Bonjour!
Thank you all for your emails and love! I am overwhelmed at the love I have for all of you. That means…lots to respond to and not so much time to do it in! First off, OGDEN!!!! That’s AMAZING!! Josh you are going to love it! I can’t put enough exclamation points to express how ecstatic I am for you!!!!!! I so wish I could have been there to see the joy in your eyes but I guess I will have to settle for my imagination, it’s not difficult at all to see your excitement! Teaching people in the States has been such an incredible blessing. The people here need the gospel just as much as they need it anywhere else in the world. Actually we probably need it more, we are so stubborn here. The gospel has serious power to bless people’s lives and you will get to be a part of that miracle and witness those changes. You will also be blessed to have incredible member support. We set weekly goals for the number of lessons taught with members and I have no doubt the members will more than willing to help. Sister Child recently shared a statistic with me. Apparently only 7% of people who are found by the missionaries stay active for over 3 years while 75% of people found by members stay active. Isn’t that mind-blowing? We NEED the members every step of the way and you will be blessed to have them there. (just for the record, those numbers might be a tad bit off BUT you get the idea.
I was reading in Jacob 4:7 this morning and he says, “The Lord God shows us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.” We have weaknesses because we NEED to rely on Jesus Christ. We need his grace and we need his love. There is absolutely no way around that fact. If we were strong from the beginning we wouldn’t need to look to Christ and consequently wouldn’t know HOW we become like him. It is humbling to not be strong, to not always know what to do or what to say but those are the times when we find strength in our Savior. I’m not sure if I already shared this with you but I love 2 Cor 12:9-10. Paul glories in his weaknesses because he knows that those are the times when he is the closest to Christ. God knows our weaknesses and has power to help us turn those into strengths as long as we go to him. In Exodus, Moses questions his call and the Lord responds, “ Who hath made man’s mouth? Or maketh the dumb, or deaf or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what to say.” He has created us and will not leave us without the strength we need to be supported. Anyway, that was LONG and I still haven’t said much! I am excited for your call! God is preparing people right now for you and can’t wait for you to bless the lives of his other children.
Mom also mentioned that there are a ton of gangs in Odgen? Crazy… Same here! The missionaries stay in the apartments the day before, the day of and the day after Halloween because it is initiation day! We ran into this guy named KEVIN (shout out #1 bro-in-law) and he used to run with the creator of the Crypts, Tootsie Williams. Apparently Kevin’s street name was cool cat but, “Tootsie call me Tiger.” It is so amazing talking to so many different people! So far we haven’t had trouble but we are always on the lookout for red and white shirts. You will probably also get a lot of Polynesians up there… Just like you predicted!Switching gears…
Boundary changes excitement! It sounds like you got a pretty good deal minus the Beehive situation and the Franklin Farm people. Remember the same thing just 8 short years ago? It seemed devastating at the time (most things seemed devastating to me then:)) but I think that we all learned that there was a purpose to the change. Growth is such a blessing and it just means that we get to meet more people and develop more life-long relationships. I may have mentioned this when I got back from Taiwan but I believe that one of our greatest blessings in life is to interact and learn from people. We all have such different lives and experiences and can always strengthen and help each other. This just means there are more friends to be made! It also means that Hadley has the chance to be a missionary and get all of her friends to come!
Ellis Island was really fun! We got to walk around the back halls and see some behind the scenes stuff…ie storage for the café. We got to go on a tour and our guide had the driest humor I think I have ever encountered. He has made me seriously consider a future as a Park Ranger. It was fun to help people find their ancestors. People were so excited to find relatives! Ellis Island charges $5 for every 30 mins so it was fun to say, “Hey there is a family history center near you that is completely free!”
We got to talk about the important of General conference yesterday. Made me think of how much I love Mom for making us go to all of the sessions and, of course, frog eye salad. I love CONFERENCE. There was such an extensive period where we didn’t have a prophet, didn’t have apostles to speak to us and now we get to here from them this weekend! I used the scripture D&C 21:6 in my talk…when we listen and follow the prophet, “For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good and his name’s glory.” Can you even believe those blessings? It is a privilege to have a prophet today and to hear what God wants for us. I hope you are as excited as I am. PLUS I might get to hear it all in English! We talked to this teenage girl last night and asked her what she thought about the idea of having a prophet today like they had during old testament times. She goes, “Well God SHOULD call a prophet! Dang we need it!” 100% agree.
Ok so we are out of time, I love you and pray for you every day. God is watching out for each one of us and wants us to stay close to him. Keep praying and reading your scriptures!
With all the love in my heart, Sister Powers
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
New Jersey (first week in the mission field!)
Bonjour ma famille! First of all I can't believe JOSH IS GETTING A MISSION CALL THIS WEEK! My guess is either California if he goes stateside o Toulousse(sp?) France if he goes foreign. That way we can be one big family of French speakers...I am getting a little nervous about my French speaking abilities. I still pray in French and have morning language study but that is about all I have had the chance to do. I am going to definitely need God's help when I get to Belgium! So much to tell and so little time. This is going to be a whirlwind of an email...sorry if it is hard to follow!
The zone leaders told me that they are going to try and keep me here until the end of the transfer which is October 13ish? (Happy Birthday mom!) If I leave earlier they would have to mess with areas again and then my companion would be companion-less. The lady at the MTC said that I would only be here until my visa comes which is 9 weeks from July 21st or tomorrow! I'm not quite sure who to believe but I am HApPY here in Jersey and will do whatever is asked. Something kind of crazy...I got to know a Sister Jackson really well in the MTC. She took a class from Soeur Earl's mom and so we had some fun times in the residence hall. Anyway, she left to come to NJMM a couple of weeks before I did and then on Monday night we drove up to our house and she is my roommate! So good to see a familiar face and immediately feel like a part of the group.
Ok so I flew into Newark on Monday and had the chance to talk to the family at the airport. Sorry Chels! I didn't have time to call you. I promise to call on the way to Belgium. I sat next to this nice girl named Pauline and we talked for the entire 4.5 hours! She lives in Morristown and said she wanted to do lunch BUT I am not even close to Morristown so that probably isn't going to happen. I'm thinking I am going to give her information to the sisters in that area to go and see her. Anyway, we had a great conversation and we talked about how she can live with her fiance forever. We'll see where that goes. We drove through downtown Newark (I'm pretty sure the assistants got lost a few times, we kept passing the same train station) and ended up at President and Sister Bahr's home in Morristown. Their house is in a neighborhood just like Harper Lane, the trees, the smell, crazy kids rollerblading all over the place. Made me think of my rocking childhood and how much I love the east coast. We ate some delicious Costco food and had interviews. I met my companion...It was a little anti-climactic because she was the only sister there. No surprise as to who I was going to get put with! Her name is Sister Child and she is from Portland. She has only been here since May so she is pretty new to this whole thing too!
We have been assigned to re-open the Fair Lawn, New Jersey area. Just goes to show that God has a lot more faith in us than we might think! Sister Child bought a GPS first thing Tuesday morning and I am o so glad she did. I am directionally challenged as is,I probably would have led us to down-town manhattan. I have to say, Sis Child is amazing but her driving skills leave something to be desired. Love it and her.
Northern New Jersey is so incredibly diverse! We have met people from Greece, Kenya, columbia, Peru, China, England, Israel...the list goes on and on. It is so amazing to see so many different cultures all thrown into the same place. The smells are unbelievable! I think the coolest thing was going to District Conference on Sunday. The District President said that there were about 25 different countries represented in the congregation. AmAZIng. The gospel really is for every single person and it has an incredible power to unite.
We attended the baptism of a woman named Keisha immediately following the service. She is the neighbor of Shimaya, one of the members who was baptized 6 years ago. Shimaya shared her testimony and it's purity was amazing. She just moved into a new area in July and became friends with Keisha. She said she was originally apprehesive about sharing her testimony and thoughts about the church, "You know she's going to think I'm strange, but you know let her think I'm strange. This can bless her life and I HAVE to try." Here we are 3ish months later and she is baptized with their other neighbor getting baptized next Sunday. The gospel really does have the power to change lives. This week was a bit of a transition and I think I kind of lost sight of that reality. The change is not only drastic but miraculous. If we are willing to share it, we can really help our friends have the pervasive joy that we feel. That is the reason I am here. I know that what I have, what we have, is the truth. It has the power to change our hearts and align our will's with God's. Ezk 36:26. Not only does it give us joy but it gives us purpose and motivation to serve.
I have been studying faith this week and was reading in Moroni 7:31-32. As a missionary it is my blessing to be able to share this message with people, to bear testimony of the Restoration. When we have faith and live worthy of the Holy Ghost, the covenants we have made are fulfilled. The way that I show my faith is by preaching the gospel, being exactly obedient and trusting in Heavenly Father's promises. When I do those things, I am made clean through the atonement AND I get to help other people have the same blessing. Isn't that the greatest cycle even imaginable? The more we act on our faith, the closer we are to Christ and the more able we are to help others have that same experience. I LOVE IT!
One last quick experience....Last night we were visiting people who had formerly been contacted and were suggested as people to check up on. Our very last visit of the night, we pull up to HUGE house. Anyway, we knock on the door and the lady says, "O the woman that you're looking for is renting our basement." So we go around to the side door and she lets us in. She said that she had just been praying for some kind of help from God. She has been feeling alone and needed to feel his love. We were able to teach her and help her to understand the unconditional love that Heavenly Father has for her. She had been kind of fidgety the whole time but when we shared the first vision with her, she physically calmed down. I am SO excited to continue teaching her and helping her!
Anyway, after years of debate between NJ Morristown and New York, New York South, it was determined that Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are in our mission. For our service in the mission we get to go to Ellis Island once every few weeks to help people with family history! I am excited! I'm not positive how I am going to be able to help anyone because I have no idea how the system works BUT, there's no better day than today to learn. I'll keep you updated.
And finally...I LoVE YOu all! I hope that school is going well and I can't wait to hear from you about the call and about all other amazing things going on in your lives. Mondays are P-Days and we email in the morning. LOVE You Sis P
The zone leaders told me that they are going to try and keep me here until the end of the transfer which is October 13ish? (Happy Birthday mom!) If I leave earlier they would have to mess with areas again and then my companion would be companion-less. The lady at the MTC said that I would only be here until my visa comes which is 9 weeks from July 21st or tomorrow! I'm not quite sure who to believe but I am HApPY here in Jersey and will do whatever is asked. Something kind of crazy...I got to know a Sister Jackson really well in the MTC. She took a class from Soeur Earl's mom and so we had some fun times in the residence hall. Anyway, she left to come to NJMM a couple of weeks before I did and then on Monday night we drove up to our house and she is my roommate! So good to see a familiar face and immediately feel like a part of the group.
Ok so I flew into Newark on Monday and had the chance to talk to the family at the airport. Sorry Chels! I didn't have time to call you. I promise to call on the way to Belgium. I sat next to this nice girl named Pauline and we talked for the entire 4.5 hours! She lives in Morristown and said she wanted to do lunch BUT I am not even close to Morristown so that probably isn't going to happen. I'm thinking I am going to give her information to the sisters in that area to go and see her. Anyway, we had a great conversation and we talked about how she can live with her fiance forever. We'll see where that goes. We drove through downtown Newark (I'm pretty sure the assistants got lost a few times, we kept passing the same train station) and ended up at President and Sister Bahr's home in Morristown. Their house is in a neighborhood just like Harper Lane, the trees, the smell, crazy kids rollerblading all over the place. Made me think of my rocking childhood and how much I love the east coast. We ate some delicious Costco food and had interviews. I met my companion...It was a little anti-climactic because she was the only sister there. No surprise as to who I was going to get put with! Her name is Sister Child and she is from Portland. She has only been here since May so she is pretty new to this whole thing too!
We have been assigned to re-open the Fair Lawn, New Jersey area. Just goes to show that God has a lot more faith in us than we might think! Sister Child bought a GPS first thing Tuesday morning and I am o so glad she did. I am directionally challenged as is,I probably would have led us to down-town manhattan. I have to say, Sis Child is amazing but her driving skills leave something to be desired. Love it and her.
Northern New Jersey is so incredibly diverse! We have met people from Greece, Kenya, columbia, Peru, China, England, Israel...the list goes on and on. It is so amazing to see so many different cultures all thrown into the same place. The smells are unbelievable! I think the coolest thing was going to District Conference on Sunday. The District President said that there were about 25 different countries represented in the congregation. AmAZIng. The gospel really is for every single person and it has an incredible power to unite.
We attended the baptism of a woman named Keisha immediately following the service. She is the neighbor of Shimaya, one of the members who was baptized 6 years ago. Shimaya shared her testimony and it's purity was amazing. She just moved into a new area in July and became friends with Keisha. She said she was originally apprehesive about sharing her testimony and thoughts about the church, "You know she's going to think I'm strange, but you know let her think I'm strange. This can bless her life and I HAVE to try." Here we are 3ish months later and she is baptized with their other neighbor getting baptized next Sunday. The gospel really does have the power to change lives. This week was a bit of a transition and I think I kind of lost sight of that reality. The change is not only drastic but miraculous. If we are willing to share it, we can really help our friends have the pervasive joy that we feel. That is the reason I am here. I know that what I have, what we have, is the truth. It has the power to change our hearts and align our will's with God's. Ezk 36:26. Not only does it give us joy but it gives us purpose and motivation to serve.
I have been studying faith this week and was reading in Moroni 7:31-32. As a missionary it is my blessing to be able to share this message with people, to bear testimony of the Restoration. When we have faith and live worthy of the Holy Ghost, the covenants we have made are fulfilled. The way that I show my faith is by preaching the gospel, being exactly obedient and trusting in Heavenly Father's promises. When I do those things, I am made clean through the atonement AND I get to help other people have the same blessing. Isn't that the greatest cycle even imaginable? The more we act on our faith, the closer we are to Christ and the more able we are to help others have that same experience. I LOVE IT!
One last quick experience....Last night we were visiting people who had formerly been contacted and were suggested as people to check up on. Our very last visit of the night, we pull up to HUGE house. Anyway, we knock on the door and the lady says, "O the woman that you're looking for is renting our basement." So we go around to the side door and she lets us in. She said that she had just been praying for some kind of help from God. She has been feeling alone and needed to feel his love. We were able to teach her and help her to understand the unconditional love that Heavenly Father has for her. She had been kind of fidgety the whole time but when we shared the first vision with her, she physically calmed down. I am SO excited to continue teaching her and helping her!
Anyway, after years of debate between NJ Morristown and New York, New York South, it was determined that Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are in our mission. For our service in the mission we get to go to Ellis Island once every few weeks to help people with family history! I am excited! I'm not positive how I am going to be able to help anyone because I have no idea how the system works BUT, there's no better day than today to learn. I'll keep you updated.
And finally...I LoVE YOu all! I hope that school is going well and I can't wait to hear from you about the call and about all other amazing things going on in your lives. Mondays are P-Days and we email in the morning. LOVE You Sis P
Friday, September 11, 2009
Change of Plans
So, now Soeur Powers is in New Jersey. Her visa didn't come in time so she is visa waiting there! Probably just email her for now, as letters may or may not make it to her in time, as we're not sure how long she'll be in the states. She found this out on the same day she sent this email...
Hey!
This week has been another amazing one. I know I say this every single week but the time really does fly. A few really cool things have happened. We had our final TRC appointment on Wednesday. We taught a grandfather and grandaughter who were playing recent converts. It was our best teaching experience yet. Sr Flood and I have struggled making the investigator a part of the lesson. It feels like we have so much to share that we get carried away and end up just talking AT the person instead of talking WITH them. We made it a goal to ask more questions and it made a world of difference! What is the point of sharing the Plan of Salvation or testifying of the Book of Mormon if they don't understand how it can affect them personally? They shared their testimonies of the Savior and the difference the Atonement has made in their lives. We were also able to share our feelings with them. I know that our relationships with the Savior are extremely personal but when we vocalize those feelings it is easier see how blessed we are. I know that when we seek to draw near to Him He draws near to us (D&C 88:63). I feel like it is so easy for me get off track but when we humble ourselves in prayer and beg for mercy, God is so willing to give it.
In response to your email mom...So cool that you got to meet Blair! She is incredible and obviously so dedicated to the work. Tell her hi the next time you go to the temple! There is a Sis Tsai here from Maryland who is going to Denver I think? She said she also knows Blair and to say hi! Just a heads up...for anyone sending me mail to the mission home, put the name of the mission first.
I AM SO EXCITED to go! A tiny bit nervous but the good kind of nerves. Mormon 5:23! It is going to be an adventure but it is going to be a blast. I know we can do all things in the strength of the Lord.
O, I almost forgot...i participated in this learning a language study...remind me to tell you about it on monday! LOVE LOVE LOVE sr powers
Hey!
This week has been another amazing one. I know I say this every single week but the time really does fly. A few really cool things have happened. We had our final TRC appointment on Wednesday. We taught a grandfather and grandaughter who were playing recent converts. It was our best teaching experience yet. Sr Flood and I have struggled making the investigator a part of the lesson. It feels like we have so much to share that we get carried away and end up just talking AT the person instead of talking WITH them. We made it a goal to ask more questions and it made a world of difference! What is the point of sharing the Plan of Salvation or testifying of the Book of Mormon if they don't understand how it can affect them personally? They shared their testimonies of the Savior and the difference the Atonement has made in their lives. We were also able to share our feelings with them. I know that our relationships with the Savior are extremely personal but when we vocalize those feelings it is easier see how blessed we are. I know that when we seek to draw near to Him He draws near to us (D&C 88:63). I feel like it is so easy for me get off track but when we humble ourselves in prayer and beg for mercy, God is so willing to give it.
In response to your email mom...So cool that you got to meet Blair! She is incredible and obviously so dedicated to the work. Tell her hi the next time you go to the temple! There is a Sis Tsai here from Maryland who is going to Denver I think? She said she also knows Blair and to say hi! Just a heads up...for anyone sending me mail to the mission home, put the name of the mission first.
I AM SO EXCITED to go! A tiny bit nervous but the good kind of nerves. Mormon 5:23! It is going to be an adventure but it is going to be a blast. I know we can do all things in the strength of the Lord.
O, I almost forgot...i participated in this learning a language study...remind me to tell you about it on monday! LOVE LOVE LOVE sr powers
Friday, September 4, 2009
Sept Semaine
Morning! Thanks for the cookies mom! They are delicious...I'm so sorry that the flags have been up all week at the beach. I guess that has given you a lot of time to play Nertz. Is it more fun without me dominating?! Just kidding of course. Hopefully you'll get at least one day in the water. So happy to hear that everything is going well otherwise.
I am anxious as you are to hear where Josh is called! Maybe he will get called French-speaking and inherit my teachers. I adore Sr. Stevens and Fr. Wadsworth. They have been such an amazing support in this whole MTC process. It is so clear that they were both amazing missionaries and I aspire to have as much conviction and charity as they do. Anyways send me a DearElder the minute he gets the call!
San Francisco was so much fun! We had to be at the travel office at 5am for our 9am flight! On the flight there I spoke with an amazing woman from San Fran. She drew me an incredibly detailed map of the city and gave me a list of approx. 100 things to do in the 2 hours we had! She was Apostolic and explained all of her beliefs and then I reciprocated! The conversation was amazing! I think the hardest thing about it was trying to decide what to tell her. There is so much doctrine and knowing what will make the difference is difficult. We ended up talking about the Plan of Salvation, the Restoration and the importance of prophets. Again...I have so many things that I can work on! I think it is easy to inform people about doctrine but getting them to FEEL the truth in the message is essential. Anyways, I think she left with a better impression of the church AND a pass along card:) We waited at the consolate for about 2 hours....and didn't end up having any time to see San Francisco. We were right next to Chinatown so we grabbed some Chinese food. It felt good to eat with chopsticks again! On the flight back I sat next to this 21 y/o kid from Billings. We talked all about his love for planes and his relationship with God. I thought things were going well until he asked for my number as we were getting off the plane! AHH...I guess I wasn't clear enough in explaining my purpose as a missionary! Haha thank heavens we don't have phones!
One quick last thought...
Sister Dalton came and spoke at relief society this past week. She is incredible! She talked all about how we love to stay in a comfort zone but we don't progress when we stay there. The Lord pushes us so that we can grow and learn. I feel like I am living proof of this principle. The French is still difficult and it is hard not being good at it! I feel like I usually understand things quickly and but not so much the case with the language. The French is pushing way outside my comfort zone boundaries! We just have to keep plugging at it and Heavenly Father will bless us for our efforts. HUMILITY! Anyways she concluded with D&C 123:16-17... I had never read that scripture and I think it has made it to my list of top ten. We do all we can and we are promised the the hand of God in our lives.
I LOVE YOU! good luck with the start of school and work and mission calls!
I am anxious as you are to hear where Josh is called! Maybe he will get called French-speaking and inherit my teachers. I adore Sr. Stevens and Fr. Wadsworth. They have been such an amazing support in this whole MTC process. It is so clear that they were both amazing missionaries and I aspire to have as much conviction and charity as they do. Anyways send me a DearElder the minute he gets the call!
San Francisco was so much fun! We had to be at the travel office at 5am for our 9am flight! On the flight there I spoke with an amazing woman from San Fran. She drew me an incredibly detailed map of the city and gave me a list of approx. 100 things to do in the 2 hours we had! She was Apostolic and explained all of her beliefs and then I reciprocated! The conversation was amazing! I think the hardest thing about it was trying to decide what to tell her. There is so much doctrine and knowing what will make the difference is difficult. We ended up talking about the Plan of Salvation, the Restoration and the importance of prophets. Again...I have so many things that I can work on! I think it is easy to inform people about doctrine but getting them to FEEL the truth in the message is essential. Anyways, I think she left with a better impression of the church AND a pass along card:) We waited at the consolate for about 2 hours....and didn't end up having any time to see San Francisco. We were right next to Chinatown so we grabbed some Chinese food. It felt good to eat with chopsticks again! On the flight back I sat next to this 21 y/o kid from Billings. We talked all about his love for planes and his relationship with God. I thought things were going well until he asked for my number as we were getting off the plane! AHH...I guess I wasn't clear enough in explaining my purpose as a missionary! Haha thank heavens we don't have phones!
One quick last thought...
Sister Dalton came and spoke at relief society this past week. She is incredible! She talked all about how we love to stay in a comfort zone but we don't progress when we stay there. The Lord pushes us so that we can grow and learn. I feel like I am living proof of this principle. The French is still difficult and it is hard not being good at it! I feel like I usually understand things quickly and but not so much the case with the language. The French is pushing way outside my comfort zone boundaries! We just have to keep plugging at it and Heavenly Father will bless us for our efforts. HUMILITY! Anyways she concluded with D&C 123:16-17... I had never read that scripture and I think it has made it to my list of top ten. We do all we can and we are promised the the hand of God in our lives.
I LOVE YOU! good luck with the start of school and work and mission calls!
Monday, August 31, 2009
A Few MTC pictures
Very first day in the MTC!
This is the zone pre-everyone leaving. They used to have 2 branches but they decided to combine them and now there is only one. My branch president is President Robinson...Max Robinson's brother! Small, crazy world. I love all of these Sisters. They all went to Paris except for Sis Call in blue. Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Send Off
Amber and Kim
Grandma and Grandpa Z
The amazing "work force"
Kate gave her talk on her 22nd birthday
Friends
The siblings
The family sing
Kate and Maury
Friday, August 28, 2009
Semaine Six
HEY!!! Alors, J'ai beaucoup les chose parteger! This week has been amazing! Can you believe that I have been here for 6 weeks? I sure can't! This is going to have to be bulleted...
1. Elder Scott came and talked to us on Tuesday night! It was INCREDIBLE. They usually post who is going to be speaking as everyone is walking in. When they didn't there were rumors flying about who the important person was. Every devotional we sing 3 prelude hymns and while we were singing "True the to Faith," he walked in and we all stood. We stayed standing throughout and finished with, "faithful and true we will ever stand." Amazing feeling. He talked all about how important the Spirit is in our teaching. Missionary work is completely different than it used to be. We have the outlines for the lessons but the goal is to be able to cater to the needs of the person. He advised us to not fear following what we feel. Heavenly Father knows his children more than we ever could. He knows what people need to hear and we just have to have the courage to follow what we are told. He emphasized the importance of LISTENING. "Prompting of the Spirit is real but it doesn't come with a neon sign. It is a skill that can be developed." Interesting thought. No wonder the apostles are so in tune...they have been at it for years! My other favorite thought was his discussion about prayer. "Prayer strengthens us. Dont rush through the privilege of speaking with your Heavenly Father." While I have been here, I have learned how real and how powerful prayer is. Heavenly Father wants to bless us but we have to humbly go to him. Anyways still a lot to talk about...
2. I am in the new orientation video! Sr Flood and I were studying outside and a guy came up to us and asked us to participate. Just a heads up for Josh...It's right after Sister Smith introduced herself. I am sitting on a bench in an orange sweater on the left side of the screen!
3. I am going to San Francisco on Tuesday! Remember how Freddy had to go to apply for his visa in person? Apparently my papers took a little bit longer to process because they didn't get the birth certificates soon enough. Anyways, we go for the day and get to spend the day on the pier! Apparently it takes about 2 weeks to get the French visa and then they apply for the Belgian one. The Belgian one only takes a few days so cross your fingers I get to leave on time! They can't apply for them at the same time because the French don't like the idea of us going more than one place. I am so excited to get to the field but I wouldn't mind staying a few extra days at the MTC. Heavenly Father knows that I need all the help I can get! Sr Earl left early Wednesday morning for Milwaukee. She is visa waiting there for a few weeks and then she gets to head to Madagascar! I wouldn't mind doing that either...whatever happens is what is meant to happen!
4. We got new French sisters this week! Two are headed to Paris and one is headed to Tahiti. They are so sweet and I can't wait to get to know them better. They had quite the 'deer in the headlights' look when I was giving them the tour! Serisouly, I was there just 6 weeks ago and can't believe how much I have learned. The MTC is an amazing place. I have been pushed further than I thought possible but have also been blessed more than I could have ever imagined. Alma 26:37 ---God is mindful of every people...especially missionaries!
5. This past week we taught a family of SEVEN in the TRC! It was absolutely out of control. The kids were 12 and under and all spoke fluent French. They were 'Muslim' so that also made things interesting. It was cool trying to incorporate the kids into the lesson. There was a lot of screaming and a little bit of fun! Seemed more like the real thing than our other TRC appts. Both parents served French speaking and I have come to the conclusion that you didn't teach me French because Heavenly Father knew that I needed to be humbled!
With all the love in my heart sr powers
1. Elder Scott came and talked to us on Tuesday night! It was INCREDIBLE. They usually post who is going to be speaking as everyone is walking in. When they didn't there were rumors flying about who the important person was. Every devotional we sing 3 prelude hymns and while we were singing "True the to Faith," he walked in and we all stood. We stayed standing throughout and finished with, "faithful and true we will ever stand." Amazing feeling. He talked all about how important the Spirit is in our teaching. Missionary work is completely different than it used to be. We have the outlines for the lessons but the goal is to be able to cater to the needs of the person. He advised us to not fear following what we feel. Heavenly Father knows his children more than we ever could. He knows what people need to hear and we just have to have the courage to follow what we are told. He emphasized the importance of LISTENING. "Prompting of the Spirit is real but it doesn't come with a neon sign. It is a skill that can be developed." Interesting thought. No wonder the apostles are so in tune...they have been at it for years! My other favorite thought was his discussion about prayer. "Prayer strengthens us. Dont rush through the privilege of speaking with your Heavenly Father." While I have been here, I have learned how real and how powerful prayer is. Heavenly Father wants to bless us but we have to humbly go to him. Anyways still a lot to talk about...
2. I am in the new orientation video! Sr Flood and I were studying outside and a guy came up to us and asked us to participate. Just a heads up for Josh...It's right after Sister Smith introduced herself. I am sitting on a bench in an orange sweater on the left side of the screen!
3. I am going to San Francisco on Tuesday! Remember how Freddy had to go to apply for his visa in person? Apparently my papers took a little bit longer to process because they didn't get the birth certificates soon enough. Anyways, we go for the day and get to spend the day on the pier! Apparently it takes about 2 weeks to get the French visa and then they apply for the Belgian one. The Belgian one only takes a few days so cross your fingers I get to leave on time! They can't apply for them at the same time because the French don't like the idea of us going more than one place. I am so excited to get to the field but I wouldn't mind staying a few extra days at the MTC. Heavenly Father knows that I need all the help I can get! Sr Earl left early Wednesday morning for Milwaukee. She is visa waiting there for a few weeks and then she gets to head to Madagascar! I wouldn't mind doing that either...whatever happens is what is meant to happen!
4. We got new French sisters this week! Two are headed to Paris and one is headed to Tahiti. They are so sweet and I can't wait to get to know them better. They had quite the 'deer in the headlights' look when I was giving them the tour! Serisouly, I was there just 6 weeks ago and can't believe how much I have learned. The MTC is an amazing place. I have been pushed further than I thought possible but have also been blessed more than I could have ever imagined. Alma 26:37 ---God is mindful of every people...especially missionaries!
5. This past week we taught a family of SEVEN in the TRC! It was absolutely out of control. The kids were 12 and under and all spoke fluent French. They were 'Muslim' so that also made things interesting. It was cool trying to incorporate the kids into the lesson. There was a lot of screaming and a little bit of fun! Seemed more like the real thing than our other TRC appts. Both parents served French speaking and I have come to the conclusion that you didn't teach me French because Heavenly Father knew that I needed to be humbled!
With all the love in my heart sr powers
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