So many miracles this week! It's awesome how many you can find if you just look for them! We are so blessed!
Last Monday night we cleaned out an inactive lady's fridge. It was super funny because she had some "science experiments", as she called them, in there. She also doesn't pay much attention to expiration dates so things from like 2006 are still good for her. She is an awesome lady and so funny. We had a good time and she told us the other day that it really helped and she can actually find things to eat now! We also talked to her and asked if she would like to take the discussions again because she got baptized a while ago and didn't really have a testimony, she just did it because the Elders said it would be good. She said it would be fine if we taught her again as long as she can talk. And we were like of course! We totally want to know how she feels about everything. So we're looking forward to teaching her soon!
On Tuesday we visited a lady named Charmane and taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how Jesus Christ is central to everything we do. She is the sweetest lady. Like two weeks ago 8 Elders and the Sisters came to her house and put turf down in her yard. She was amazed that people she didn't even know would do that for her. She's had a tough life and suffers from depression. She told us that never in her life has she not had to pay someone to do something for her, even her family. People haven't been very nice to her, her whole life. She told us some sad stories. I was glad that we could be there to invite the spirit and keep her company (she lives alone and her daughter lives down the street). It was a wonderful discussion and we were all able to share how Jesus Christ has blessed our lives. I know that I wouldn't be able to pick myself up after difficult times if I didn't know about Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement that we can access through the spirit and prayer.
Wednesday we had a bunch of lessons planned all in a row basically. We were kind of stressed about being so busy. But our first appointment stood us up. We waited for a half hour with the members we invited and then left because our investigator didn't come. So then we went home and our next appointment cancelled and rescheduled for this week and then our next appointment called and rescheduled for the next day. It was pretty crazy. So we went home and finished studying and ate and then we did some member tracting. If I haven't explained that yet, it is when you pick a street and visit all the members on that street to get to know them, maybe share a message or pray with them or both, and then see if they know anyone we could teach. It's awesome. Every time we do it, we don't even have to ask if they know anyone, they usually just tell us. It's like they've just been waiting for us to show up! I guess they couldn't find our number...haha Also on Wednesday, we went to The Kennedy Family's house for dinner and found out that President Hutchins (my home stake president) used to be their Bishop when they lived in CT! It was pretty cool. They know Naomi and Derek and all the kids. They also told us how they met and that Brother Kennedy wasn't a member when they got married but Sister Kennedy knew that one day he would come around and she wasn't going to force him. He was baptized 9 years later and a year or so after that they were all sealed in the temple as a family for eternity! They had 3 kids by then.
On Thursday our miracle was that our appointment that rescheduled didn't reschedule again! His name is Viet and he is the guy who was studying to be a Catholic priest that we met my first day in the field! He is really nice and genuinely wants to know more about our church. He said that his testimony that Catholicism is correct is based on knowing higher up Catholic clergymen who have studied the beliefs of the Catholic church in depth and he sees what they have given up to be clergymen and he says it must be true because of that. He told us that he hasn't found anything that makes more sense than Catholicism, but if he did he would be open to it. We told him that we know that our church is true because the spirit of God has testified to us that it is. We know that living the teachings of Christ and following our Prophet Thomas S. Monson makes our lives happier and we feel closer to God and more at peace as we do. The discussion we had was kind of all over the place because he had a lot of questions but we gave him a Book of Mormon at the end and asked him to read Alma 32 which is about faith and we also gave him pamphlets about The Restoration and The Plan of Salvation. We also told him how we pray and he prayed at the end of the lesson and it was awesome! He was totally just talking to God like they are best friends (I'm sure they are actually, but you know what I mean). So it was really cool and we're going back this week to talk about more cool things!
We had District Meeting on Friday and we did some role-playing! We practiced door approaches. It was kind of fun. After that we went to visit Lois in the nursing home. We did a puzzle with her, shared a message (Alma 7: 11-12 which is about Christ taking on all our afflictions and infirmities so he could know how we feel and so he can help us), and then she had to go play Skip-Bo (my fav game!) so we stayed in the puzzle room and finished her puzzle for her (she asked us to!). At first I thought that might be a waste of time, but then I realized that that old woman needs just as much spiritual uplift-ment and service as anyone who has heard the gospel or hasn't. I love that there are so many different things we can do to build the kingdom of God on earth and help God's children. I think that Christ often comforts us through our friends and family and we can also be the person who is the answer to someone's prayer.
We also met with a recent convert on Friday. He's having some trouble because his family is not supportive of him being a member and they don't make it easy for him to live with them. He has a lot on his plate but when we met with him we were able to be someone he could talk to. We couldn't give him the answer, but we told him that if God isn't giving him an answer then he should just do what he thinks is best and then God will stop him if it is wrong. We also talked to him about missionary work because he wants to serve a mission in a year!
On Saturday we went to a baptism! The Gambino family was baptized! Dad, Mom, and 4 beautiful daughters! It was an awesome experience because the spirit was so strong and they all chose to make the step of baptism together. I just know that they are going to continue to progress spiritually and become close to their Father in Heaven and their Savior and in a year be sealed as a family in the temple! The dad has seriously changed his life around. One of the ward members is really good friends with the dad and he got up and bore his testimony and you could just feel the love he had for his friend and was joyful day it was to baptize him.
After the baptism we helped a family move. The daughter's name is Abby and she was baptized about a year ago on her 18th birthday! Her parents are divorced and her mom joined the church when she got remarried to an LDS man. That was when Abby was 10. Her father would not give her permission to be baptized so her had to wait 18 whole years! She was going to church and basically being a member that whole time! When she was 13 she was asked to bear her testimony in church and she knew from that day on that it was true because the spirit was so strong when she spoke and she couldn't even remember what she said. I love hearing conversion stories. People are so amazing!
On Sunday we went to a YSA's house for dinner. It was really fun! Her and her family are Tongan and then Sister Chadderton is from New Zealand and it was just cool to see all the islanders talk to each other. They can just ask what the person's last name is and then find a connection for how they know them! It was fun. We showed a video about the life of Christ and it was exactly what Sulia said she needed that day. You should all look up "Reflections of Christ Come Thou Fount" on Youtube. Christ cares about us so much that he came down here and lived among us.
We also went to a YSA fireside on Sunday night! It was in Boise so I saw the outside of Boise State! Brother Corbitt spoke. He is a public relations person for the church in New York. He has met so many diplomats and famous people! He told awesome stories about famous people working with the church and becoming friends with apostles. He said he is in the business of making friends.
Well I must be going soon!
Shout Out!
-Kimmie and Andrew, thanks for writing me!
-Remember to send letters to my new address, not the mission home (it'll just take longer if you send it there)
Sis. Chadderton's awesome words she said this week:
-Rubbish Day, Rubbish Man, Rubbish Bin
-Bench = kitchen counter
-I Reckon
-Stuff it up = mess it up
LOVE YOU ALL!!
-Sister B
Me with President and Sister Cannon!
A fuzzy tree we found! Yeah, I know it looks like I'm eating it. haha
Companions under the fuzzy tree!
My new planner that I start using today!
Me e-mailing wonderful people!! :)
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