The POWER of TESTIFYING! - Monday, February 24, 2014

Hey family!

How is everyone doing?? That's good...

Well this week was awesome! We set 2 baptism dates this week. One for another member of the Blanco family, and one for this High School kid named Josh. It's pretty sweet. Although... My companion gets really shy. We prepare in the morning like we both teach and we both trade off principals. Then in the actual lessons, he just freezes when it comes to him, so I end up teaching all the whole lessons. So this week, I thought it would be a good idea for him to teach Gospel Principals. It was pretty rough, and we all had to help him through it. The lesson was on prayer. Then, at the end we asked him how prayer has affected him in his life and he shared this awesome testimony about how just the night before he was praying and he told God that he missed his Grandpa. He shared that he could tell that his Grandpa was right there putting his hand on his back. The Spirit was so strong, and everyone got emotional. It was awesome! 

We are so much more effective as missionaries when we realize that our job is not to teach, that's the Spirits job. Our job is to testify. That will be much more powerful to people than just blabbering and teaching and lecturing points of the Gospel. So that was awesome! I could tell Elder Petersen grew a lot after that. Anyways, we haven't been able to meet with the Cool Church people at all this week, but we had a lot of set up appointments this week, which is great!

In my last area, all everything was, was tracting and trying to find. It was brutal. But this area is great! The Members are on board with missionary work, the ward council is functional, and the work is growing!   I love everyone and hope all is going well at home! 

God's Will...Do YOU Have Faith In It? - Monday, February 17, 2014

Hey family!

So I forgot my glasses today, so forgive me if I misspell something or mess up on a word - haha!

So last Saturday, Jessica was baptized. It was awesome! Then yesterday, I did the confirmation, which was a pretty cool experience. Next week, we have Susan being baptized. I'm excited for that! 

So this week, we got a call from the mission office, and they gave us this information for a guy in the hospital. He isn't a member, but his son is, so we called the son and set up a time for us to go give a blessing to his dad. He was in the late stages of Parkinson's disease. So we went there and he was pretty out of it. I gave him a blessing, and Elder Petersen anointed. The son told us to come back the next day and give a quick message to his dad. So the next day we were on our way to the hospital and I called his son just to confirm the appointment and he told me that his dad passed away that morning. So that was an awkward phone call, and I got pretty depressed that the blessing didn't work. Although, I did bless him that his trials would be short.... hmm. Anyways, it just made me think a lot about what Heavenly Father has in store for each one of us. He has a plan for each one of us. Sometimes, we are brought into intense trials because we need to humble ourselves. Other times, we may experience a death in the family, but it is God's will. Which means, that sometimes a family member can better help their family in the Spirit World more than they ever could here.....or at least that's what I think it means. But it's all God's will and His plan.

The Priesthood has the power to heal according to someone's faith and humility, but God's will trumps all.  I heard a talk by Elder Bednar who said that he gave a blessing once and he felt prompted before the blessing to ask "Do you have the faith not to be healed?" Meaning, does someone have the faith to submit themselves to whatever the will of the Father is. I just thought that was interesting.

During personal study this week, I studied and pondered a lot on the Atonement. I think it is incredible how I owe Him everything, and yet he has and continues to give me everything. It just strengthens my testimony of the love the Savior has for me and each one of us individually. All he asks is for a sincere heart and a contrite spirit.

This week we tracted a lot to find some new people to teach. Guess who we tracted into!! The pastor of the "Cool Church"! Members have told me he lives in this area, and they're a great family, but it totally caught me off guard. Earlier this week we tracted into their house, and his wife was there. She's super cool. She said stop by anytime this Thursday through Saturday. So we stopped by Thursday night, and they had company, but she said, "my husband is a pastor at the Cool Church, so we aren't interested in debating religion, but if you ever need any dinner or anything, you are welcome anytime." So they were cool! I guess that's why they started the cool church... anyways, we are going to be aaaall over that. We'll have dinner, and then we'll just share a message that we've come to know is true. No debating at all! :) Haha! It will be interesting. 

Anyways I love you all and have a great week! 

Do You Have White Spots??? - February 10, 2014

Hey Family!

So.... This week wasn't too great. Haha! Last Sunday I started to get a scratchy throat. Monday and Tuesday it got pretty bad, and Wednesday, I was dying. On Wednesday we had interviews with President Killpack. I came in, and he asked me to start with a prayer, and I said my throat really hurts, and I can't really talk, and then he asked if I had white spots??? I was like, huh?? White spots?? So he called in Sister Killpack who is a nurse, and President told her my throat was hurting, and so she ran out of the room real quick and came back in with a spoon and a flashlight, and stuck the spoon in my mouth and the flashlight, and both President - who was a pharmacist - and Sister Killpack said "oh..." So that didn't seem too good. They said that I had definitely developed strep throat. So they put me on antibiotics, and the rest of the week consisted laying in my bed again sick.... I'm sick of being sick. But the antibiotics really are helping and I was able to get out and work Saturday and yesterday, so that was good.

It looks like one of our investigators, Jessica is all set to be baptized this next Saturday! She has a strong testimony. The following Saturday, we're baptizing her mom! Hopefully her other daughter, Nadine and the dad will want to take lessons here soon.

I really felt bad for Elder Petersen this week, because he had to stay in all week while I was sick and it was driving him crazy. So I was glad that I got myself to work Saturday and Sunday.

BUT while I was sick I got to read all the way to the Book of Heleman in the Book of Mormon. I love reading it! There are so many stories about faith and tribulation. My favorite person in the Book of Mormon is probably Moroni. Not only is he true to God and true to righteousness and freedom, and has faith in all of it, but he delights in it. He takes courage and strength in it, and his whole life is centered around this ideal of freedom and righteousness. I don't know I just love his enthusiasm, because it is one thing to have faith and to stay true to the Lord and keep his commandments, but it is a whole different thing when we take strength in it, and delight in it. I really want to get to that point - where I can proudly stand up for truth and righteousness. I'm getting there, but it takes time. As I continue in the work, the more excited I get about the work.

I hope everyone had a great week! I love you all! 

THIS IS...the WAY, THE TRUTH and the LIFE - February 3, 2014

Hello Family!

 

Well this has been an interesting week. I am learning to be more patient. That is the biggest thing the Lord can probably teach me on my mission. To be patient with others.

 

This week we found lots of new people to teach! We have never really sat down with them yet to talk with them, but all of them seem super solid. I'm excited to start teaching them!

 

I have realized his week hat I am beginning to love he work. It's interesting, at the beginning of my mission, I just did the wok cuz that's what I'm out here to do. However, now that I feel like I have grown my own testimony of the Church, I sincerely want to share it with others. This church is the true church and it provides a light and a hope from he awefulness and the bitterness and the nasty, lonely world that we live in. Heavenly Father does have a plan of true happiness. The world and worldly things look awesome and look like so much fun - and really, they are. But if people would have an eternal perspective, not even that, just a futurisic perspective, people would be so much happier with the choices that they make. Because although the world is fun, there are not only eternal consequences, but very iminant consequences from the choices that we make. I wish everyone could know that, and that this church provides thee way to an escape from the world. That's my tesimony, and I hope it grows even more on my mission. I feel the spirit so strongly right now, because I know the things I am saying are true and my heart really does ache for those who do not find the right way and get caught in inevitable misery and loneliness.

 

Anyways, I miss you all very much and I hope I can return home honorably from my mission. I am trying to work hard, but lately, I have discovered why Jacob Buzan said that his mission was the hardeest thing he's ever done. Missions are filled wih dissapointments because people have their agency and can choose for themselves the wrong choices. That happened alot this week with our current investigators, and I am trying to figure out and I'm praying to know why Heavenly Father allows us as missionaries feel the heartache and the dissapointment of other people's choices. I can't quite figure it out yet, but I will continue to pray.

 

I love you all so much. Some of my zone went on a hike today to Romeru Pools, and it was so beautiful, it reminded me of Camas. Don't take the trees and the rivers and the mountains that we have for granted. It's so beautiful - I miss it being in Arizona. Haha!

Everyone have a great week!