letter.twelve 06.17.2013 "returned it running o'er"

Well this past week was the last of the transfer and it was AMAZING. I love being a missionary, especially here in Halls Head. I am nervous that my companion or I might get transferred. It would seem too good to be true for us to stay together here in Halls Head. It's amazing here. Not only is it gorgeous, but it's also full of incredible people who I have grown to love more than I thought possible. Honestly, it's very unlikely that I'll be moved, but I hope my companion stays too. But I know that I'll be where and with whoever is best for the Lord and furthering His work, which is what it's all about.

For the whole transfer my companion and I have worked so hard and both of us being the same "mission age", we are learning through trial and error what works and what just doesn't, ha. Because of that we have worried that it's because of us that a lot of our investigators have been dropping us or just not progressing in general. It's been a frustrating feeling to work so hard and see no fruits, but this week we finally saw the beginnings of the fruits.

We have been trying so hard to get investigators on date for baptism and to come to church. There are two of our investigators who have been trying so hard to come but Satan has been pulling out all the stops to get them to not come, but this week we were able to meet with them several times (which is a huge deal because the dad works 100 hour weeks) and on Saturday night we committed them both to baptism for the 29th of June!!! Woot woot! They are so ready. Chris is so awesome about the whole thing. Lucy (his daughter) is a little nervous, but she's feeling really good too! That was such a miracle!

Then right after that we went to an investigators house we found earlier this week and we committed her to baptism too! She is so keen! It's amazing. She's a 14 year old girl and I think we're the first people to help her feel love and appreciation on a deeper level than because she's a cute girl and even better than that she is beginning to have a relationship with God and to feel His love. She has already been reading the Book of Mormon and quitting smoking. She asks all the right questions. AHHH I love her so much. I have been filled with SOOO much love this week! Especially Saturday! After we set those three dates we called the zone leaders for a miracle report and they freaked. ha. Then they told us to call President and he was super excited too. I love that in this mission we're encouraged to share miracles like that. It helps keep the fire burning to share and to hear others. Three dates on one night just doesn't usually happen, but it's not because of us, tt's because God is so good and the Spirit can touch people's hearts. It's an amazing privilege to be along for the ride.

Also earlier that day we were tracting and we knocked on a door and the husband and wife started asking us perfect questions and asked us to come back today! They are GOLDEN! It was such a miracle. It's all because we prayed for a street. No, I didn't have some huge spiritual experience of feeling super strongly that we were supposed to go to Erica Street, it was more of a passing thought as I looked at the map, but we acted on it and that is why! We found two golden investigators! Being directed by the spirit feels so differently than I expected, but I'm learning to recognize it more and more.

Then Sunday came. We were sooo nervous that Chris and Lucy wouldn't be able to come. We were praying our hearts out. When they walked through the doors I nearly knocked Lucy over with my hug. I was so happy! I couldn't stop smiling all through church! Not only did they come, but it was amazing meetings all day. Nothing weird was talked about in Sacrament or Sunday school and let me tell you that is always a worry with investigators at church. Then we also had a less active that we have started working with come and her non member friend/our new investigator! We were singing "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" and when we sang the third verse that says, "Thrice from the stream he drained my cup, dipped and returned it running o'er; I drank and never thirsted more," it was hard for me to keep the tears in.  I really did feel that after I felt like my cup had been drained Sunday after Sunday to have it filled to overflowing was such a blessing. I know I couldn't have felt so happy and so blessed if we wouldn't have experienced those heartaches of the previous weeks. It was worth it. 

In Relief Society we talked about the temple and after Aniwa (our less active we're working with) turned to us and told us that that's what she wants. She wants the temple to be her goal. We're planning on going up to the temple with her this week to walk around the grounds and talk about her divine nature. That has become a favorite topic of mine. To be able to look into someone's eyes and tell them that you know that they have the potential to become a God or Goddess is a powerful experience. I have been able to see that in them. I can see a fraction of what it will be like for them and it makes my heart feel as if it's going to burst. I love it! Aniwa also told us how much she loved us and how the timing of us coming and the scriptures we have shared have been exactly what she has needed to hear and how she knows it's because God loves her and wants her to come back! "I feel so overwhelmed!" God has been so good to me this week and always. I love being able to watch people progress in their relationship with their Savior. It's beautiful and something that you can't put into words.

letter.eleven 06.10.2013 ^the power of prayer^

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Well because we're having a zone preparation day today I have even less time to write than normal, but I'll share with you the greatest highlight of the week.

On Thursday my companion and I went on exchanges with the Sisters in Jandacot. I was with a sister in my area. She is AWESOME. She's from Bath, England. Made me think of Pride and Prejudice. She's amazing and it was so nice to have a perspective of how it is to be in Australia with another missionary and see her strengths and things I could learn from her. We had a great day! We had some awesome miracles while tracting and we had a lot of fun while doing it! I'm all about that. I think that missionary work is work but it's also pretty dang fun a lot of the time, if you choose to make it that way.

That night, after the exchange, my companion and I were driving back and I started to feel really bad. I felt like I hadn't done my part as a missionary and that I hadn't done a good job in leading out during the exchange. I was letting Satan get into my head. I know I shouldn't but sometimes it's hard not to. That night we had a lesson with President and Sister Lindsey there. I wasn't looking forward to it because I was feeling so off, but it ended up being exactly what I needed to get the awful feeling to go away. The lesson went really well. Again, can't say it was me cause it for sure wasn't. God was very kind to me and really helped us be guided by the Spirit and the comments that Pres. and Sister Lindsey added in were amazing. But the best part was that we got to chat with them for about an hour after and before. It was exactly what I needed. They helped me so much. I've been feeling bad that we haven't been able to pull in some of the numbers that we were supposed to but President helped me remember that numbers really don't matter. It's all about putting in our effort. The numbers are needed to measure, so we can see what's happening, but they aren't the focus. That helped so much. Having the two of them in our flat brought a peace in my heart that I needed so badly. It was such a blessing. Then at the end President said a prayer and in it he said a lot of beautiful things that I needed to hear, but one of them being that he asked God to help us know that He is pleased with our work. I felt the Spirit so strongly that God is pleased with me as a missionary and that He just wants me to keep trying my best and doing a little better each week. I felt so overwhelmed with love. (I feel like I'm always saying that on my mission because love really has been the theme of my mission)

Side note: Another thing I learned this week is the power of praying with people. We tried to pray with more people on their doorstep even if they weren't interested. It was AMAZING! It feels kind of weird at first, but when you can pray for them by name and for specific things that they talked to you about and especially when you pray by the Spirit, the Spirit will even tell you what to pray for. You can feel the change in the atmosphere. Their hearts come that much closer to being softened, if not softened completely. I love it. Prayer is so powerful! I love you family and I am praying for you always. I can feel your prayers, love and support. Thank you for being there for me:) I love you all! Sorry this was so short, today was insane...

letter.ten 06.05.2013 ^perfect timing^

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't write on Monday. It was a public holiday so President changed preparation day to today. This week has been a good week, but really hard. We got to go to leadership council at the mission home because my companion is a sister training leader and that was awesome and way inspiring. It also made me realize how blessed my companion and I have been with success, and it's not because we are so good. We're not. We're both newbies. We are definitely in a blessed area to be able to have the success that we are having. God has been very good to us; not that He isn't to other missionaries as well. After that meeting we were feeling so pumped to go out and keep having success and putting in the work. We then proceeded to have almost everything we planned fall through. No one opened their doors and all of our lessons went pretty badly and even more of our investigators dropped us. It was so frustrating. We had so much faith and we were working so hard and then it was SLAM SLAM SLAM. I was so frustrated with myself. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong. Why could I not help these people progress?! I just wanted these people to come to have this joy and happiness that I have. My heart was in the right place. Then the zone leaders brought down our mail. I had some amazing birthday cards from you all and then a PACKAGE!!! Honestly, that was exactly what I needed that day. The CD was perfect. Every song was healing. Thank you so much for doing that. It meant the world to me. Also, the conference calendar was perfect too. I went to the day it was first and it was the quote by Elder Holland about not worrying if you don't know everything. Just hold on to the ground you have already won. It was perfect. Thank you for sending that package. It made a very hard day so much better. It helped me remember that I can do this. And beyond that, God continued to answer my prayer of how I can help people progress in so many ways. One of the big ones was in zone meeting. The zone leaders started off by saying, "today we want to talk to you all about how we can help our investigators progress." Wow. God is so kind to me. It was just what I needed to hear. My companion and I were also able to do a training on how the BOM answers questions of the soul and the Spirit guided us to say things even though we felt so under qualified being the newest missionaries in our zone. After the meeting, the zone leaders called us to thank us and they made a point of saying to not be too hard on ourselves and that we were doing a great job which was exactly what I needed to hear. God overwhelms me with answers to my prayers. It's amazing. I feel so blessed. I know I say this every week but I can't even begin to explain how kind God has been to me. Even though this week has been really hard for many reasons, He helped me by sending me tender mercies all along the way. My favorite phrase has become “God is good to me." It helps me remember that all of these blessings I am receiving aren't because of me and my greatness but because of Him. What a blessing. Thank you all for your love and prayers. :)