FAMILY. What a good week.
My companion is Sister Staker from Loomis California (in the California Roseville Mission!). She was going to school at BYU-I before her mission and wants to be a high school Spanish Teacher. She and I came out at the same time and have served around each other down on the border (me in Del Rio and Her in Eagle Pass, she was my STL), and now we're companions! I was a little terrified of transfers, because I was worried I would have an English Companion since that has happened before in this area, but we may or may not have shouted and done a few fist pumps when it was announced we would be companions together. I think we've lived together for years. But that just might be behind the veil. She loves Harry Potter as well, and she listens to me talk away. She jumps in the air to get into bed, throws things everything over her shoulder into the back of the car when she's not using it anymore. She also enjoys singing really loud. We get along well :) We might need a babysitter haha toooo muuuccchhh funnnnn!
So Sister Rodriguez and I spent our last few days together and then we made the trip to north San Antonio where I took the Spanish test for hopefully the last time at 7:15am and then went into our Transfer Meeting. Lots of changes, lots of excitement. We went to the bookstore afterwards, and I...bought new scriptures...mine have been falling apart (literally) and have been well worn, so I've struggled taking them to lessons since it distracts people sometimes, and also I have too many markings to think while I read. So I got the new burgundy 2013 Quad. And Hermana C. Montgomery put on it. Sister Staker and I have had a good time comparing some slight changes in fonts or intros and things between our copies. I'm afraid to mark anything.
On our way back home to our apartment after transfers, we received a phone call from a number we didn't know. I thought it would just be some missionaries that we didn't have in our contacts, but when I answered it, the person on the other side asked if he could talk to Sister Huerne and Sister Ferguson. After some bustled confusion he told us that he had been taught a few years ago by those Sisters, and he would like to know if we could come by again and talk. Wahhhhhh? Jaw drop moment. We got information from him and set up an appointment and when we hung up, Sister Staker and I looked at each other flabbergasted. It's gonna be a good Transfer.
We've been making our way through the list of people we don't know in our ward directory, and surprisingly, we've been setting up a lot of return appointments with Part Member families. It's been really interesting. God's hand is in this work.
So, we've been doing this Study packet "Be Not Moved" from our Mission President, studying the Restoration (Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, The Lord's Church) as a mission. I love studying something in personal study and then getting to talk about it in companionship study. It's the best. But at one point, I'm not really remembering what I had been studying, but I had this thought. If, some areas in the world open up for missionary work in the coming years, would they ask return missionaries who were not married to serve a second mission? It was an interesting thought to think about. This is in Elder Perry's words "the most remarkable era in the history of the church." The Hastening. If asked, would I serve a second mission so that there would be more missionaries to carry the message of the Restoration to the world? I don't think I would even blink. It would be so exciting to continue to be part of that phase of the Hastening of the Work.
So it's already been interesting being an STL, lots of things going on behind stage that I had no idea about. We're going to be doing four exchanges this transfer-three with companionship's that we cover, and then one with the Traveling Sisters who cover us. I'm excited!
Do y'all remember those pictures I took to explain the plan of Salvation? Well, I finally used them. I know, I should have used them sooner than a year into my mission, but…I never felt like I should before. We did a quick review with the Plan of Salvation with the Hopp family, and then I showed them the pictures, Robert was listening very closely. The daughter should have finished the Book of Mormon Yesterday, so we need to follow up and see how it went. At our lesson on Tuesday, she and I were talking before dinner about what she was learning, she picked the topic of virtue and was already in 2nd Nephi. She asked if she had to highlight as she read, because she knew she could go fast if she didn't have to highlight, and i told her that I knew she could easily read it in a week, but we had wanted her to learn something while doing it. It'll be interesting to see how she did!
I really loved the experience you shared with the vacuum dad. Thank you! I loved the part where you said " Cry unto him over our fields and about our flocks, or even our carpet and how we feel about where we live." This week we had a lesson with a woman named Laura, I'm not sure if I've mentioned her before. we've taught her a couple of times, normally after lunch with a member in our ward, and she has gotten aggressive sometimes with the things that come up. All of her family is members, and she is just not gonna hear about how she should change or why anymore. But anyways, I had a lot of fear going into this lesson with her on Tuesday, and I was praying a lot that we would just be able to bring the spirit to her heart, testify and leave without getting into a bashing rant. Praying a lot. And…the conversation just flowed perfectly into what we had wanted to talk about. We didn't end up using the things that we had planned to use, but still talked about what we had planned on talking about, prayer actually haha the irony. I shared a scripture and then an experience I had had counseling with the Lord while on my mission, and without prompting, Laura said "There has been only one time in my life, that I feel like I have gotten a big bolded answer to my prayers." Then she shared an experience with her two daughters. It softened and and changed my views that I had of her. We were also able to go and help her clean up after she had been painting for a few weeks. She talked about building houses and things while she re-grouted part of the wall (She majored in construction design), and I even told her bit about your laundry room project dad :)
Another event of the week was I got my first flat tire in the mission. Pooo. We think it might have been from driving over part of a cactus while our GPS took us off roading to find a house. We were able to find the spare tire, but in the end, we had to call the Elders to come and help us with it. As much as we would have liked to fix it ourselves, the Elder's will have to take credit for this one. I'll have to take a page out of Shar's book and pay attention a little more when it comes to cars. It made for an interesting night to say the least.
I've been pondering a lot more about the experience I shared last week from going through the book of baptismal records and finding so many less-actives. I think it was a real life changing experience for me. This morning, while reading in Alma 26 about the work of the Sons of Mosiah and their converts I read:
6.Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
7. But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will braise them up at the last day.
I thought it was so fitting for my thoughts towards the people that I have been teaching. I don't want to convert them for a season, and then when the storm comes and the wind blows, the fall away. I want them to fit this description. I want to fit that description. I want to be unmovable in my Testimony of the Lord's Gospel, His Restoration, and His Hastening. Really converted.
Yesterday, we had a member from the ward high counsel come to our Spanish Branch to speak, and his and his wife's topics were "Hastening the Work of Salvation." He listed 6 ways that we can hasten the work and I wanted to share them with y'all.
- Broaden your circle of friends (we've been told before to choose friends who will lift us up, and now maybe is the time to be the friend who will lift others up).
- Invite others into the light of the Gospel, by inviting them into your life (so this is not only being their friend, but letting them see a part of what your life really is. A lot of time the fact that people are Mormons is very blatant, let them see the pictures on your walls of phone, talk about families, talk about church etc...let them see how the Gospel has blessed your family).
- Smile (this is a happy work, act like it :D)
- This wasn't his exact wording but I wrote it down as "act like it's normal, others will be excited as well." Sometimes, we fear that others will judge us, because we are kind'a judging ourselves...just let the normal flow of your life and words leak into theirs....if that made any sense.
- Invite people to enjoy your everyday experiences with you (when you're doing and enjoying something, ask yourself "who would enjoy doing this with me?" it builds relationships to simply invite others to do things with you. Try it, you'll like it).
- Make a plan (my personal favorite. Make a goal to get to know five new families and become friends over the summer, or to give away a Book of Mormon once a month or to carry pass along cards in your purse or wallet and give one away everyday. Things will only progress as we set goals and make plans and carry through).
I wish that this High Councilman could go around the whole mission he was so good at getting people's attention and making realistic suggestions to Hasten the Work. I learned something.
I might have mentioned this last week, but our Stake Relief Society President asked our Relief Society last week "what are 10 ways to Hasten the Work?" then she asked "What are 10 things your ward is doing to Hasten the Work?" When I got home and was thinking about it that evening, I decided to make 10 transfer goals for what I was going to do to Hasten the Work. What are 10 ways you're helping to Hasten the Work?
We met with our Elder's Quorum President last night to discuss a plan to reactivate and find members on our lists, we're meeting again on Wednesday. We have a lot of really good leaders here in our area, i'm excited to see where things will go.
Sister Staker and I are hoping to finish here together. That would make five transfers for me, and four for her. High hopes.It's possible...but if I stay here for even one other transfer it'll be a first on my mission. So right now we'll live it up and work hard.
Well Fam, that's been my week. Enjoy. Love y'all!
Hermana C. Montgomery
No comments:
Post a Comment