From August 10, 2009, email: When one door closes, another one opens! I'm sure your release from the branch will bring even greater opportunities! But I am sad that things won't be the same when I get back. Hopefully the new ones can carry on the wonderful tradition of the branch.
After Preparation Day last week, we helped a member family in the ward to paint their kitchen cabinets. Good thing I've had a lot of painting experience in my life!
We're working harder to get to know the members because some of them aren't too supportive of the missionaries. The best way to soften them up is to teach them! We are SO thankful for the members who do come out to appointments with us and feed us. Coming to Windsor from Groton is like going from feast to famine. But I look at this in a good way...I've gained too much weight out here! I'm sure you're all laughing at the pictures I've sent home because I'm not quite the same as before. I sure laughed at Adam & Joel when they plumped up.
Tuesday we went on exchanges with the Rocky Hill sisters. Sister Timothy (from Bear Lake area) came here with Sister Monson and I went to Rocky Hill with Sister Murray (from Rexburg). We had a wonderful time! It's always good to get a change of scenery for a bit. Sister Murray is a wonderful missionary and I very much enjoyed our time together.
Wednesday was Zone Conference and it was probably the best one yet! The general theme of it was "Recognizing the Spirit" from chapter 4 in Preach My Gospel. This is something I've felt like I've struggled with and, of course, the best way to learn is to give a talk! President Pehrson asked me to give a 3-5 minute talk on personal revelation and it went very well! I'm so glad that I have grown so much! I can give a talk and not be too nervous about it! The other missionaries who gave talks did a wonderful job and the Spirit was definitely present. The sad part was I had to say goodbye to Sister Haueter & Sister Glenn. Their time here in the mission was up and it came so quickly!
Saturday night we had a really good lesson with a young kid named Dominique. He had talked to missionaries previously and had received a Book of Mormon. He has lots of good questions about God and Jesus Christ. It sounds like he never had any religion in his life. It blew his mind that Christ came here to atone for our sins and weaknesses. I don't know how anyone could make it through life without a knowledge of the Atonement. Life just seems bleak and pointless without it. He had never prayed before, but had read in our pamphlet how to pray so he tried it out. I see great things in this kid. He is being prepared to one day receive the gospel.
We are seeing many great and small miracles happen in this area. Sister Monson and I decided that we were lacking a bit in faith and were a bit negative about things. So we have made a change in our attitude and amazing things are happening! We're excited to get things rolling here in Windsor Locks!
From August 3, 2009, email: That is SAD news about the branch [Marsh Creek Young Singles that parents have been serving in]! I can't believe it is time for a change already. I'm sure you feel just as I feel when I have to leave an area and start fresh. It's hard to leave, but there are more opportunities to bless the lives of others out there. I hope the new leaders will be as good as the original Marsh Creek Branch presidency.
This week has been a bit slow for appointments because people keep cancelling and ignoring us! We have a lot of investigators down in Windsor, but now that we've moved up to Windsor Locks, we need to focus our efforts here. Not many of our investigators are progressing nor willing to keep commitments so we'll be doing a lot of dropping! We need a fresh start on the area. So we're working hard at finding new investigators!
We taught a couple, the Arnolds, who had visited Temple Square a few weeks back and wanted to learn more about our religion. We had a really good first lesson with them on the Restoration and they wanted to learn more! They were so willing to read & pray about the Book of Mormon that it kinda threw me off. They had previously gone to a Congregational church, but were turned off by the new leadership there. They said that they didn't realize that they were missing something until they had visited Temple Square. He has also had lots of contact with missionaries because he owns a bike shop down in Newington. But we won't be able to meet with them for the next couple of weeks so keep them in your prayers!
Patricia is about our only progressing investigator. She lives in the same apartment complex the Sisters used to live in so that is how the first contact was made. Her family is super opposed to her investigating or getting baptized, but she is willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ. We had a great lesson with her in which she said she would be baptized before her next birthday, which is in November. She even came to church for the first time this Sunday & enjoyed it! Sometimes I wonder about the testimony meetings out here, but it was actually a good one this time around. Most of the youth filed up to give their testimonies about EFY. I'm glad these kids have something like that to attend to strengthen their testimonies of the gospel. We also had a wonderful Relief Society lesson on temples, which included pioneers, past and present. Sister Ouellette gave a PowerPoint presentation on a group of members from Africa who traveled over 300 miles through storms and mud to go to the temple. I know the Spirit touched every heart in the room. The was hardly a dry eye in the room.
We had a short lesson with the Mejias kids on Thursday night and then had a little basketball game against them. It was a blast! It was boys (Jon-13yrs and Myles-12yrs) against Sister Monson, Nya (8yrs), and me. We kept score for a while, but we were having too much fun to care. Imagine it: two sister missionaries out there in their skirts and tracting shoes playing basketball. The boys gave us a compliment by saying we were better than most of the Elders that came over to play. Haha...I wouldn't be surprised if we were... :)
All is well here in Windsor. We are working hard to bring the blessings of the gospel to all. But this time I have as a missionary is coming to an end. I'll be coming home February 10th! I'll get my flight plans sometime soon. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. I'm gonna miss this when I'm done!
