From Sept. 14, 2009, email: It's amazing how quickly things can turn around. The week before was awesome, but this past week was one of the worst. Amanda didn't get baptized because her mom wouldn't give her permission. She said to wait--possibly months or years. She didn't say absolutely not so we're still hopeful for the future. It's all in the Lord's timing!
Dominick didn't show up for church yesterday so we'll have to move his baptismal date back a week or so. We had such a wonderful lesson on Saturday night, but I guess it wasn't enough to get him to church. His friends are not a good influence on him so he's struggling to find the balance. I'm not sure that his heart is completely into the gospel. It sounds like a good thing to him, but he doesn't have the testimony needed to stay strong. So we'll be working on that this week. He went with us to Institute at the Bloomfield chapel and really liked it. They've got some great kids in the area that he can fellowship with. I even enjoyed the Institute class. Even though I've read the BOM over and over, I still had many new insights throughout the class.
On Wednesday, all four of our appointments cancelled so we weren't too happy then. But we did take the bus down to Hartford to get monthly bus passes & were able to hand out two BOMs. That was the highlight of the day. And once again on Friday, all of our appointments cancelled. It was a frustrating week, but we just have to press forward through the hard times.
Saturday we did service for a part member family. Luckily I've become such an expert at painting (haha) from all those hours in Almo. We have a deal with the non-member husband: one hour of service for one hour of church. So we happily painted away for a couple of hours and he came to church (without his member wife) with their two kids. Service is the best way to soften a heart! He won't be baptized anytime soon, but definitely in the future.
The Elders talked in church yesterday and did a wonderful job. One of them talked about his missionary experiences in high school. Two similar situations produced such different results. But in both of them, he felt the undescribable joy that came from sharing the gospel. As D&C 18 states, if you bring one soul unto Christ, "how great shall be your joy with Him in the kingdom of my father." I've truely felt that joy as I've been serving the Lord here in Connecticut. I know that this is His work and we are just the instruments in bringing those souls into the fold. I've never felt so happy in my life! I wish I could carry this feeling on even after I'm home. Heavenly Father doesn't need us to do the work . . . he could send angels down here to preach the gospel. But WE need it. We need to learn unselfish service. We need to strengthen our testimonies so that no matter what storm comes our way, we are safely built upon the rock of Jesus Christ. That is probably what I'm most grateful for. I can now say I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, the Restoration, the BOM, and also prayer. There is no way that I could have spiritually survived without this testimony.
From Sept. 8, 2009, email: We had a wonderful Labor Day yesterday. The missionaries in the Hartford/Bloomfield wards headed over to the mission home to watch the BYU-Oklahoma game. Of course the Elders were in heaven because they hadn't seen a football game in months and years! One of the assistants, Elder Pawlak, will be playing football for BYU next year so I'm sure he got a bit trunky. It took me back to the days of watching sports with Dad and my bros!
Sister Pehrson (below) took me and Sister Thomas to t
he mall for a short visit and even bought us some lip gloss from the MAC counter. She spoils us! We also made some super yummy oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies at the mission home. Maybe I'll send the recipe home next week so you can enjoy them too!
This week has been one of the best in my entire mission. We have seen so many large and small miracles happen. We had some good lessons with Dominick and even took him to a YSA dinner which was a hit. However, we got suckered into giving the FHE lesson tonight there so we'll be going again with him. He went to church for the first time this Sunday and loved it. He really enjoys the family-feel in the church because his family isn't the greatest. He's still a go for the 26th of September so keep him in your prayers!
We are also still planning on a baptism for Amanda this Saturday...if her mom will give her consent. Her mom said yes at first, but then took away her approval after hearing some anti-Mormon rumors. Her parents are in the middle of a divorce after which her father will gain full custody of her. He totally supports her in getting baptized so we are in this back-and-forth battle with her mom. So keep her in your prayers also!
We were finally able to have an appointment with Leslie, a middle-aged lady, whom we met contacting. She had issues with prophets, but that was quickly resolved after a scripture chain through the New Testament. We were looking at a scripture, Mark 13:24, where it compares Christ to a man taking a journey and "giving authority to his servants" when we ran across a difference in Bibles. She had recently studied with Jehovahs Witnesses so she was using a copy of their Bible. But hers did not mention anything about Christ in that verse, which really upset her. We've got her turned back to the King James version. She has been searching for truth for her entire life and now it is right in front of her. The answers that we give her bring comfort to her that she hasn't felt in years. I'm excited to see how she will progress. Not only did that lesson touch Leslie's heart, but it changed mine also. Of course I've always felt that the Book of Mormon was true. But the truth never came with such force as it did when I bore testimony to her. I wasn't just saying that I believed it was true. I KNEW it was true. That was the witness that I'd been praying to Heavenly Father for so long to receive. There have been times that I've doubted, even when I have been out here on my mission. But now I know without a doubt that it is here to restore truths that were lost and to be an additional witness to Christ.
The mission has started a Book of Mormon activity in which we are reading the entire book & highlighting all the names or references to Christ in red and marking his words in blue. I highly recommend everyone to do this! I'm only halfway through 1 Nephi, but I've gotten so much out of it!
I know that when we put it in our minds to be obedient & diligent no matter what, miracles will happen. I love my mission. I especially love these people whom I am serving. I'm so thankful for the change in myself as I have served here in Connecticut. I know that I'm closer to being who Heavenly Father wants me to be. It is wonderful!
From Aug. 31, 2009, email: Sister Thomas and I are having a wonderful time here in Windsor. We just set two baptismal dates this week, one with Dominick and another with Amanda. Dominick wants to change his life & wants to feel the cleansing power of baptism. But he has to start coming to church first. We set up a ride and everything yesterday and he just didn't show up. Ugh. Maybe next week! Amanda is friends with a YW in the ward, Kaylee Rice. They went up to girls camp together and Amanda came back with a desire to be baptized. We taught her and her father about the Restoration on Monday and then just taught Amanda the Plan of Salvation on Saturday. Her father wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting into. But she is ready! She's getting dunked on the 12th of September and then going to do baptisms at the temple the next weekend. Pray that everything works out!
President Pehrson sent out a letter this past week to all the missionaries stating the "15 commitments of a Connecticut Hartford mission." He's really emphasizing our personal worthiness and diligence so we can be more effective missionaries. These commitments include getting up on time, going to bed on time, studying when we should, teaching all 5 lessons each week....things that we should be doing anyway. But then he added a commitment to commit our investigators to baptism on our first lesson. I thought he was crazy at first, but he sure does know what he's talking about! It weeds out those who aren't interested in joining. And we've seen some great things happen this week because of our effort to be exactly obedient to those commitments.
Last night we had a fireside for the Bloomfield Ward. We had a pretty good turnout which is good! We Sisters talked about "the triangle of power" with missionaries, members, and the Lord making up the sides. The triangle will be strong only when each side is equal. Then the Elders did a cool visual of Alma 50, which we have to build up barriers around us to keep the "arrows" of the adversary from penetrating us. As members of the church we have so many pickets, walls, towers, etc. that keep us safe. But those without the gospel are helpless. That really helped me to understand why this gospel is so important.
From August 24, 2009 email: I guess we got a touch of Hurricane Bill on Friday with lots of rain and strong winds. We had to reschedule a few of our appointments because of the weather. I'm about done with this heat and humidity. We spend a lot of the time outside and we are permeated with sweat by the time the day is over! But I hear there is cool weather on the horizon! I can't wait for another fall out here!
We got transfer calls last night and Sister Monson is getting shipped out of Windsor. She's headed down to Fairfield with Sister Baird and Sister Thomas is coming to Windsor. She's the red-headed sister that I did exchanges a few transfers ago. I'm sad that Sister Monson and I don't get to spend much time together, but I'm also excited for a fresh start. We've got lots of good things planned for the area!
We had a frustrating lesson with a recent convert/investigator family this week. The wife was baptized earlier this week, but the husband never made the plunge. He says that he has issues with tithing because he can't afford to pay it right now. They have to get their finances in order before they can donate anything. We tried to explain that huge blessings will come to the whole family when they put forth the faith to pay it. It is that element of faith that they have to put forth. The wife has been paying her tithing, but recommitted to pay it first. It is frustrating when people aren't willing to try out the Lord's promises. We are told that he will "open you the windows of heaven, that there will not be room enough to receive it." Maybe somewhere down the line he will change his mind.
Now I have a question for you all: How did you gain a testimony of tithing and how has the Lord blessed you because of it?
The stake had girls' camp this week which produced some amazing results. A friend of one of the Rice girls in our ward wants to be baptized! She had an amazing experience at camp and already comes to church a lot. We are teaching her (and her parents) tonight so pray that everything goes well! Her parents aren't very supportive of the idea, but her father has give her consent to be baptized. Her mother had at first said she could do whatever she wanted, but took that back when she received some anti-Mormon literature from a friend at work. Ugh! Luckily they are issues that can be addressed easily. She heard that Mormons can't cut their hair...that's strange!
It scares me when I think that I only have 5 months left! I kind of feel like the younger Curtis Richins who just came home from his mission. It has taken me a long time to know how to be a good missionary. Over the past few months, things have just clicked in my mind on why this is so important. I wish I would have realized this the first month of my mission! But I can't change the past so all I can do now is work my hardest in bringing souls to Christ!
From August 17, 2009 email: I was thinking that Tanner [her oldest nephew] had another year before he turned 12, but I thought wrong! I can't believe that he is old enough to be a deacon! Time sure does fly by! I can't wait to see how much those little squirts have grown while I've been out here.
Last Monday we had a ward FHE softball game. Softball just isn't up my alley. I slipped quite a few times and one was particularly funny. And they just happened to get that on video! Then I ended up with a huge bruise on my hand because my first instinct when a ball is flying at me is to stop it and I didn't think about using the glove! Haha...just a few blonde moments there. Hopefully this helped to bridge our relationship with the ward members. We've got to make this ward unified! The mosquitoes came out towards the end of the game and they enjoy biting me! I look like I have chicken pox on my legs. Maybe it's because I'm so sweet! :)
We had an experience this week that helped us to understand that seeds are being planted all over. Thursday evening we were tracting a street because one of our appointments didn't show up. People were quite rude and someone even left us a mini-Bible on our windshield. But of course, at the last house on the street, someone was interested. We set up an appointment with Bryan for the next day and suprisingly enough, he was there. As we start the lesson, he said that he had a friend that was interested in learning more about the church...but she lived in Egypt and was Muslim. Bryan met her in Egypt where he had been teaching elementary school kids. So he hooked up his computer to a microphone and she listened to our lesson and even asked a few questions. She really wanted to learn more, but all we could do was to direct her to the mormon.org website. Hopefully someone will be able to help her out more. It was a neat experience to help plant a seed all the way across the world.
It's interesting how the Spirit lets you know whether someone is ready, or not, to accept the gospel. We sat down with a former investigator to see if his heart had been softened, but we couldn't present a coherant lesson. I had no inspiration whatsoever and I could tell Sister Monson didn't either because she kept turning to me with a bewildered look. Ugh! We got the hint that he wasn't at all willing to change nor could he see the blessing the gospel could be to his life. But then ten minutes later, we had an awesome lesson with Dominick, our 17-year-old investigator. We had exactly what we needed to say put into our mouths. That's just another testimony that this gospel is true!
A few nights ago I was saying me evening prayers before I hopped into bed and I felt this overwhelming sense of peace. I've never felt something like that before. But it was then that I knew that I truly did love my mission. Even though it's so stinkin' hard at times, I love it. There is no greater work out there than to proclaim the gospel. We have what the whole world needs. So let's all get to work!
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!
