, but I was sick to my stomach of how satanic the feeling was in the room. It was crazy! It was not the greatest experience, but I really felt so sad because I completely love them still. It is so hard when people choose to act like that!
On a brighter note, I got back on Friday, and we had Treyvon and Ake'lee's baptismal interview. They passed with flying colors!!! When they each finished with their interview, they had the brightest light in their eyes. Even Tracey noticed a difference! It is going to be a great baptism this week especially since each companionship will be having a baptism. We have the elders with one, the other sisters with one, and then us with Treyvon and Ake'lee! It is going to be so special and so awesome!
We finished off this week with having interviews with our mission president and then being instructed by his wife. I think that it all went well, and President Daines told me that I would be a great lawyer! YES!!! Haha I really enjoy him as our mission president because he is strictly adhering to Preach My Gospel, and that has made things so much easier!
I completely love this work, and I am so grateful for all that is going on! I know that "all things are done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." As we constantly follow the Lord's example and do as He instructs, we will not be led astray, and we will do as He did... serve one another and treat others the way that we would want to be treated. I am so grateful for my amazing family! They are truly wonderful and do so much good in this world! Keep up the great work! I truly love this work, and I love my job!
-- Sister Gale
Sunday, October 12, 2014
October 6, 2014
"No cause, no force in the entire world can stop the word of God."
- Thomas S. Monson
Anyways, where to
start with this week... we have had so many great opportunities to serve and
then a lot of disappointments all at the same time. Before I get started, on
Tuesday we had a specialized training all the way in New Albany, and I was
richly blessed to have a dear friend from there meet us for lunch! The training
threw all of us missionaries for a loop... We thought that it was going to be
about Ipads because the leadership had training about how they were going to be
used, but that is not what happened. WE GOT TO WATCH ‘MEET THE MORMONS’!!!!!!
It is a church movie that is being released super soon, and it was so great! It
is truly inspiring and really brings to focus what we believe and who we are.
In fact, it’s been said that there are more people that are open to having
missionaries enter their homes because they now understand just from watching
the video. I want to challenge you all to find someone who is not a member to
go with you to the movie when it is released in theaters. It is so great and
really brings into perspective who we are! Also, there is a tender moment in it
that really was a tear jerker for the missionaries. I love it so much, and I
thought it was great that we actually got to see a movie out on the mission! :)
Now, today, the reason
I am emailing so late is because we had a zone fun-day. We had it outside even
though it was in the 40's. We ran around playing tag, ultimate Frisbee, soccer,
and then to end it we had a huge water balloon fight! It was so fun but
definitely a cold ride home. Luckily, no one got sick, and everyone had a great
time! I love that fact that we get to run around and just get out all of this
energy and be around people that need to do the same thing! Also, I am going to
be soooo sore again... probably this whole week!
We were able to help a
recent convert/less-active in our ward move this week and that turned into an
all-day event. It was sad to see the living situation of this member’s son, but
it was great to move them into a new house where they can have a fresh new
start! We had a lot of fun doing it because all the sets of missionaries were there,
and we wanted to be done by a certain time so we were on a mission to get it
done quickly! It was awesome!
So a frustrating thing
that happened to me this week was not being able to keep morning schedule due
to a dose of Benadryl and some nights Tylenol PM (not taken together though).
Sister Dana and I went to visit a less-active, and the whole time we were
talking with her, I could feel my legs burning. When we got to the car, I could
not stop itching. I went home right away to shower, and I had bites everywhere!
I thought they were just mosquitoes, but they were not like anything that I had
had before. I had to mark them and make sure that they didn’t get worse or
bigger. Then there was one morning that I woke-up and had 10 different bites
leading from the end of my shoulder all the way up to my neck. A member thought
that it was fleas... I felt like a disgusting person because people thought I
had attracted fleas into the house. Well that wasn’t the case, thank goodness!
I don’t know what bite me or anything, I just know that it is now gone, and
after much medicine, I am back to normal! It definitely made for a crazy and
itchy week though! Besides that encounter, we have had a lot of fun teaching
all the people that the Lord has placed in our paths!
Unfortunately,
teaching an entire family of non-members is so difficult that we have had to
drop some of the people that we were teaching because of lack of commitment and
some just having a lack of desire. We had a couple of our investigators decide
to drop us, and there is a part of us that feels like we are back at zero. We
still have 2 people on-date for now... they weren’t able to come to any session
of General Conference because they left and would not answer any phone calls or
any messages. We are hoping to see them tonight at dinner, but we are not sure
what will happen. Today may be the deciding factor of whether or not they get
interviewed for baptism this week, or if we have to push it back... I really
hope that we don’t have to push them back, but we don’t want to bring people
into the church and set them up for failure; they need to know everything that
they are getting themselves into! I have such a firm belief and testimony about
that!
General Conference was
so great, and I am so grateful for the wonderful speakers that spoke and the
light and spirit they so willingly share with the world. I am so grateful for
the many people that we were able to get to come and listen and for the spirit
that they felt. It led us to find 3 new people that are interested in learning
more! :) I completely agree that there is so much we as members of the Restored
Church need to do as we decide to walk as our Savior did when He was here in
mortality. He set the example for us so that we could become perfected in Him
and become like Him. He is the only way to reach eternal life and salvation. I
am so grateful for a prophet that is here on the earth today, just like in old.
God truly is "the same yesterday, today, and forever," and I know
that He is "unchanging". Having this knowledge is truly a blessing,
and we want to share it with everyone so that they too can experience this
lasting happiness that we are able to have! I love this gospel so much! I am so
grateful for the opportunity that I have to wake up every day and share the
light that I feel and know! I pray that we may be willing to share that truth
with all we know and with all we love - our brothers and sisters! I love this
work so much, and I love my job!
-- Sister Gale
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
September 29, 2014
It is amazing how some of the days feel like forever, but when the end of the week comes along, I constantly ask myself, "Where did the time go?!" Sister Dana and I had a pretty successful week where we made some wonderful plans, but no matter where we thought we should be, we always ended up elsewhere.
We went over to Sister Mills’ a couple of times this last week (she is less-active but a great member missionary). She hasn’t been to church in a long time, but she always has people over at her house that she shares the gospel with. When we were over there, we gave her 6 Book of Mormons and ended up committing her to come to the last session of General Conference on Sunday. That is a huge step for her, and we are so excited for her!
Her grandson, Ben, has decided to take things slower than we really wanted. It is really sad because he had such a desire to learn and his daughters really want to come to church, but he is just too tired from work. We have talked to his grandmother who committed to incorporate him in her studies and get him to commit to start learning again.
We were also able to meet with Robbie this week! It has been really rough to meet with him, but when the day came, he texted us and said that he had someone else for us to meet that wanted to learn; it was his girlfriend. It was awesome to be able to meet with her and teach them both the Restoration. The spirit was so strong in the lesson! We committed them to come to church, but unfortunately neither one of them came. We have been talking to them about commitment and covenants, but I think that is something that we are going to have to go over again because we don’t think that they understand the culture of this church versus other churches. I know that all things will work out according to the Lord's will! I just know that it is hard to give up what I want and my timing for His timing! Haha
Oh! Something that was really funny! Our neighbors got married this weekend! The last time we talked to them about marriage they said that they were waiting until 2047, and then all of a sudden, they chose to get married Friday. They came home last month and showed us their wedding rings and the ceremony, and we got to talk to them all about that. It was funny but so great to see their excitement! They are that much closer to baptism now!!! ;) And they don’t even know it! :)
We also had the opportunity to teach Ake-lee and Treyvon. I am pretty sure that I wrote about this last week, but we were able to commit them to baptism for October 18th! We are so excited for them, and we know that they are going to be great assets to the ward. Unfortunately, they come from a pretty rough home life. They spend most of the days at school, and when they go home, they go straight to a member’s house because they don’t like being at their house. It is amazing to see how wonderful these children are and to see their desire to draw closer to their Savior despite their home conditions.
A family that we have been seeing weekly is the Price family. Sis. Price is a wonderful woman who adopted 2 children that had fetal alcohol syndrome. They are a wonderful family, and we have been able to do a Bible study with them every week and help them. We also share a spiritual message with Sister Price every week to help her in any way that we can. I love this family so much, and I don’t know what I would do or where I would be without them in my life.
We were able to have our lesson with Jason's daughter Isabella, and it went great! It is going to be very different teaching her as we are not strictly talking about God. We are helping her with self-confidence and also deciding to make good decisions because that is something that she wants to do. As we teach her, we incorporate the importance of God and other things that will ultimately bring her and her family to church. Since none of them really have any knowledge or background of religion, it is going to be a slow process!
Last night we had a wonderful dinner with the Rivers’ in our ward, and they invited a friend over who we were able to teach and get to know on a more personal level. It was super great! Bro. Rivers did most of the teaching, and that is how it should be because we missionaries leave all the time whereas the members are constant. I am so grateful for the lesson last night and the spirit that was felt!
Well, I am sorry for how scattered this email is but there is a lot of commotion going on around me, and I want to quickly send this because they are restarting all the computers and I don’t want this to be lost so my testimony will come shortly! LOVE YOU!!!!
It was such a wonderful experience to go to the Relief Society Broadcast and hear from some of the General Auxiliary Leaders and President Uchtdorf and hear what all they had to say. I love the spirit that is felt as out appointed leaders talk to us and help us draw closer to our Savior.
The one thing that really stood out to me is the fact that we were given the answer to how to have a rich life!
1) Happiness
2) Joy
3) Love
4) Service
I have really been thinking a lot of about these 4 points and how they make up a rich life. This is how I broke it up!
Point #1: We are truly happy when we are keeping the covenants that we make with the Lord and striving to do what He has commanded us to do. If we are constantly working on coming closer to the Lord, we are able make further promises with Him. In turn, He will bless us with the things that we need.
Point #2: To find true Joy, I always refer to thing that my mother taught me- Jesus, Others, Yourself. As we follow this system and put Christ and others before ourselves, we will be able to "find our best selves" like President Uchtdorf said.
Point #3: Love is charity... Charity is the pure love of Christ. As we look to Christ's teaching and the way that He lived, we can find how to truly love all those around us: our brothers and sisters.
Point #4: "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God." I think this scripture explains this point so perfectly. As we turn to the Lord for help and guidance, we will know how to serve all of those around us!
I am so grateful for General Conference that is coming up this weekend. I am so grateful for the
opportunity that we have to invite everyone to hear from the prophet and apostles and other appointed leaders. I am so grateful to be out here and testify of the Savior and The Book of Mormon. I love you all so much, and I love my job!
-- Sister Gale
We went over to Sister Mills’ a couple of times this last week (she is less-active but a great member missionary). She hasn’t been to church in a long time, but she always has people over at her house that she shares the gospel with. When we were over there, we gave her 6 Book of Mormons and ended up committing her to come to the last session of General Conference on Sunday. That is a huge step for her, and we are so excited for her!
Her grandson, Ben, has decided to take things slower than we really wanted. It is really sad because he had such a desire to learn and his daughters really want to come to church, but he is just too tired from work. We have talked to his grandmother who committed to incorporate him in her studies and get him to commit to start learning again.
We were also able to meet with Robbie this week! It has been really rough to meet with him, but when the day came, he texted us and said that he had someone else for us to meet that wanted to learn; it was his girlfriend. It was awesome to be able to meet with her and teach them both the Restoration. The spirit was so strong in the lesson! We committed them to come to church, but unfortunately neither one of them came. We have been talking to them about commitment and covenants, but I think that is something that we are going to have to go over again because we don’t think that they understand the culture of this church versus other churches. I know that all things will work out according to the Lord's will! I just know that it is hard to give up what I want and my timing for His timing! Haha
Oh! Something that was really funny! Our neighbors got married this weekend! The last time we talked to them about marriage they said that they were waiting until 2047, and then all of a sudden, they chose to get married Friday. They came home last month and showed us their wedding rings and the ceremony, and we got to talk to them all about that. It was funny but so great to see their excitement! They are that much closer to baptism now!!! ;) And they don’t even know it! :)
We also had the opportunity to teach Ake-lee and Treyvon. I am pretty sure that I wrote about this last week, but we were able to commit them to baptism for October 18th! We are so excited for them, and we know that they are going to be great assets to the ward. Unfortunately, they come from a pretty rough home life. They spend most of the days at school, and when they go home, they go straight to a member’s house because they don’t like being at their house. It is amazing to see how wonderful these children are and to see their desire to draw closer to their Savior despite their home conditions.
A family that we have been seeing weekly is the Price family. Sis. Price is a wonderful woman who adopted 2 children that had fetal alcohol syndrome. They are a wonderful family, and we have been able to do a Bible study with them every week and help them. We also share a spiritual message with Sister Price every week to help her in any way that we can. I love this family so much, and I don’t know what I would do or where I would be without them in my life.
We were able to have our lesson with Jason's daughter Isabella, and it went great! It is going to be very different teaching her as we are not strictly talking about God. We are helping her with self-confidence and also deciding to make good decisions because that is something that she wants to do. As we teach her, we incorporate the importance of God and other things that will ultimately bring her and her family to church. Since none of them really have any knowledge or background of religion, it is going to be a slow process!
Last night we had a wonderful dinner with the Rivers’ in our ward, and they invited a friend over who we were able to teach and get to know on a more personal level. It was super great! Bro. Rivers did most of the teaching, and that is how it should be because we missionaries leave all the time whereas the members are constant. I am so grateful for the lesson last night and the spirit that was felt!
Well, I am sorry for how scattered this email is but there is a lot of commotion going on around me, and I want to quickly send this because they are restarting all the computers and I don’t want this to be lost so my testimony will come shortly! LOVE YOU!!!!
It was such a wonderful experience to go to the Relief Society Broadcast and hear from some of the General Auxiliary Leaders and President Uchtdorf and hear what all they had to say. I love the spirit that is felt as out appointed leaders talk to us and help us draw closer to our Savior.
The one thing that really stood out to me is the fact that we were given the answer to how to have a rich life!
1) Happiness
2) Joy
3) Love
4) Service
I have really been thinking a lot of about these 4 points and how they make up a rich life. This is how I broke it up!
Point #1: We are truly happy when we are keeping the covenants that we make with the Lord and striving to do what He has commanded us to do. If we are constantly working on coming closer to the Lord, we are able make further promises with Him. In turn, He will bless us with the things that we need.
Point #2: To find true Joy, I always refer to thing that my mother taught me- Jesus, Others, Yourself. As we follow this system and put Christ and others before ourselves, we will be able to "find our best selves" like President Uchtdorf said.
Point #3: Love is charity... Charity is the pure love of Christ. As we look to Christ's teaching and the way that He lived, we can find how to truly love all those around us: our brothers and sisters.
Point #4: "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God." I think this scripture explains this point so perfectly. As we turn to the Lord for help and guidance, we will know how to serve all of those around us!
I am so grateful for General Conference that is coming up this weekend. I am so grateful for the
opportunity that we have to invite everyone to hear from the prophet and apostles and other appointed leaders. I am so grateful to be out here and testify of the Savior and The Book of Mormon. I love you all so much, and I love my job!
-- Sister Gale
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