Mission Conference

From May 4, 2009 email:

The tulips are just blooming out there? Ours have come and gone. It is SO pretty out here in the springtime! The magnolia trees are in bloom, along with every flower you could ever think of. Most of the trees have leaves on them already. We had a hot streak of weather earlier this week. Our car thermometer got up to 85 degrees. And I got my first sunburn of the season. I needed a little color to me. But now it's been rainy & dreary the past few days. The locals say that this isn't normal weather...it just can't make up its mind!

Monday after Preparation Day we had a lesson with our sweet Kelsi. She was asked to give a talk in Primary, even though she hasn't been baptized yet. And the topic just happened to be baptism. So we taught her about it and helped her with her talk. She is so stinkin' smart! We centered the talk around the 4th Article of Faith. We didn't tell her what to write...she wrote it all herself. Her father, Seth, also helped out. Every once in a while he would stop and say, "oh yeah, I remember that." He's been inactive since he was about 17, but we are seeing great changes in him. We went to Primary on Sunday to watch Kelsi give her talk & she did great! It was her birthday this past week so now she's in Young Womens. She's going to love it!

On Wednesday, Gloria, an eternal investigator, took us out to the infamous Paul's Pasta Shop by the Thames River. Mmmm...that was good! It took us a long time to decide what to get because there were so many good things to choose from. Then she took us down to Avery Point where we could watch the Block Island ferry take off and also see two small lighthouses. I've really grown to love the ocean! Later that night, we tried to commit Ryan to baptism, but he is still hesitant. He hasn't talked to his parents about it yet & he thinks it will be best to do it in person. That won't happen until his graduation, which means he'll be gone after that! He knows that the Church is true & has received answers to his prayers. It's so frustrating to see someone come to the knowledge of the truth and then hold back. We're still working our hardest with him, but there may be other missionaries down the line see him baptized.

Thursday we had a wonderful mission conference. This started out as a training for the leadership, then the addition of the Sisters, and then evolved into a whole mission event. Two members of the Missionary Department in SLC came to train us how to be better missionaries. I absolutely loved it! I think the mission had been focusing too much on numbers rather than individuals. But we learned how to create success in this stubborn, New England area. We were told to remember our purpose: "to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ & His Atonement, repentance, BAPTISM, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." They focused a lot on baptism & how to be more bold in extending those commitments. I'm learning how to come outside of my timid nature & be more bold. Boy is it hard! I got to meet the new Sisters in the mission there. Things have changed so quickly! I'm now the 4th "oldest" in the mission. I'll attach a picture of all the Sisters.

Yesterday we had a great experience. We went over to the Steels and taught a wonderful lesson on reaching your divine potential. Bro. Steel isn't a member, but comes to church with his wife every week. He has taken the missionary lessons before, but said he wasn't ready for anything. But last night, he consented to take the lessons again! This makes Sister Mortimer and I SO happy! We have watched their family over the past few weeks & have so greatly desired that they could be sealed together in the temple. The baptism isn't the important part, it's that sealing power only found in the temple. He is extremely close to baptism, which makes not only us, but Sister Steel so happy! He is a wonderful man and we know that this will do wonders for their little family.

Yesterday was our special missionary fast at church & this is one of the blessings of it! I'm so thankful to be a missionary! It has been tough work, but every minute of it has been worth it. My testimony has grown immensely, as well as my love for others. I'm slowly realizing who my Heavenly Father wants me to become and how I can get there. Love you all! Remember that your Father in Heaven knows each of you. He knows what you are capable of doing and what you can become. So let him lead you along!