What a great e-mail! Seems like the Branch is allowing you to grow in so many different ways! Its amazing! I had a funny realization the other day during companionship study. We read the white handbook every day and we were reading in the section that says "If your home ward or stake changes, contact the mission office immediately and make them aware of the change." After I read that sentence I said, "Oh..... Oh crap..... I have been a part of a different ward for almost a month now and I didn't even know I needed to contact the mission office..... I should probably do that." So after studies I called Sister Hollingsworth and I think she got it figured out, so if you get something in the mail from the Colorado Denver North Mission Office, just know that I haven't totalled a car or done anything to make me come home early.... :)
I am happy to know you are busy with work, it's an answer to my prayers. Now I will just pray that you will be able to handle all of your responsibilities... HAHA :) You're such a hard worker, Dad! Dad, Heavenly Father has blessed us so much this week! We are seeing tiny miracles happening! Zone conference was this week, it was really wonderful! President trained us on how we need to look at ourselves and others. He said that we are in the HAPPY BUSINESS, we are not to look downtrodden or depressed when knocking doors or in a members home. He also said that we should never doubt who we are. He taught us that we are the Moses of 2014, that we are duly called and ordained to preach the gospel and that because of that we are able to receive revelation as we are obedient. Elder Brennan, an AP, taught us "Don't be afraid to bloody your nose." He said that we can't be afraid of rejection or discouragement that may come from putting ourselves out there. I needed to hear that. We also had missionaries, who would be leaving the mission before next zone conference, give departing testimonies. I knew more than half the missionaries that spoke. It was weird to realize that I am as far into my mission now as Sister G was when she trained me... TIME FLIES TOO FAST!
We had several teaching opportunities this week but the neatest one was with Rebecca, she recently moved into our ward and is living with her fiance. She got divorced a little while ago and has 2 kids, her ex has custody of one and she has custody of the other. A few months ago she has a brain aneurysm and is in the latter stages of recovery. We were able to testify that by coming to church, reading her scriptures, and praying she would have greater happiness in her family life and personal life and that the Savior would be there to help her along her way. She said that she wanted to start coming to church with her daughter and nonmember fiance.
On Saturday I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Openshaw. We were in the Hidden Lake ward for the day. It was exactly what I needed! We worked so hard ALL DAY! We talked to almost every single person we saw and had some interesting experiences. We had mexican food for lunch, after lunch we taught Nicola, a daughter of a less active father and nonmember mother. Her family is Filipino and so her mom had made us lunch. She said that they didn't use utensils so we could eat with our hands.... FUNNEST THING I HAVE DONE IN A LOOOOOONG TIME. The food was sooooo goood and then we had an amazing lesson with Nicola, we were able to answer her deep seeded question like how the spirit felt and what that even meant. IT WAS AMAZING. We also were able to go see an investigator Cassie, she wasn't there when we got there but her mom, who was a former investigator, opened the door and started talking to us. She admitted to us that she had a drinking problem and that she was also taking serious medication and that if she didn't stop drinking, she would die. So we were able to set up a time to go talk to her and help her through the addiction recovery program. Then we had a huge mexican food dinner, afterwards we went to go contact some people and we were walking. We saw this Asian woman water her plants on the second story of an apartment building. We walked past and then we decided to talk to her, we asked her about her plants and she invited us up to come see them. We walked up and had us sit and she brought us out some kind of hot drink... Sister Openshaw and I looked at each other and as soon as she walked out of the room we asked each other what it was. We were kind of horrified.... Didn't really know what to do so we asked her what it was and she said it was some kind of soy bean drink. It was interesting, so every time she would walk out, we would add a spoonful of sugar... Not only does that help medicine go down... it helped that stuff go down too. Anyways, it was SUCH a great day and helped me feel like a real missionary again. Besides eating a TON of food............that was really gross.
So this was our big miracle from the week, yesterday we got a text from a member family. Their son had been working with one of his friends and brought him to church three weeks in a row, we talked to the father about it and he said they would continue to work with him and let us know when they were ready for the lessons, we respected their space. Yesterday they texted and said that Yun and his whole family (father, less active. mother, nonmember. sister, nonmember.) were over for lunch that day and the family invited them to take the discussions, they all agreed and the member family set up and appointment for us. We will be teaching their whole family next week! IT WAS AMAZING!!! Sister Courtney told me yesterday that for the first time in four months she feels a change in the members and in the ward. MIRACLES ARE HAPPENIN' HERE IN THE BADLANDS! :) Thank you so much for all your love and all your prayers, they strengthen me and help me every day! I love you so much Dad! XOXO
<3 SISTER HOOPES
No comments:
Post a Comment