Sunday, June 30, 2013
Well. Who can say they have been in three areas and have had 5 companions?
Hola Familia e Amigos!! Como Vi?
This week has been something. P-day is always our lucky day. That day we were supposed to teach Jhosylene who only lets us in if we have Kimberly. We waited for ever for Kimberly who never showed up. We went to other housees and no one was home. Not one lesson. And everyone was really grumpy when we contacted them. We went home, and then I woke up on Tuesday feeling like a truck hit me. Que triste, ne? I was Mrs. Grinch to my companion and then she and Sister Bradshaw taught an awesome feux lesson for their training, and I was so jealous. I started to cry and cry. I had myself a pity party. I was just in a separate room listening to music. They probably thought I was so weird. Then we had to go to district meeting, and I looked like a puffed up blow fish. We had an awesome companionship inventory (mostly me boohooing and apologizing for being such a jerk) and then we went to teach Sandra Acosta and then we were going to teach ANdres. We were feeling so horrible about it but we knew we had to go and do. And they weren't home! The only time I was glad someone wasn't there. Oh dear. That's horrible.
And then we went to talk to this woman in our ward who can not spick an ounce of English and talks super quickly. We were so scared. But we prayed super hard that we could understand, and we did. It was an awesome lesson and she is so awesome. After we taught her though, I needed to throw up. So I did. Haha. But I was like, the work must continue! So we went to talk to the Barretos (the Portuguese family) and I taught them in Portuguese, but it was a super bad idea. We drove home stopping at the side of the rode, me holding a napkin to throw up in if we couldn't stop, and then I got home and threw up for hours. And fifteen hours later, I woke up in my skirt and shirt and shoes. And some stanky breath. That day I really wanted to work, but my companions were all like, nooooooooo. I was only dry heaving. So I decided to pray. I said: "Heavenly Father, should I rest or should I go to work?" ANd I opened the scriptures (they hold the answer to everything of course) and in every paragraph it said the word "rest". Well! Pooey! So that was my answer.
And apparantly it was good, because it was let's have a therapy session with Sister Powell day or "now I have an excuse to get a blessing and just say Sister Powell needed one" day. Nah, it was good. I loved talking to Sister Green and later my second split with Sister Bradshaw. THey are wonderful and I need a therapy session and a blessing too. They definetly needed one:) I am really nervous about transfers and going to Brazil (especially no that there is apparantly a war going on there. That will probably hurt the Visa Process!) And I have to admit, during my sickly time, I wasn't being too missionary like. I don't get why the closer we get to being Christlike, the more we see our weaknesses. It's super frustrating! You don't have to be super bad, but there is something to always change. Constant repentance and changing seems to be always a little heartbreaking at first but uplifting at the end! It's like Nephi's psalm. Read it! Here! I'll just force y'all too:)
Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great agoodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O bwretched man that I am! Yea, my heart csorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. 18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily abeset me.
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have atrusted.
20 My God hath been my asupport; he hath led me through mine bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
21 He hath filled me with his alove, even unto the bconsuming of my flesh.
22 He hath confounded mine aenemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me aknowledge by bvisions in the night-time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty aprayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been acarried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath avisited men in so much bmercy, cwhy should my dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
27 And why should I ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I dangry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the benemy of my soul.
29 Do not aanger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my aheart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the brock of my salvation.
31 O Lord, wilt thou aredeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of bsin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my aheart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may bwalk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy arighteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine benemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have atrusted in thee, and I will btrust in thee forever. I will not put my ctrust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his dtrust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give aliberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I bask cnot amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the drock of my erighteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
Talk about a emotional rollercoaster! Story of my life though. I realized I needed to change my thinking, I needed to be Christlike even more, and that included my prayers. Christ is seriously the best example for everything! Including prayers. Sister Watkins in Mission conference made us read the Bible Dictionary about prayer:
As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.
There are many passages in the New Testament that teach the duty of prayer (Matt. 7:7; 26:41; Luke 18:1; 21:36; Eph. 6:18; Philip. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:17, 25; 1 Tim. 2:1, 8). Christians are taught to pray in Christ’s name (John 14:13–14; 15:7, 16; 16:23–24). We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.
And I was reading in the ensign about this woman! I'll just give you the talk cause it's amazing:
Ensign
Aug. 2006
Bending My Will to His
26908_000_018I’ve always loved the Old Testament account of Hannah and her long-awaited son, Samuel (see 1 Samuel 1–2). Hannah’s courage to give up her child to the service of God seemed a touching reminder of the strength of women. When we were expecting our first child, my husband and I decided long before our baby was born to name him Samuel. But it wasn’t until I almost had to give my son back to God that I realized I had Hannah’s story all wrong.
More than two months before my due date, we were visiting relatives hours away from home, and I began to hemorrhage at a shopping mall. I hadn’t felt Samuel move all day, and I feared the worst. On the way to the emergency room, I burst into tears. Would I be willing to give my son back to God as Hannah had done? Her story had always inspired me, but the lesson became more difficult to accept when it applied to my own life.
Less than two hours later, Samuel was born weighing three pounds and 14 ounces. He couldn’t breathe or eat on his own. Looking at his tiny body that night, I was still afraid he wouldn’t make it. His chest quivered from the ventilator. He couldn’t even cry because tubes blocked his vocal cords.
The next few days and weeks only became more difficult for me to handle. I was recovering from the emergency delivery, and my husband had to return home to finish the semester at the university. One night, during Samuel’s five-week hospital stay, I was overcome with loneliness. I prayed and asked God for blessing after blessing: “Please let my son be OK. Please help my husband with school. Please let us all be together soon.”
After I finished, I waited and wondered why I didn’t feel anything. Then it hit me what I was doing. If I asked to simply be handed everything I wanted, then where was my faith? I stopped focusing on my list of desired blessings, and a comforting feeling of reassurance came over me. I realized that everything I loved—my son, my husband, my home—could be taken away from me, but Heavenly Father would still be there.
I thought about Hannah. She wanted children more than anything, and she probably asked God for them many times. Perhaps she recognized, like me, that simply asking and waiting for blessings doesn’t help us grow. I realized that Hannah’s story wasn’t about giving up her son. She knew Samuel already belonged to God, as did my son and my husband. Hannah gave God the only thing any of us can give—her heart.
That night I vowed to give the Lord anything He asked of me. Instead of telling Him what I needed and waiting for those blessings to be fulfilled, I asked what He wanted me to do. I felt reassurance that I should be patient through my trial and trust in Him, that I should let my loneliness strengthen me.
Fortunately, we were able to keep our son. Samuel gets stronger every day and is a constant reminder of what I learned from his birth. I hope my little family will continue to grow as Hannah’s did and, with my Heavenly Father’s help, I’ll be able to keep them forever.
Prayer is a beautiful and wonderful thing. It is a communication between a Father and His child. But that is the key! Communication. I hate conversations when only the other person is talking. I want to say something! ANd I would hate if someone demanded something of me all the time. Sometimes we forget, the gifter of our agency, our kind loving Heavenly Father, has agency too. He has a life! He isn't a boring human being, He is an all knowing Father who if anyone has an answer or something to say, it's Him. ANd prayer isn't the only thing that stood out to me: "I realized that Hannah's story wasn't about giving up her son. SHe knew Samuel belonged to God. Hannah gave God the only thing any of us can give-her heart." I realized, that I belong to my God. I would gladly give my service forever to my Lord. Everything I have is his, inluding my mission. It's his anyway. Heavenly Father can keep me in San Jose take me to a different area, or ship me to a different country, it would be His will. And His will is much better than mine. ANd the Bible dictionary say: Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." Most of you are probably like: That's not fair, why doesn't he just give us what we want!" He does, but of the time when our will is His will too. He is taking away agency, he isn't punishing us. He is helping us. And at times, he does grant us our "selfish" desires. But they usually don't work out. Think of the Parable of the Prodigal son.
Heavenly Father loves us so much. We might think why isn't he helping me? But we can just give Him our hearts and bend our will to his, and then we would be able to see the blessings.
Enough of my little soap box. Haha. Y'all know I am not perfect.
And I am not perfect at all at this. I have to pray everyday for help so that my will is his will.
On Thursday, we had a pretty rotten day. No one answered the door even when they were home. And then the on person who did was in love with "Michele" and not the gospel. And a stinky toot! But I have to remember HEavenly Father loves stinky toots too. But H must get frustrated with them. DInner with the Marchucks made our day better though. We taught them in portuguese and spanish. IT was fun. Friday was a good day. We got a new investigator named Tyler! He said he would be baptized. And we talked to an awesome kid who is less active. I haver realized how important it s to teach members and reactivate them. Member missionary work is so impoartant! Member's do so much and have so much influence on Missionary Work. Sometimes being an example isn't enough, you have to open your mouth. LIke Mosiah 18:8-9. Missionary work for members inludes helping other members too. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and know the things I know now. I wish I had been a better missionary before. Why wouldn't you want to share the gospel with everyone? You might not have the tag, but when you are baptized, you take the name of Christ on you forever. I take my tag off in about 16 months! How short! But how long is my calling as a child of God and the Sister of those I surround myself with. (All of this was written before Mission Conference)
Saturday was about the same. No one answered. We went to a baptism though. And then we went to this park where it was filled with all asian people. It was the best thing of my life. Everyone was so happy! I love contacting happy people surrounded by their families. No one spoke English, but they were all just so willing to take a Mormon.org card. I was like a perfect world. I love that park. Just picture rainbows, butterflies, and happy families and you got that park. It was such an awesome relieving feeling. And then we got home, and I go the news. I was being transferred. I was amazed how calm I was until I was alone. I sometimes just don't know what the Lord is teaching me. In the MTC, Sister Corbitt left. In the MTC, everyone found out their reassingments before me. IN the MTC, everyone left before me. Alex left before me, my District. It was like a gaping hole. ANd then I am sent to California, and I get Sister Hall and Sister Jones, and I make awesome friends with Sister Packer and SIster Koford, I start to fall in love with the people I am teaching, and then the Lord decides out of all the VIsa Waiters, I am being the emergency transfer. ANd then I meet Sister BRadshaw, SIster Green, and SIster Zidek. ANd I love them. THe Lord Helped Sister Zidek and I so much.
She is a wonderful missionary and companion. And I devoted so much time to the people. I have tried to learn Spanihs, I have tried to speak, I have tried to serve the Lord, investigators, my companions, and all I can think is: Did I do enough?
Sister Zidek better get the best companion ever, because all the ones she has gotten has been rotten. Including me. I just love everyone so much. I am going to miss them. My heart really hurts. Giving your heart and will and trust to the Lord is so hard. Especially when you love. I wonder if that is what the Savior felt. I have no doubt he know he would see His friends again, but they would be different and so would he. In a way, I bet he liked being Jesus of Nazareth. No doubt he loved everyone he served. And then he did the greates act for them and us. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." He must have had some pain in his heart too.
I love that if I try, I can relate every aspect of my life to His. love Him so much. And I love the atonement. His love and sacrifice, and his life is enough to fill every hole. He is my best friend and my constant companion. LIke the story, everything can be taken away, but I will always have my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I will always love the people I have met here, and I might not understand what God is trying to teach me, but I am grateful that I have been test. It hurts, but no one ever said trying to change the position of your heart would be easy. That's why lately I have really loved the song "come thou fount of every blessing"
Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
I'll praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
The lyrics reflect my life right now. I love y'all so much! Sorry all this was so scattered. Sunday was awesome by the way. Try explaining you didn't get your visa in Spanish: "Nao Visa! Otro area aqui!!"
I love y'all. I am so happy to be here! I'll let y'all know my new address. Read your scriptures! Pray, do missionary work, and love the Lord with all your heart!
Love,
Sister Powell
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have atrusted.
20 My God hath been my asupport; he hath led me through mine bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
21 He hath filled me with his alove, even unto the bconsuming of my flesh.
22 He hath confounded mine aenemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me aknowledge by bvisions in the night-time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty aprayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been acarried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath avisited men in so much bmercy, cwhy should my dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
27 And why should I ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I dangry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the benemy of my soul.
29 Do not aanger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my aheart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the brock of my salvation.
31 O Lord, wilt thou aredeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of bsin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my aheart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may bwalk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy arighteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine benemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have atrusted in thee, and I will btrust in thee forever. I will not put my ctrust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his dtrust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give aliberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I bask cnot amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the drock of my erighteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
Talk about a emotional rollercoaster! Story of my life though. I realized I needed to change my thinking, I needed to be Christlike even more, and that included my prayers. Christ is seriously the best example for everything! Including prayers. Sister Watkins in Mission conference made us read the Bible Dictionary about prayer:
As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.
There are many passages in the New Testament that teach the duty of prayer (Matt. 7:7; 26:41; Luke 18:1; 21:36; Eph. 6:18; Philip. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:17, 25; 1 Tim. 2:1, 8). Christians are taught to pray in Christ’s name (John 14:13–14; 15:7, 16; 16:23–24). We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.
And I was reading in the ensign about this woman! I'll just give you the talk cause it's amazing:
Bending My Will to His
By Arianne Baadsgaard Cope
More than two months before my due date, we were visiting relatives hours away from home, and I began to hemorrhage at a shopping mall. I hadn’t felt Samuel move all day, and I feared the worst. On the way to the emergency room, I burst into tears. Would I be willing to give my son back to God as Hannah had done? Her story had always inspired me, but the lesson became more difficult to accept when it applied to my own life.
Less than two hours later, Samuel was born weighing three pounds and 14 ounces. He couldn’t breathe or eat on his own. Looking at his tiny body that night, I was still afraid he wouldn’t make it. His chest quivered from the ventilator. He couldn’t even cry because tubes blocked his vocal cords.
The next few days and weeks only became more difficult for me to handle. I was recovering from the emergency delivery, and my husband had to return home to finish the semester at the university. One night, during Samuel’s five-week hospital stay, I was overcome with loneliness. I prayed and asked God for blessing after blessing: “Please let my son be OK. Please help my husband with school. Please let us all be together soon.”
After I finished, I waited and wondered why I didn’t feel anything. Then it hit me what I was doing. If I asked to simply be handed everything I wanted, then where was my faith? I stopped focusing on my list of desired blessings, and a comforting feeling of reassurance came over me. I realized that everything I loved—my son, my husband, my home—could be taken away from me, but Heavenly Father would still be there.
I thought about Hannah. She wanted children more than anything, and she probably asked God for them many times. Perhaps she recognized, like me, that simply asking and waiting for blessings doesn’t help us grow. I realized that Hannah’s story wasn’t about giving up her son. She knew Samuel already belonged to God, as did my son and my husband. Hannah gave God the only thing any of us can give—her heart.
That night I vowed to give the Lord anything He asked of me. Instead of telling Him what I needed and waiting for those blessings to be fulfilled, I asked what He wanted me to do. I felt reassurance that I should be patient through my trial and trust in Him, that I should let my loneliness strengthen me.
Fortunately, we were able to keep our son. Samuel gets stronger every day and is a constant reminder of what I learned from his birth. I hope my little family will continue to grow as Hannah’s did and, with my Heavenly Father’s help, I’ll be able to keep them forever.
Prayer is a beautiful and wonderful thing. It is a communication between a Father and His child. But that is the key! Communication. I hate conversations when only the other person is talking. I want to say something! ANd I would hate if someone demanded something of me all the time. Sometimes we forget, the gifter of our agency, our kind loving Heavenly Father, has agency too. He has a life! He isn't a boring human being, He is an all knowing Father who if anyone has an answer or something to say, it's Him. ANd prayer isn't the only thing that stood out to me: "I realized that Hannah's story wasn't about giving up her son. SHe knew Samuel belonged to God. Hannah gave God the only thing any of us can give-her heart." I realized, that I belong to my God. I would gladly give my service forever to my Lord. Everything I have is his, inluding my mission. It's his anyway. Heavenly Father can keep me in San Jose take me to a different area, or ship me to a different country, it would be His will. And His will is much better than mine. ANd the Bible dictionary say: Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." Most of you are probably like: That's not fair, why doesn't he just give us what we want!" He does, but of the time when our will is His will too. He is taking away agency, he isn't punishing us. He is helping us. And at times, he does grant us our "selfish" desires. But they usually don't work out. Think of the Parable of the Prodigal son.
Heavenly Father loves us so much. We might think why isn't he helping me? But we can just give Him our hearts and bend our will to his, and then we would be able to see the blessings.
Enough of my little soap box. Haha. Y'all know I am not perfect.
And I am not perfect at all at this. I have to pray everyday for help so that my will is his will.
On Thursday, we had a pretty rotten day. No one answered the door even when they were home. And then the on person who did was in love with "Michele" and not the gospel. And a stinky toot! But I have to remember HEavenly Father loves stinky toots too. But H must get frustrated with them. DInner with the Marchucks made our day better though. We taught them in portuguese and spanish. IT was fun. Friday was a good day. We got a new investigator named Tyler! He said he would be baptized. And we talked to an awesome kid who is less active. I haver realized how important it s to teach members and reactivate them. Member missionary work is so impoartant! Member's do so much and have so much influence on Missionary Work. Sometimes being an example isn't enough, you have to open your mouth. LIke Mosiah 18:8-9. Missionary work for members inludes helping other members too. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and know the things I know now. I wish I had been a better missionary before. Why wouldn't you want to share the gospel with everyone? You might not have the tag, but when you are baptized, you take the name of Christ on you forever. I take my tag off in about 16 months! How short! But how long is my calling as a child of God and the Sister of those I surround myself with. (All of this was written before Mission Conference)
Saturday was about the same. No one answered. We went to a baptism though. And then we went to this park where it was filled with all asian people. It was the best thing of my life. Everyone was so happy! I love contacting happy people surrounded by their families. No one spoke English, but they were all just so willing to take a Mormon.org card. I was like a perfect world. I love that park. Just picture rainbows, butterflies, and happy families and you got that park. It was such an awesome relieving feeling. And then we got home, and I go the news. I was being transferred. I was amazed how calm I was until I was alone. I sometimes just don't know what the Lord is teaching me. In the MTC, Sister Corbitt left. In the MTC, everyone found out their reassingments before me. IN the MTC, everyone left before me. Alex left before me, my District. It was like a gaping hole. ANd then I am sent to California, and I get Sister Hall and Sister Jones, and I make awesome friends with Sister Packer and SIster Koford, I start to fall in love with the people I am teaching, and then the Lord decides out of all the VIsa Waiters, I am being the emergency transfer. ANd then I meet Sister BRadshaw, SIster Green, and SIster Zidek. ANd I love them. THe Lord Helped Sister Zidek and I so much.
She is a wonderful missionary and companion. And I devoted so much time to the people. I have tried to learn Spanihs, I have tried to speak, I have tried to serve the Lord, investigators, my companions, and all I can think is: Did I do enough?
Sister Zidek better get the best companion ever, because all the ones she has gotten has been rotten. Including me. I just love everyone so much. I am going to miss them. My heart really hurts. Giving your heart and will and trust to the Lord is so hard. Especially when you love. I wonder if that is what the Savior felt. I have no doubt he know he would see His friends again, but they would be different and so would he. In a way, I bet he liked being Jesus of Nazareth. No doubt he loved everyone he served. And then he did the greates act for them and us. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." He must have had some pain in his heart too.
I love that if I try, I can relate every aspect of my life to His. love Him so much. And I love the atonement. His love and sacrifice, and his life is enough to fill every hole. He is my best friend and my constant companion. LIke the story, everything can be taken away, but I will always have my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I will always love the people I have met here, and I might not understand what God is trying to teach me, but I am grateful that I have been test. It hurts, but no one ever said trying to change the position of your heart would be easy. That's why lately I have really loved the song "come thou fount of every blessing"
Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
I'll praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
The lyrics reflect my life right now. I love y'all so much! Sorry all this was so scattered. Sunday was awesome by the way. Try explaining you didn't get your visa in Spanish: "Nao Visa! Otro area aqui!!"
I love y'all. I am so happy to be here! I'll let y'all know my new address. Read your scriptures! Pray, do missionary work, and love the Lord with all your heart!
Love,
Sister Powell
Alex- Finished my First Transfer
Well I finished my last week in my 1st transfer!! Tomorrow we get a new visa waiter, who is waiting to go to Peru!!! I have a feel we are going to get a spanish pool too! Which would be awesome! Last Pday we went to a place called graffiti park and we were so close to Manhattan! Ill probably never get to go on my mission. But thats okay! I'll go after :D
Tuesday Sister Gonzalez couldn't do anything because her feet hurt and her shoes were really bad. But we went to a senior couples apartment and they fed us and shared their story! THey were married about 2 years ago. Both of their spouses passed away and they got married and decided to serve a mission as a honeymoon. haha Sister Jensen is so cool. (the senior couple) After her husband died she went and served a mission in Paraguay. She was a single missionary and wanted to learn Spanish so she did! After that I ended up deep cleaning the apartment. Mom you'll be surprised to hear that I have been really clean on my mission! haha If you dont believe me ask my companions. I'm trying to be strictly obedient to everything, including cleaning. haha
2 Sisters in my zone recieved their visas. I got an email about mine today. They are working hard! But Im glad im not there. It sounds pretty bad! I know Im supposed to be here :)
On wednesday Sister Jensen took us to get sister Gonzalez shoes. It was really nice of her. I loved being in a clean car :) It was like a piece of heaven. I love cars!
Our less active member came to church this week! We showed her the John Tanner Story. Everyone should watch it :) After I asked her "Sister Mohammed do you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God? She said yes. Do believe that God would give you a commandment that he would not provide the means to obey? No. Then Sister Mohammed will you follow the commandment and return to church and she said YES!! YAYYYYYYY!!! :D :D :D :D!
A couple miracles happened this week. A girl we have been trying to contact we ran into this last week and we are teachiing her this week :) And another happened where we had a prompting to turn around when we were on the way to a families house but we ended up running into them in the park! We are teaching them today :)
I had a bold moment the other day at a street sweep. A lady came up to me and started bashing. I just stopped her and said "I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the true church set up by God in these Latter days. I am not her to argue. Contention is of Satan." She looked at me and just walked away. All the elders just went "woah." hahaha
This week we did a flash mob to a childs prayer on the subway. You should all look to see if it is on Youtube. Hopefully it will get out there and touch some lives!
This week was a good week. I love being here and I know this is where the Lord needs me. We watched a mission broadcast given by the 12 apostles. So many people are in the MTC right now!! The work of the Lord is moving forward and it is up to the members to catch up! Missionary work should not be tracting. It should be the missionaries assisting the members. SO invite! Dont be afird. If we invite miracles will follow our faith. Help is always there when we have faith :) SO you member invite missionaries over and have nonmember friends over too! Every member should be a missionary :)
I know if you do this the work will hasten.
I love you! The church is true!
Sister Powell :)
Sydney- I love the Temple
I really hate Ward Council. Haha. And the guy next to me on the computer is looking at really strange things. Hahaha. Oh dear. He needs to stop that. Obviously someone needs a pamphlet;)
Oh. If the Elders are reading my blog, stop it. Stop it right now.
This week we had Mission Tour/Conference with Elder Echohawk. It was so fun and awesome. I felt the spirit so strongly. He is the first Native American in the quorum of the First Seventy. He was a convert, and his story is amazing. I guess I will share it, haha. Might as well.
So, his family lived on an Indian Reservation, and his dad was super messed up. And the missionaries come and the atonement changes him, yadadada. But, Elder Echohawk didn't change even though he was baptized. Everyone in the church was super worried about him. Then the Bishop talked to the Young Mens Priest leader, what ever you call that. He was a lawyer and super awesome. He talked to Elder Echohawk and asked him, what do you want to be? And Elder Echohawk said he wanted to be a Football player. So the Leader set up goals for him and trained him and made him gain like 50 pounds. And he made the High School team his Senior year! But he made Quaterback which he was really bummed about because the captian during the time was a quarterback. Super sad right, so I sat on the bench. SO he started training some more and the coach noticed and started to put him in games and keep him there. But then one day he was playing with some friends and I guess the football hit him the right place where he had some sort of brain injury, and he was going to lose his eyesight. He was so mad, because life was starting to get good. He bandages on both eyes and he remembered what his Leader told him about the Book of Mormon. So he crawled out of his bed blindly and knelt down to say his first PRAYER EVER. And it went like this:
Dear God,
If there really is one. If you give me my eyesight back, I promise I will read the Book of Mormon.
Amen
And he got his bandages off, and he didn't have it. But each day, it started to come back. And then finally it was there. And he kept his word. He was horrible at reading and hated school, but he tried his best and read 10 pages each night. And at the end, he prayed and he knew it was true. He knew it with all of his heart. And his Football career was amazing, and then one day he walked into his coaches office and he saw the coach for BYU, and he was the first one to go to college in his family. Ever. Miracles do happen! And he became a lawyer, was a Professor at BYU, head of the Sports, and then he worked for President Obama, and now he is a member of the Quorum of the Seventy. AMAZING.
The next day, we went to service at the Park, and then Sister Zidek told me she was going to talk with President with Sister Bradshaw, and I was okay with that. I was all for her talking with someone. So we went on splits and we taught one of our investigators about Chasity. The spirit really guided that lesson, thank goodness. She is so sweet and I love her so much! She lives with her boyfriend, but I think they will get married soon. She wants to get baptized so much, and we set her baptismal date for August, which gives her time to decide what to do.
After that we had ward council, meh. I hate that thing. I love our leaders, don't get me wrong, but when someone says: "We should send you off to Brazil and keep Sister Powell forever" to a bunch of girls, lets just say everyone gets a little moody and snappy. Jeesh. Haha. So I got really sad, and then we got a call from President saying he wanted to take all the Visa Waiters to the Temple, and I was all like get me out of here! And to make things worse, I was told I was probably leaving for either Brazil soon or leaving my area soon so I would be in a trio and President wouldn't have to do an emergency transfer. I was super sad. I cried and cried.
Sister Watkins and President Watkins are amazing. They are having a rough time right now, but they are seriously magnifying their calling. They remember everything you tell them. Alex, President Watkins wants to know how you are doing! I sat with them, and we talked about life.
While I was at the temple, I was praying so hard. I felt so inadquete about everything I was so sad. I wasn't helping my companion, I couldn't speak, and everyone was mad at me. I was leaving all my investigators, and I was super sad. So I decided to flip open the scriptures (what a surprise right?) and I flipped and I read:
"Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have aheard thy prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou wast sent forth, even as aJohn, to prepare the way before me."
And it was seriously the first thing I read, and it has my name in there. Spelled the same way everyone else spells my name;) It made me feel really peaceful. I love the scriptures!!
And it was seriously the first thing I read, and it has my name in there. Spelled the same way everyone else spells my name;) It made me feel really peaceful. I love the scriptures!!
We went to Wendys after and he was so excited thinking I was going to get a tripple. This is what happened:
Walking into Wendys
President: Sister Powell! Look at that Tripple!
Me: Oh my goodness. That looks amazing.
President: I am expecting to see that Tripple on your tray!
I walk to the table
President: Did you get a kids meal?
Me:.... Yes.
President: Wimpy!!
It was a lot funnier when it happened. But it still makes me giggle. Not much makes me giggle. Haha.
When we got back from the temple, we had a good companionship inventory. haha. It was awesome. I love Sister Zidek. She is an amazing Missionary, and I am so blessed that she is obedient. She loves the Lord and has such a strong testimony.
We have a new investigator! Her name is Dalores and she is the mother of Elizabeth. Yesturday, we went to pick up Elizabeth for church and she was all for going. We were so excited because she was the first investigator to say yes to church. And then her ride wasn't picking up her phone, and it was so sad, and then we got a call from her saying she didn't want to go anymore. We were so bummed. Meh. I hate when Satan does that. And then the ride called us when we got to church. Next time, Next time.
But we ate dinner with President and Sister Watkins, we met our goals, and President is going to try to find a pair of 4 and a half shoes for me. Good luck President. Meha.
I love y'all so much! Sorry my letter was so scattered, this week was a little scattered. And I really need to right in my journal more. READ YOUR SCRIPTURES AND PRAY!!!
Love,
Sister Powell
Alex- Whoop!
This week has been quite the week. Its amazing how days fly by and so do weeks but it feels like its been forever! I love being a missionary :) I have grown a lot in the last 6 weeks here in New York city. I think the Lord knew that I needed to come here before brazil so that I can learn patience. If I had done that plus been stuck in a place where I dont understand anything I think I would have gone crazy! Haha
So I have been working on being strictly obediect. I wake up exactly on time, work out for thirty minutes (I got hip hop abs for two dollars and this store like goodwill! It was new and everything!) and begin my studies right when I need to :) I am really working on talking to everyone I see. As I am being more strictly obedient I am seeing more miracles. My knowledge is increasing. I love reading General Conference talks. DO IT! I read two amazing ones about obedience. The only reason Jesus was able to perform all His beautiful miracles was because He was strictly obedient to the Father. So if Jesus was obedient we too must be. It is the only way we can be happy.
This week we met with an awesome family who are member of the church, The Hacks :) They make everything they have in their home! They are super talented! Sister Hack is the Organ player and the only reason she is learning is because her daughter passed away and loved the organ. So even though it is a major trial for her so is doing it because she loves her daughter so much.
In one of our blitzes we met a family who cant speak much english but the daughter loved the message so the mom wants us to come back. I wish all people where like children.
We had another appt with the singh family. We played the song I know that my reedemer lives. Music brings the spirit so strong. And so do members.
We went and saw a less active named Sister Mohammed. She has issues with smoking. But has such a strong testimony. Her house is covered with pictures of the gospel. She just needs to figure out that The Lord will help her move past all things. I read to her Mosiah 23: 19-22. It says that the Lord gives us trials to strengthen his people, however we must rely on him or we can not improve.
I love sharing my testimony. I have learned that simple short messages with a strong testimony bring the spirit so strong!
So random story. I ran into Caleb Thomas! A guy that I had a class with at BYU! It was way random and awesome!
Yesterday we had a linger longer and I sat with the Youth :) I love them so much! THey are so strong for growing up in such a difficult area!
Yesterday at the park I gave out a book a mormon to I guy who was really interested. You can tell in their eyes if they really are or not.
Well I love you! YOU are the best! I pray for you always! I know that the Gospel is true! Be obedient and be happy :) Satan wants you to be sad and to be disobedient! Dont let him get to you!
Sister Powell
Sydney- Well...
So this week has been interesting. In a good and bad way. Haha.
First off, Google is pretty awesome. The toilets are amazing. The seats are heated, and they have a water fountain that wipes for you. Pretty dang nastayyy.
I can't remember what exactly happened that day, but I know for sure that nothing worked out. We taught Espy that night! That worked out. She is totally awesome. She lives with all members and always goes to church. She really likes me because she thinks I am funny. No idea where she got that idea from.
The next day was really strange. Sister Zidek was in a weird mood, and I was in a weird mood. Something was really off. WE went to all these houses and no one answered. No one kept their appointments. It was que triste. When we were contacting, no one was nice to us. Usually people ignore us, but this time they were telling us we were going to go to hell, and we were just down, and then we saw this nice lady smiling at us, and we walked up to her to give her a card, and she was a member. Dang snap! At least she was nice. So after that we wen tto visit the Auxiers, and they weren't home! So we both had the thought to go home and search our area book. There are so many investigators that were just forgotten! Our area is HUGE! So this Saturday we are going to explore our area. After that, life was awesome. We taught Irma Barreta and her family, they are the Portuguese family I teach. Which is super nice. She cooks Brazilian food por nosotros. It's super awesome. After that, Espy forgot about our lesson because poor girl only gets 2 hours of sleep, but she walked outside and we shared a short scripture with her.
Nothing really happened on Tuesday. We taught Elizabeth, Jenny, y Stephanie. I asked their dad if he wanted to teach us how to play "football" aka "soccer" aka "the devil's sport". Soccer and no rides is seriously the only reason no Latino goes to church. Que annoying. Meh. We had ward council that night, and after that Sister Zidek compeletly ignored me. I was super confused. ANd then I walked out of the bathroom and she was crying. I felt like a horrible companion. I guess she was upset that Bishop wasn't talking to her and only me. She didn't know why she was here. But she did awesome at Ward Council.
The next day was worse, we woke up and she started walking without me, she would start driving away without me (kinda funny, ne? Haha), and everything I said, I would offend her. We weeded plants at Hidden Villa, taught Aidee, I made the wrong decision and said we should go to a musuem because it was just so awkward being alone, and she needed to shower. ANd then we went to the poupousary. All that day, I was just feeling down. I was doing everything wrong. I kept thinking "You are the worst companion ever" "Why are you here? You don't know Spanish!" "You should just go home!" I kept praying and praying and praying that my negative thoughts would stop. And every time I prayed, I was just prompted to ask for a blessing. So when Sister Zidek snapped at me, I snapped emotionally and I cried and cried. Our Zone Leaders where so confused (They were giving us a pep talk because apparantly we are OPENING A NEW AREA IN SPANISH!!! Possibly. It's on the down low). I tearfully asked for a blessing. And of course they said yes. My blessing was awesome. Y'all at home, don't worry about anything. Just do what you are supposed to do. God is watching out for you and will bless you. I need to study more about my Savior, eventually I will get to Brazil, but right now, it's apparantly really important for me to learn Spanish. That's what my blessing said: ITS VITAL APPARANTLY!! Thank you Sister Corbitt;) Haha. But yeah, the Zone Leaders gave me all this study stuff for Spanish. I need to excersise the Gift of Tongues pronto, because no entende espaniol. Or how to write in it apparantly. The blessing I got said that I have a purpose here in San Jose, and it's important that I seek for it.
And SIster Zidek and I are doing better. Thank goodness!! I can't handle female emotions.
I can't really think of anything else. Hahaha. Mi CABEZA!!! I really need to start keeping up with my journal. Meh. OH!! We had a wedding for Sister Green's brother that got married in Canada. With some teddy bears. WE ate dinner at the Bishops, who happens to be David B. Haights (How do you spell his last name??) grandson and is David the 3rd.
Sunday was interesting. Sister Zidek spoke this Sunday. But since everyone bailed on speaking, I had to say my testimony too. Bishop warned me at his house, and said I could say it in English, but there was no possible way I was going to say my testimony in ENGLISH at a SPANISH ward! So I was the first one up, and I bore it in spanishnese. Woohoo! All these people just kept hugging me afterwards. I was like LET ME GO!!! Sister Zidek WAS AWESOME!!! She rocked that talk, but then we got home and she was ignoring me again. MEH. And we went contacting and we contacted Thomas. Oh Thomas. He thought we were sinners and were going to Hell because we were Mormons. It was nice, I felt like I was in High School again. I handled it perfectly, I was super nice to him. Sister Zidek and I bore are testimonies and said yada yada and gave us a pamplet. We left with a prayer. Got a lesson from it and a emotionally scared utah companion who isn't used to that. But after that the day went fine. We tried so hard to reach our goals, we kept pulling over next to people, giving them cards through the car or walking out and pretending we were walking somewhere. We were acting like crazy people. I guess missionaries are.
Today, we played soccer, meh, with our investigators dad. He is intense and we did all these crazy drills. WE made cookies, and now I am emailing.
I love y'all and will email you more!!! LATER!! Y'all are awesome!!
Love,
Hermana Powell
Alex- I Love It Here
Hello Family!! Ive been in NY for 4 weeks now! the transfer is almost over! How crazy is that??? I am loving Jamaica :)
So lets start with a funny story. hahaha
On tuesday I was walking to do a street sweep , I was getting a lot of Hellos and smiles! hahaha It made me so happy!! We were almost to the church when this lady told me to come here in this real intimating way. So I was scared. lol But she came up to me and said that your skirt is tucked in to you underwear.... HOW EMBARRASSING!! hahahahahahahaha I was so happy that people were being nice but in actuality they were laughing at me! hahaha
oh well it made for a good story :)
We had a sister conference this week and it was way good. It was based off of President Uchtorfs talk in the YW's broadcast. He talks about how we can continue to improve, and that we can always change. The Lord will always accept us back we just have to keep on trying! The Atonement and Doctrine of Christ is the only way that we can continue forward.
This week was good. I have learned how to handle disappointments. Not one of our appointments worked out. But because we tried we have seen miracles.
For instance at game time we talked to a guy named lance. He is going to get baptized. I could just feel it. He already talks like a Mormon.
This week I was brushing my teeth and all the sudden I jumped. I knew we needed to go see the Prelia Family at that moment. I have had a couple moments like that on my mission. I told sister Gonzalez that we needed to go. She was kinda reluctant but I would not give up. haha This family is a family that the Bishop has felt inspiration to work with. They have 8 kids so that means 8 missionaries that satan is trying to work against. The last time we went they wouldnt even talk to us. But this time we were able to talk to the kids :) Oh how happy I was because I knew the Lord was happy too!!
Every day we do blitzes (You bless homes) Sister Gonzalez and I were in charge of the one on tuesday. I had the thought that we need to go around the members. Because there is always someone searching in the area where a member lives. Sister Gonzalez chose the building and as a district we went. I have never gotten in a door before but this time we did!! Always follow righteous promptings. It is so important!
This week was the week that I fell in love with the people. I was sitting looking at all of them at church and all the sudden was so sad! The rate the ward is going half of the people sitting where I was will be inactive in about a year. I wanted to cry. I just felt the love that the Lord has for these people.
But something made me happy. We went and ate at the Urbanouski's (our only DA that we have had the whole time I have been here) and he told me that an apostle said that Jamaica one day will be a stake. Maybe I will help with that? I hope that when I come back I will see it as that :)
I know that the Gospel is true and that it is the only way that we can be happy. Be active in the gospel! Not only the church! Pray always, read always, and seek always! I love you all and pray for you always!
Sister Powell
Alex- I look Thirteen
Sorry about my last 2 emails! It has been nearly impossible for me to get a library card, but I got one this week! Things in Jamaica are good :) We have been working really hard but I want to work harder! I love to walk but sometimes I forget that my companion is 31 and that the bus system is better even if its dirtier. hahaha We are working hard and are seeing miracles. :)
We are leanring the area. I dont think Ill ever lear the bus and subway system so my visa better get here before Sister Gonzalez leaves for home (she has one more transfer left) bc I will be lost the whole time. haha
We have been worling hard in the eliptical. We made some really cool posters which will hopefully attract people to the activities. At park time this week I had a cool experience. I went up and talked to a guy named Anthony and ended up teaching him basically all of the first lesson. WHICH IS A BIG DEAL! hahaha After we found out that his friend needed some help moving into her new apartment so as a district we helped her move. It was an awesome experience. I have learned that if you do what the Lord asks then everything else will fall into place.
For instance we have been visiting members and each time we find someone :) I dont know if I told you about Roosevelt. But he dropped his chapstick and ended up coming to church because I picked it up for him.
We have found a couple of people around the area of members. Members really are the Key to the work. It is only through them that the church will go. For a lesson to be fully effective you have to have a member present. We have been working with this less active family named the Ramahs and with bring a member she obtained a friend.
Now we need them to give us referals :) hahaha
I had my first Baptism this week! Her name is Sheharra! She is an amazing example of who we should all be :) She brought her whole family to the baptisms. Even her grandma who had a stroke a week before. The only christian besides Shehara is her grandma. SO it was a huge missionary oppurtinity. She gave up so much to be baptised.
I love this work so much!
I finished the Book of Mormon this week. It is true. Read it everyone. It is the word of God.
I love New York :) Im still working on patience and all of that good Jazz. Its slowly coming. I get asked all the time if Im 13 and a lot of teenage boys come up to me. But hey its all good! Everyone thinks that Im sister Gonzalez's daughter. hahaha it cracks us up!!! Its kinda sad that people would still slam doors in a 13 year olds face and scream at one. hahaha They probably just think that the Jehovah Witnesses or Normons (No one gets it right) are recruiting a little young now! hahaha
I know this church is true. I know it with all my heart. It is the same Gospel that Jesus set up all those years ago. Keep on moving forward!
Love Sister Powell
Sydney- Going to Google
So, I don't have a lot of time, because I am going to google! Yay! For lunch! Isn't that crazy?
This week has been interesting. I was super sick the first few days. On Monday, I accidently took a drowsy allergy pill and I was out. I can't remember going home early or falling asleep. So I started taking nondrowsy and I have been so much better! This week has been a blur.
One things I do remember, was teaching this less active boy named Jesse who frustrates the snot out of me! I just want to slap him sometimes. I was having a really hard time feeling charity towards him, and when we were going to teach him, I just kept thinking that I needed to be teaching someone else. But then, we got there and Sister Zidek shared an awesome scripture and I just opened my mouth to speak. I don't remember what I said, but Sister Zidek said she felt the spirit so strong. It wasn't me speaking, because if it was me, I would be saying some not some nice things. It didn't change him any, but I learned how important it is to love everyone. The Lord loves all his children, and He will testify of that love to all of them, even through uncharitable instruments. It is just a whole lot easier for Him to testify if they do feel it.
That night we had dinner with the Leeflangs and it was Sister Greens year mark. When the one hour flew by and no one was getting up to leave, I felt the spirit fly out too. It was awful, and I felt so uncomfortable. It is so important to feel the spirit and to be totally obedient.
Sister Green went to an exchange since she is like a Zone Leader for girls, so we were in a trio this week. Sister Bradshaw is struggling emotionally, so Sister Zidek and I made efforts to serve her. I haven't felt the spirit so strong or worked so hard. When you lose yourself for someone and focus your life on the Savior, you are so blessed. We were so obedient, and the Lord gave us so many opportunities. We found a new investigator named Yolanda who stood there holding her struggling son for fifteen minutes while we were talking to Braciliano (our reluctant investigator), to talk to us. It was amazing. I am so grateful Sister Bradshaw was prompted to give her a card. And I am so humbled by Sister Zidek. She used to be so shy speaking Spanish because of her old companion, but she taught this lady the first lesson basically by herself in Spanish! I am amazed how great her confidence has grown! She makes me want to study my Portuguese always. I want to help her so much, and Portuguese is so similar! So next time we teach someone, I am going to help her out. I want to serve people the best I can, including my companion.
It really is a small world,
Everyone here knows the Packards. I was sitting at this youth thing, and someone said "Natalie Packard post a new picture on Facebook!" And I was like whaaattttt!
And then I was at a members house and she was talking about this dashing Elder Packard that went to Chile and I first I thought she was talking about the seventy and I was like "what ever floats her little boat" and then I realized she was talking about Brent and I was like whaaaattt?! Small world, small world. So weird.
I love you all so much! I am so proud of y'all. None of my investigators are going to church so cross your fingers that they will! Talk to y'all later!
Love,
Sister Powell
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