S P I R I T U A L

So let me just tell you about this week.

Tuesday we had skills and interviews with President and Sister Clayton. So beautiful. So crazy how inspired that man is!! Heavenly Father knows. He talked to me a lot about things I had been thinking about and just gave me the counsel I needed.

Something I finally came to understand is how important it is for us to have confidence in the Lord and just trust in Him. If we are doing what is right, then we need to recognize it and know it! The Lord blesses and guides us for a reason, and it is silly to not recognize when we are in the right and doing good! So recognize your strengths and continue to add upon them.

One day, we went to this area/neighborhood that we had prayed about the night before. While there, we talked to a lot of nice people, but no one was actually super interested. Right before we went back to the car, we met this lady named Dana. She had just recently found Jesus Christ in her life and said we were welcome to come over the next day! When we taught her the next day, she told us she hadn't even planned on going down that street that day! The Lord works miracles, I'm tellin ya.

One evening we had a dinner appointment with some members. The night before, we planned on teaching them about the Book of Mormon and then committing them to share a Book of Mormon with a friend. During dinner, we talked a lot about their less-active kids and then eventually about the Book of Mormon and Brother K was like "This is my favourite topic!" Gold. So we were talking and Brother K mentioned Alma and how it was because of the faith of his father that he was brought back, and immediately (as if a light had turned on), the thought came to me that he needs to write a letter bearing his testimony to his kids. So I turned to Sister Raymant and told her that I hope she's okay with changing the commitment and told them we had planned something different but that I just felt something else. I told him what I'd felt and he just smiled real big and laughed and looked at Sister K and she was like, "I know, go ahead and tell them." He told us that the Lord has been giving him this impression for months to write this letter to his oldest son and that he now knows he needs to.

Kudos to the Spirit, eh?!

That night, we didn't have any solid plans for the last half hour because an appointment had cancelled earlier. So we decided to heart attack a members' door! We wrote cute little cheesy notes and quotes and secretly stuck them on their door and knocked and ran! Ten minutes later we get a call from them...they were just bawling. So the next night they have us over and explain. That whole week, had been one of the hardest of their lives. She was sick and Satan was just being so annoying and hard on them and she just hadn't been feeling the spirit at all and was just super angry, etc etc. And right when she was at her breaking point, she heard a knock at the door-- when we heart attacked their door. She knew right away it was us and she just started crying and was totally brought back to solid ground and was exactly what she needed. Heavenly Father's timing is always soooo perfect.

We have also seen a lot of progress with two of our investigators, Kerry and Daphne. Kerry is a former and Daphne saw us talking to her son outside and just welcomed us right in.

Kerry expressed many feelings to us last night and it was awesome to just testify to her about the Atonement and how it will change her as she makes God her priority. The spirit totally worked through us last night, because it was so strong and so present. She felt it.

Daphne is Catholic, but we've been teaching her and now her grandson and she just keeps saying "I just don't know yet, but I keep praying!" And she just keeps inviting back. I love when she quickly plays her gospel music for us as we are leaving. It's so special.

Oh! Last night, we didn't have solid plans (I promise we usually have more solid plans than this past week...) so we decided to tract this street. We met a lot of nice people, especially a girl who just lost her dad and then her 88-year old, Filipino neighbor welcomed us right in and called us "foreign angels" and said we could come back tomorrow. Ahhhh!

Oh, and did I mention that I got to shake hands with Elder Oaks? Yeah, he came and spoke to our mission! As well as Elder Kacher and Elder Allard. It was wonderful! Their talks were prepared just for me, so that was nice. They talked about:

-being satisfied that Heavenly Father is pleased with our sacrifice

-remembering that Heavenly Father loves us

-that this isn't MY mission, it's HIS mission that I get to be apart of

-that we need not being disappointed when investigators fail to keep their commitments, but to continue to love and respect them

-to develop holy habits and righteous routines

-the importance of being converted to the gospel, not the church-- this influences the way we teach and testify

-that church is "not a retirement home for the righteous, but a hospital for sinners"-- hence the reason we are divided into wards ;)

-that Songs of Solomon, according to Elder Oaks, are "biblical trash" (LOL)

-that Catholics make good Mormons

-to just love and open our mouths to EVERYONE

The spirit was so abundant. Elder Oaks first spoke to the missionaries, and then another meeting took place after wherein he spoke to returning members and investigators. It was awesome! The room was packed! I even reunited with so many of my people from Toronto YSA, it was beautiful. I love them so much!!

Brothers and sisters, the gospel has been restored and the church is true! Ask Him and I promise you, He'll tell you.

xoxo

a week of miracles

This week was a week of miracles! So many wonderful things happening here in Hamilton!

Monday we had dinner with Sister Watson

! So fun. She has been through so much but stands strong and means it when she says, "I don't go to church for the people, I go for God. If I went for the people, I would've left a long time ago." Can I get an amen?

This week we have really been working with the Pope family. We did service and helped them clean, we taught them about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation, and they came to church yesterday. Progress! We are doing FHE with them tonight so FINGERS CROSSED they cooperate and participate!

We also visited a member and talked to her about her missionary efforts. This is what I have come to understand about member missionary work: there is a desire and there is a vision, but the in between stuff... that's unknown territory. So we've been thinking of ways in which we can develop a plan to help members be the effective missionaries they desire to be and that their friends needs them to be. We discussed with her ways and questions in which she can approach her friend with:

-how would I want to be approached about spiritual topics?

-what is my testimony?

-how can my friend benefit from this?

-why does my friend need this?

-what is motivating me to share this with my friend?

-what is the worst thing that could happen if I share this? Can I live with that?

-if they are offended or reject what I share with or offer them, then where do we stand? Where do I stand?

-what are some inspired questions I could ask my friend to teach her?

-what can I tell them about my week that may make them ask more about what I want to share with them?

-am I being motivated by love?

One of the first things I learned when I got to the field was what a terrible member missionary I was back home!! But talking to our friends is our commission and sharing with them what we love is our privilege. They may not accept it, they may be offended, but if we are acting out of love, we will never be in the wrong, and we will be doing exactly what the Lord expects of us. 

We also met with a couple former investigators this week, too. We helped Kerry to clean her house and she even came to church yesterday! We also met a guy named Alex. From what he has told us about himself, he has lived quite the extravagant life! We are still seeking the spirit to discern between truth and not-truth, but it's exciting nonetheless!

Last night we went and dropped by a media referral of someone who had requested a Book of Mormon, but the man that answered the door hadn't requested it (son probably did). He was very nice and Christian, but very quick to cut us off as we tried to bear our testimonies to him. It just makes me so sad for people who don't give the spirit a chance to just touch their hearts. I am just so grateful that I am apart of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and that I have found the truth.

With like half an hour before the end of the night, we found 2 new investigators! We had another media referral and then we were talking to this guy on the street who was shoveling snow out of his mom's driveway. She opened the door and told us to come in. When we were talking with her inside, we asked her what made her welcome us into her home. She was like, ""I don't know, I just saw you and felt like I should let you girls on in!" Right you are Daphne. We are excited to share the gospel with her!

The work is hastening here! It is wonderful! 

Have a great week!