Friday, December 27, 2013

letter.thirty.seven 12.09.13 "feels like home to me"


Where to start!? This week was madness! I LOVED it! We had some really great finding opportunities. We talked with everyone and we ended up finding some amazing investigators!

At one point we were passing by this little old couple that Sister L and I taught before, they are the sweetest people. We stopped and said hello. I had just been thinking about them the other day because when we taught them before we sang for them and they both cried and loved it. They went off about how beautiful our voices were. I thought they might forget us though, because they didn't want to change so we didn't continue teaching them. But they both came out to talk to us. They went on and on about how much they loved my voice, and me, since they didn't know my comp yet. They turned to me and said, "I don't think you realize the impact you had on us. We will forever love you and never forget you." It was such a sweet moment. They treat me like their family and they don't even know me, but I feel an immense love for them. We sang them Silent Night and they both started crying again and then they invited us back and we ended up singing for their 100-year-old neighbor! It was a beautiful experience! I love Christmas time, even if it doesn't feel like Christmas time at all. We've been singing to everyone that will let us and almost all of them cry. The Spirit is amazing. You can tell that it's God singing for us.

Then Saturday was the best day ever. Oh my goodnight! I don't know if you remember me talking about a less active family we tracted into, but we've been out of contact with them for a while because they've been busy, but we were able to get a hold of them on Saturday. The mum said that she has a granddaughter that knows nothing about God but would like to so she invited us over to teach her. We had an amazing lesson with her. In the middle of the lesson she said, "I just want to get baptized!" Ummm, HALLO! Can you say golden?! We set a date with her for the 3rd of January! It was incredible. She's so excited about it and she's only 15 but her family is excited about it and actually invited us over for Christmas day. God is so good to us!

Then we went to teach a little old lady whom we met on the street. She's 87, but so so spunky. She used to be in show business and you can tell. She is always acting out her stories from her life and making these crack-up jokes. Oh my goodness I love her! I want to be just like her when I'm old. Anyways we had a great lesson, as we taught her she was shocked because she said after her research of the Bible and her experiences with God those are the same things that she has come to know to be true, but everyone thinks she's crazy. She said missionaries from other churches have come around before, but she said when we were talking with her she felt something different. She said that when we taught it felt like she was coming home. She's been searching so long for the truth and now she's found it! We set a baptismal date for her as well on the 3rd of January! A 15 and 87 year old on the same day, kind of cool to have both ends of the spectrum. God is so good to us.

The ward had a wedding at the chapel and they had heaps of extra food so they called us to come get some. I ate some of the food and drank a bit of fizzy and it upset my stomach. I thought it was just that I hadn't had fizzy in a while so it upset me. Nope. I got food poisoning... I was up most of the night in the bathroom. I felt so nauseous. It was gross. But I wanted to go to church so badly because our investigator was coming for the first time. I was determined. I got up and showered and it was awful. My whole body was aching. My skin was so sensitive that it hurt when my wet hair touched it. Weird eh? I laid down in my room and prayed for God to help me to get to church for our investigator’s sake because I knew otherwise I shouldn't go. Then the phone rang. Our investigator’s son had surprised her and came to visit so she couldn't come to church. I felt like God was telling me to stay home. So I did. It was no fun. I wish it wasn't that way and she would have been able to come. Plus, I hate missing church and staying in the flat all day; so boring and a waste of time. But I couldn't leave.

The Elders gave me a beautiful blessing though. It was exactly what I needed to hear. Heavenly Father told me that I had done the right thing in staying home and I didn't need to feel guilty (God knows me so well.) Then He told me that He was pleased with me as a trainer and who I have become as a missionary and who I was becoming. You know me, I worry about that. I've gotten much better but I do worry sometimes that now I'm being too easy on myself, but it was so nice to hear that God is pleased with me.

I've also been struggling a bit lately feeling like others must think there is something wrong with me because I don't get baptisms. I know that's a silly thing to think, but sometimes it's hard not to think that way when each month they send the mission newsletter with all the baptism photos and I'm never in there. I don't want baptisms so other people will think I'm good, but I don't like people thinking that there is something wrong with me either. In the blessing Heavenly Father also said that, even though I haven't been seeing the kind of success that I would like, He is pleased with me and knows that I am doing my best.

It was so nice to hear that. I really have been doing so much better with not being hard on myself but Satan still works hard as ever to get me to doubt myself. I'm thankful for an all loving and all understanding Heavenly Father. I'm also so grateful for the priesthood. It's been a long time since I've had a blessing and it felt nice. Although I think next time I'll just ask for one instead of getting food poisoning first. ha. But I'm feeling pretty much better now and hey I lost almost 2 kilos that's like 4 lbs. Fast, but terrible way to loose weight.

I love you all. I'm so grateful to have a beautiful family who loves and supports me. I'm thankful for your examples of righteousness. It helps me continue to move forward and endure to the end.

Love you heaps!


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