Lessons I've Learned

Hey! Happy.....Monday? haha I feel like for the past 4 months I've been saying something that had to do with the holidays. However, they are now over, so I guess I don't have to say that anymore, that is until Valentines day rolls around. 

Anyway this week has been good. I feel like this week has been pretty routine and we had a lot of random things that we did that interfered with just normal proselyting. This week was ward conference so this week we did some "rescue visits" with the auxiliary leaders and their stake counterparts. That was good to be involved in. We went with the Primary President to visit some people which turned out to be a very inspired visit on her part. So that was cool to be a part of. We visited a very active family that has callings in the primary. The Primary President said she thought sometimes we pay too much attention to the inactives and forget about the active people and strengthening them. So we went on Tuesday and the message we were sharing with people was about hope. So we shared the message and we found out that the family we were visiting had found out they were pregnant! So they were really excited and it was a lovely visit. Well the next day, the family found out that she had a miscarriage. They were having a really hard time because they had also recently just had another sad death in the family during the holiday season. So they have been struggling. But it turned out to be very inspired to visit her and share that message of hope as they are now holding on to that message that was shared, even though when we came the night before, she was wondering why we had visited her and that she didn't really need that much hope in her life at the time. So it was very cool to see that and to see how in tune we need to be with the spirit at all times so that we an act on promptings such as those and be an instrument in the Lord's hands. 

This week we also did some good service. We went as a zone to a food bank and assembled bags of foods for families. It was really fun. We were in an assembly line and we all had to keep up the pace and it was GO time the whole time. It was really fun. This is the second time they have done this in this zone and both times we have finished an hour early. haha last time the workers were telling them that they needed to slow down because they were going too fast. So I guess we just work really hard and fast and they don't usually expect that. So that was really fun. Then we also went to the senior center again. The old people really enjoy it when we come. There was an old lady doing a food demonstration and she loved to use us as her little puppets. haha they are seriously so funny. But also it makes me realize.....I never want to get old... haha. :) Seriously though. It is fun to get to visit with them. However an old lady was very cranky with me because there was a broadcast of Obama on and a lot of us were talking and not watching. So apparently Obama was just a few miles down the road at a high school in our area. Not sure why. So she was very angry that I was not watching "OUR PRESIDENT." haha. She gave me a good chewing out because I was the only person who was nice enough to acknowledge her. 

This week we also went on exchanges. That was a different experience for me because this was the first time I have been on an exchange where one of us was not a sister training leader. Both of us were just normal missionaries so we didn't have to evaluate really or anything. I mean, of course we still learn from each other and such,but neither of us really had to "give advice" or find out if there are any problems and such. It was fun though. I went to the Spanish area and had to crack out my bike for the first time in 6 months. Luckily, it was a beautiful/perfect day that day. The weather has been all over the place lately. The past few days have been rainy. Anyway we got to teach a family that they recently put on date. The mom wasn't there but the boys and the dad were. The kids understand English and the dad understands Spanish. We were reading from the Book of Mormon so we read verse by verse, first in Spanish and then in English. It was really nice for me because prior to that I mostly just sat there because I couldn't understand anything. So I was able to explain what was going on to the boys. They were 9 and 7. They were really smart though and remembered a lot of what the sisters taught them last time and caught on pretty well. They even had questions and comments that all connected well. They seem to be a very prepared family so that is very exciting for them! 

We also had an interesting experience that day. We visited a less active lady. She is married and has two kids and her husband. She is the only member. So there is an 11 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. The boy, is extremely smart. Very, very, very book smart. He knows probably way more than I do. He was rattling things off about other religions and science and stuff. It was crazy. Anyway we were introducing the Book of Mormon and reading from the introduction (luckily this was all in English) and came to the part where it says that reading the Book of Mormon will bring us closer to God. I asked him how it would make him feel to have a better relationship with God. Well that turned out to be an inspired question because he confessed that he is atheist. What!? An 11 year old atheist! I was able to address his concern and explain and promise to him that he can know there is a God and that He loves him. His mom gave us more of his concern and told us that he felt there was no God because of some of the hard things he has gone through in his life. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon and he said he wasn't sure he would because he didn't have that "sincere heart or real intent" that we need to have. So we committed him to read at least the testimonies of the witnesses and the prophet Joseph Smith. He agreed. Well the next day the mom texted the sisters and said after we left her son tried to go to sleep but couldn't. He went to his mom and said they all needed to read the part we assigned together. They did so and he still couldn't sleep. He later told his mom, "I don't know what it is about the Book of Mormon, but I've GOT to read it." He just really felt like he needed to read it! How amazing. It was really cool. It was a really good experience for me too because I was talking and addressing his concern, I felt the spirit working through me. Lately I've had a bit of a harder time feeling guided and directed because my companion knows the people and what they need better than I do, so usually it is easy to just follow her lead. But while I was there, I could feel the spirit as I testified and found out that there was a concern that we needed to know in order to help him. And now he is reading the Book of Mormon! 

This week we also had a relief society activity and compared to my last ward, so many people came! It was all about emergency preparedness as well as food storage. I was able to learn a few things. But the best part was that we had two less actives come! So this week a lady and her husband
came into church one night and asked what time church started. They had been inactive for a long time and wanted to come back to church! We invited her to the activity and she came :) We also invited another less active. This lady lives with her boyfriend and they have a one year old daughter. Anyway, she came also and had a good time as well. 

This weekend we were also able to go to the visitors center with a couple to watch "Meet the Mormons". The guy said it really touched him and he seems very prepared, so we hope to start teaching him soon! 

This weekend we also had a baptism!:) This girl's family was baptized about a month ago and now she was able to follow their examples. It went really well. She is very happy. So many people came too. It was great. And while we waited for her to change, we opened it up for testimonies after our presentation and there was never a silent moment. It is so different from the other wards I have served in. I'm beginning to love it and to love the people. 

So my thought for this week is to really be in tune with the spirit and be worthy of the spirit to guide you at all times. The spirit is so important when it comes to serving in the church and also in raising a family and being a disciple of Christ. I had my first ward council meeting in this ward and the stake was there also. Like I said, this ward is different from any ward I have ever served in. They are each so on top of things and each auxiliary had a detailed report of at least one family they were working with. In my past experience, not every auxiliary does that or has something to report. But in this ward, every single auxiliary had something to report and it all related back to missionary work. It was amazing and the spirit was definitely strong. The Bishop is so involved and has a very strong testimony of missionary work and that it is what makes the difference. He really cares about the people and because each of those auxiliary leaders is in tune with the spirit, they each had been able to act on promptings to help those families they were working with. It was amazing. I also have such a testimony now of the importance of home teaching and visiting teaching. It is so crucial and essential in lifting everyone in the ward up. The leaders can't do everything and it is our job as disciples of Christ to care for one another and uplift each other. Home teaching and visiting teaching isn't something we should do once a month and be done, it is something that we need to take seriously. We need to be a true friend to those we visit and be there for them always. We can bless their lives and do things for them all month that are simple and easy for us, but means a lot to the recipient. (phone calls, texts, facebook message, plates of cookies, etc). As I've seen people who just need help and someone to reach out to them, those little things make a difference. They even make a difference in the lives of active people who we think might not need it. But they do. Anyway, I invite all of you to pray for a "missionary" or spiritual experience this week. Be an instrument and tool in God's hands for him to help one of his children. It could be at school, within your own family, or ward, or the grocery store. Try to recognize those promptings and then act on them. As you do this, you will get more because God will know he can trust you to do his will and take care of his children. I love you all and hope you have a great week!