Hola amigos!
Alright, buckle up because this might be a long one! We had an amazing week. We taught 17 lessons and we already have 22 set up for this week. I don't know how many will actually got through but we have found some awesome people!! Last Monday we had to stay inside the whole night because of the tornadoes but it was actually really productive. Luckily we could use Facebook to talk to a lot of people and we called and set up appointments with a bunch of people.
On Tuesday we went to go contact a former in our area book but we started driving there and the point was plotted incorrectly on the map and we ended up in a super nice neighborhood, probably the nicest I have been in on my mission. (We had actually made this same mistake like 8 weeks ago haha). We had planned to find in that neighborhood though so we pulled out white pages (an app that is a portable phone book) and started looking for Hispanic last names that live in the area. We found a guy named Alberto so we knocked and he wasn't interested but he took a Book of Mormon. Then we found another one and we talked to a guy that was from England or something and we asked if he knew if any of his neighbors were Hispanic. He pointed us to a house at the end of the street. WE walked there and right as we get to the house, a van pulls in the driveway. A woman gets out and she is on the phone and we hear Spanish. We were stoked. We start talking to her and she tells us that she was baptized into our church when she was 12 but since she got married in 2004 she stopped going to church because her husband wasn't into the no alcohol thing. Also, when they went to church as a family, they would go to an English ward but he feels more comfortable in Spanish so that was super exciting. We set up an appointment for later in the week then she told us that she has been waiting to hear from the missionaries for 2 years because ever since they moved into that house, she hasn't heard from them. She also said that she normally isn't home at the time that we talked to her but she really felt like God led us to her and was really involved in her life. We went back on Friday and read the introduction to the book of Mormon with her and she wants us to work with her family and help her kids and her husband learn about the church! It was so awesome.
So last week on exchanges, I had planned a day of lots of finding and we talked to almost no people. I was so frustrated. We had left some cards in people's doors but that was pretty much all we did. Well this week on exchanges, Hermana Clark got a call from a lady that said that a card was left in her door and she wants us to come by because she used to be a member. So we go by on Saturday and she tells us she was baptized in 1985 when she was a teenager but after she was baptized she quickly went inactive and never went back. She had joined the testigos de jeovah but said she never felt quite right in that church and left it. She said she has been going through a hard time and started praying for help and then not even 2 weeks later we left a card in her door. She said she doesn't remember much and wants to be treated like a person we are teaching. So we taught her the restoration and she got teary eyed when we said the first vision. She couldn't come to church this week but messaged us last night and said she wants to go next week. We set up times to meet with her twice a week and teach her. She is so excited and said she will read the Book of Mormon every day. she messaged us last night and said that she had read the pamphlet and the introduction! She also said her husband wants her to go and get involved in the church and once she is involved, he will start learning too!
We had an awesome lesson with the less active that stopped us at Walmart (Jose) and his wife who is not a member, Kelin. WE taught them the restoration and they want to meet weekly so we can start teaching them and they said they will start working hard to come to church and keep commitments because they want to change and Kelin wants to know if this church is the true church.
We went to a lesson with some other sisters because the father of the family they are teaching only speaks Spanish. They have 10 kids and that was insane. It worked out well though.. not sure if we will be going back.
On Sunday we didn't have anyone at church which was sad but I have high hopes for next week! WE ran into a guy that we have been trying to contact for weeks and set up an appointment for later this week. We knocked on a door and talked to a super kind lady from Ecuador who wants us to come back today and teach her and her daughter. We also found a guy who wants to read the Book of Mormon and study it so he can know if its true. Earlier in the week we found a guy on Facebook and gave him a book of Mormon and have a video lesson with him tonight! We have 4 lessons tonight and I am stoked.
Transfers are this week and Hermana Clark will be leaving the area but I will be staying. I am sad to see her go but super stoked to stay and work here because things are going really well. In our mission conference a couple of weeks ago Elder Haynie described the elect or prepared people as Scattered Israel. The members of the church are gathered Israel. I know that the people who are ready are hanging around the people who are already members! I have seen that a ton this week. So many incredible things happened and I know that the Lord is in charge of this work. He is in every aspect of what we do! I love this work!!
Have a great week!
Monday, September 24, 2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
Finding, Finding, Finding
Hola amigos!!
The weather here has been fine. A little bit of rain but I am not really sure if that is because of Florence or just because it rains here. The part of Virginia I am in probably won't really get hit but the storm but the people in my last area will get a lot of rain.
This week we went on two exchanges and it was super great! We did a lot of finding and talked with some people. I love being able to learn from different sisters and see how they do missionary work :)
This week we taught a man and his wife, Edwin and Lily. It was a very interesting lesson. We sat down and Edwin went to get Lily and we think they may have been fighting before we got there. Anyways, so we start the lesson and teach the restoration. We asked Lily to end the lesson by praying and it took a lot of prodding since she didn't really want to but once she started she was going and started praying for Edwin's brother who is in jail and there was a super big rush of emotion and she started crying really hard and talking about how he is innocent and all this stuff but it all worked out and they said they would come to church on the days they aren't visiting his brother in prison.
As of Sunday after church we had found 1 new person to teach for the week and we had a goal for 5. So we get going and we go back to teach this lady that we found on exchanges and she invited us in and we taught her and her two teenage daughters the restoration. They moved here from honduras a couple of months ago and the daughters don't speak any English but they are going to school here and its super hard for them because they don't understand much of what is going on. They really enjoyed the lesson and are excited to have us back later this week. We are really excited to start teaching them. A couple minutes later we found another new person to teach and then we had reached out goal!
I recently started the Book of Mormon over and I have been reading the story of Nefi and his brothers. I have been really amazed at the forgiving heart that Nefi has towards his brothers. Those guys are literally trying to kill him at some points and are doing everything they can to torment him and rebel against Lehi who is literally a prophet of God, but Nefi is always praying for them to have soft hearts and repent and then when they do he is very quick to forgive them. I feel like that is how God is with us and all of his children everywhere. Whenever we sin or go against what he is teaching us, He is hoping for us to change our hearts and right when we do He is ready to forgive. I know that God is a god of mercy and forgiveness.
I hope you have a great week.
The weather here has been fine. A little bit of rain but I am not really sure if that is because of Florence or just because it rains here. The part of Virginia I am in probably won't really get hit but the storm but the people in my last area will get a lot of rain.
This week we went on two exchanges and it was super great! We did a lot of finding and talked with some people. I love being able to learn from different sisters and see how they do missionary work :)
This week we taught a man and his wife, Edwin and Lily. It was a very interesting lesson. We sat down and Edwin went to get Lily and we think they may have been fighting before we got there. Anyways, so we start the lesson and teach the restoration. We asked Lily to end the lesson by praying and it took a lot of prodding since she didn't really want to but once she started she was going and started praying for Edwin's brother who is in jail and there was a super big rush of emotion and she started crying really hard and talking about how he is innocent and all this stuff but it all worked out and they said they would come to church on the days they aren't visiting his brother in prison.
As of Sunday after church we had found 1 new person to teach for the week and we had a goal for 5. So we get going and we go back to teach this lady that we found on exchanges and she invited us in and we taught her and her two teenage daughters the restoration. They moved here from honduras a couple of months ago and the daughters don't speak any English but they are going to school here and its super hard for them because they don't understand much of what is going on. They really enjoyed the lesson and are excited to have us back later this week. We are really excited to start teaching them. A couple minutes later we found another new person to teach and then we had reached out goal!
I recently started the Book of Mormon over and I have been reading the story of Nefi and his brothers. I have been really amazed at the forgiving heart that Nefi has towards his brothers. Those guys are literally trying to kill him at some points and are doing everything they can to torment him and rebel against Lehi who is literally a prophet of God, but Nefi is always praying for them to have soft hearts and repent and then when they do he is very quick to forgive them. I feel like that is how God is with us and all of his children everywhere. Whenever we sin or go against what he is teaching us, He is hoping for us to change our hearts and right when we do He is ready to forgive. I know that God is a god of mercy and forgiveness.
I hope you have a great week.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Hey sir, there is a frog right there
Hola amigos!
So funny story, Hermana Clark and I had not even heard a thing about the hurricane until Sunday night on our conference call with the leaders in the mission that there was going to be a hurricane hahaha! At our mission conference they told us to make sure we had everything we needed to survive even if we need to buy it Monday night. So we go to Walmart on Monday evening and it was actually really cool because we got stopped by a less active member whose house we had knocked earlier that evening but couldn't get a hold of. We got his phone number and set up a time to meet! Then someone else stopped us and asked about English class! It was awesome :)
Yesterday, Elder Haynie of the 70 came to the mission and spoke to us. A lot of what he talked on was gathering scattered Israel and bringing them to the gospel. I know that is what we are doing and that it is a great work. He also talked about letting the mission change us and letting Christ change us. I like to think I have changed on my mission, I am not super sure haha but I know for a fact that my testimony has and that it has gotten so strong. I know that this is the restored church of Jesus Christ and I know that everything I have is because of Him. I love my Savior with all my heart.
We had another lesson with Rosario, Miguel and their family. We start every lesson with a song and singing with them is some of the best minutes of my week. The spirit is so strong whenever we are singing. We read part of Enos with them because Miguel (the father) had not read in the scriptures yet. We had another family with us that they are friends with and it was great. We invited t hem to read and pray as a family every day and they told us on Saturday that they had done it!! they were not able to come to church this week but we have a lesson with them later in the week and we are going to teach the plan of salvation and I am so excited to tell them that they can live forever as a family.
We had a couple of exchanges this week and on one of them we talked with a man that has had a crazy past in Brooklyn, New York. He talked about how he has done some things that he is not proud of and got a little teary eyed. As we testified of the Book of Mormon you could see a change in his countenance and it was incredible. I know that there is serious power that comes from that book.
We also talked to a man that is an atheist but wants to have a belief in God but feels like he can't because there are so many unanswered questions. Same kind of scenario. We testified of the Book of Mormon and his countenance changed. He asked us that if he should read one part, what should he read. We gave him 3 Nephi 11 and then Sister Cummings said, "if you want to read when I knew the Book of Mormon is true, just read to chapter 17" and then I told him that if he wanted to read when I got the first confirmation of the book of Mormon that he should read chapters 18 and 19 as well. It was awesome. They have an appointment with him later this week as well.
We have had some super cool contacts with people that have a hunger to learn and to read the Book of Mormon! I know they can feel the spirit when we are with them. Its awesome!
On Sunday we were knocking on a door and we saw a frog that was sitting on the outlet right next to the door.. it was pretty cool. So we talk to this guy who was not at all interested but Hermana Clark was going to do everything she could to get him to listen so she said "Hey sir, look how cool this is, there is a frog right there!!" hahahahah! This man did not think it was super cool and told us to have a good night and shut the door! It was super funny! maybe you had to be there? hahah!
I love you all and hope you have a great week! I hope you all have a chance to strengthen the faith you have in the Savior every day :)
So funny story, Hermana Clark and I had not even heard a thing about the hurricane until Sunday night on our conference call with the leaders in the mission that there was going to be a hurricane hahaha! At our mission conference they told us to make sure we had everything we needed to survive even if we need to buy it Monday night. So we go to Walmart on Monday evening and it was actually really cool because we got stopped by a less active member whose house we had knocked earlier that evening but couldn't get a hold of. We got his phone number and set up a time to meet! Then someone else stopped us and asked about English class! It was awesome :)
Yesterday, Elder Haynie of the 70 came to the mission and spoke to us. A lot of what he talked on was gathering scattered Israel and bringing them to the gospel. I know that is what we are doing and that it is a great work. He also talked about letting the mission change us and letting Christ change us. I like to think I have changed on my mission, I am not super sure haha but I know for a fact that my testimony has and that it has gotten so strong. I know that this is the restored church of Jesus Christ and I know that everything I have is because of Him. I love my Savior with all my heart.
We had another lesson with Rosario, Miguel and their family. We start every lesson with a song and singing with them is some of the best minutes of my week. The spirit is so strong whenever we are singing. We read part of Enos with them because Miguel (the father) had not read in the scriptures yet. We had another family with us that they are friends with and it was great. We invited t hem to read and pray as a family every day and they told us on Saturday that they had done it!! they were not able to come to church this week but we have a lesson with them later in the week and we are going to teach the plan of salvation and I am so excited to tell them that they can live forever as a family.
We had a couple of exchanges this week and on one of them we talked with a man that has had a crazy past in Brooklyn, New York. He talked about how he has done some things that he is not proud of and got a little teary eyed. As we testified of the Book of Mormon you could see a change in his countenance and it was incredible. I know that there is serious power that comes from that book.
We also talked to a man that is an atheist but wants to have a belief in God but feels like he can't because there are so many unanswered questions. Same kind of scenario. We testified of the Book of Mormon and his countenance changed. He asked us that if he should read one part, what should he read. We gave him 3 Nephi 11 and then Sister Cummings said, "if you want to read when I knew the Book of Mormon is true, just read to chapter 17" and then I told him that if he wanted to read when I got the first confirmation of the book of Mormon that he should read chapters 18 and 19 as well. It was awesome. They have an appointment with him later this week as well.
We have had some super cool contacts with people that have a hunger to learn and to read the Book of Mormon! I know they can feel the spirit when we are with them. Its awesome!
On Sunday we were knocking on a door and we saw a frog that was sitting on the outlet right next to the door.. it was pretty cool. So we talk to this guy who was not at all interested but Hermana Clark was going to do everything she could to get him to listen so she said "Hey sir, look how cool this is, there is a frog right there!!" hahahahah! This man did not think it was super cool and told us to have a good night and shut the door! It was super funny! maybe you had to be there? hahah!
I love you all and hope you have a great week! I hope you all have a chance to strengthen the faith you have in the Savior every day :)
Monday, September 3, 2018
"I Saw a Civil War Captain in my Backyard"
oh let me explain the subject line real fast hahah!
So on exchanges we had the weirdest member meal I have ever had. Its a single guy so all 4 of us went over and ate some fried chicken. He is a less active who has apparently seen a lot of weird stuff including:the 3 Nephites, John the beloved, the holy ghost, a red orb, and a civil war captain in his backyard that waved at him. super odd and the weirdest member meal I have ever had on my mission.
Hola amigos!
This week we went on two exchanges and we went finding all day every day. It was great. I love talking to people about the restored gospel and finding is the best way to do that. We gave away a lot of Book of Mormons and set up some return appointments for the sisters so that was great. :)
This week we had two appointments with Henry. He came to church and he has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot. We had an appointment with the elders in Stafford and he is going to start going there because he lives in their boundaries. It was so sad but it will be good for him. :)
We had a lesson with Rosario, Miguel and their kids this week with our ward mission leader and it was so great! We started with the song, Families can be together Forever and it was the best. The spirit is so strong in their tiny little town home. All 7 of them came to church and they loved it. Rosario has been reading the Book of Mormon with her kids and they understand it! Also, we asked if they liked church and they said they liked it a lot better than their last church so that was awesome! They are being fellowhshipped really well and the branch loves them. Families are inviting them over and its so great.
We have been finding a lot and talking to some really cool people and I just love testifying of the restoration and the Book of Mormon. I know it is true and it really is the word of God. I know that Christ has restored his church and that we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth again.
I hope you have a great week! I love you all!
So on exchanges we had the weirdest member meal I have ever had. Its a single guy so all 4 of us went over and ate some fried chicken. He is a less active who has apparently seen a lot of weird stuff including:the 3 Nephites, John the beloved, the holy ghost, a red orb, and a civil war captain in his backyard that waved at him. super odd and the weirdest member meal I have ever had on my mission.
Hola amigos!
This week we went on two exchanges and we went finding all day every day. It was great. I love talking to people about the restored gospel and finding is the best way to do that. We gave away a lot of Book of Mormons and set up some return appointments for the sisters so that was great. :)
This week we had two appointments with Henry. He came to church and he has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot. We had an appointment with the elders in Stafford and he is going to start going there because he lives in their boundaries. It was so sad but it will be good for him. :)
We had a lesson with Rosario, Miguel and their kids this week with our ward mission leader and it was so great! We started with the song, Families can be together Forever and it was the best. The spirit is so strong in their tiny little town home. All 7 of them came to church and they loved it. Rosario has been reading the Book of Mormon with her kids and they understand it! Also, we asked if they liked church and they said they liked it a lot better than their last church so that was awesome! They are being fellowhshipped really well and the branch loves them. Families are inviting them over and its so great.
We have been finding a lot and talking to some really cool people and I just love testifying of the restoration and the Book of Mormon. I know it is true and it really is the word of God. I know that Christ has restored his church and that we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth again.
I hope you have a great week! I love you all!
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