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

Sydney is in California!

I speak Spanglish...well sort of

Oi all! Hermana (did I spell that right?) Powell here!

 

So I am in San Jose, California! The Flight here was pretty much the safest flight ever. There were 27 missionaries going to San Jose! It was crazy. No contacts were available on that small plane. But I did talk to a really nice guy who took a picture of me in the plane (on my camera it wasn't creepy like that). We landed and we got off like the confused little babies we were. And then we were off to the Institute Building where we were off to meet our Mission President and his wonderful wife. President Watkins is possibly the hardest working person I have met in the world. And dashingly handsome (his words not mine). He was just joking I think. Haha. After we met them, we were in the streets contacting. AH! So scary. But it was awesome/awful. WE out and everyone was looking at us like we were dirt. Everyone ignored us, ran away from us, or cussed at us. But it was interesting to hear them talking all about us. We made some sort of impact. And I talked to one guy whose grandma who is a member. But he doesn't believe in God. And he attacked us (verbally not physically, haha). I walked away and wished I had shared my experience about how I know there is a God. And I know he does exist. He is the reason I am on this mission. I love Him and I know Him. Maybe I said something that helped him though. I walked back feeling frustrated. But I felt prompted to open the scriptures, and I came to: fear not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

 

I think it is so cool how when we wear this tag, people judge us but the kinda don't. The Atonement takes that away. We wear His name and that's what they see. I could have taken my tag off and walked around and they would have not recognized me. I love the Lord so much.

 

After that we ate lunch and had an orientation. President took out the visa waiters and told us that he was the only person in all of the country that would take us. "I told President Holland, 'Send me two great Temple Square Missionaries and I'll take all six of those Sisters!" Wish was totally awesome, because we would have been stuck in that dang MTC way longer.

 

That night we had this awesome Texas Sheet Cake and we had mashed potatoes and steak and carrots (thought you would want to know). And then we had a sort of devotional thing where everyone bore their testimonies and we listened to President talk. He talks a lot but he says the best things.

 

Second day, I woke up with a crazy ache in my neck and a zit the size of mount everest. Totally upsetting. And then we went to the MISSION HOME!!!! DON DON DON!!!. Qu scary music. I was getting my new companions. Who were they going to be? What were they like? And then I was assigned to Sister Hall and Sister Jones...Spanish speaking. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! hahaha. It's awesome though. Sister Corbitt gave me a lot of practice listening to Spanish;) I can't remember the first day very well. I think that's when we taught Brissa, who is getting baptized! First lesson and we extended a baptismal invitation. She is so smart and so awesome.

 

The second day was weird. It was on splits: I was with Sister Kofford and Sister Packer. We taught this woman named Rachel, and I prayed with her. She said she had been seeking for churches all her life and she found this one that made her really happy. She said that I said the prettiest prayer ever though. Blushes;) We got back for study time and I felt a little abandoned. I was wondering where my companions were. I was just the Visa Waiter, but I read a lot of scriptures that stood out to me and comforted me. One of them was:John 15: 12 This is my commandment, That ye ^alove one another, as I have ^bloved you.
 13 Greater ^alove hath no man than this, that a man lay down his ^blife for his ^cfriends.
 14 Ye are my ^afriends, if ye do whatsoever I ^bcommand you.
 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you ^afriends; for all things that I have ^bheard of my Father I have made ^cknown unto you.
 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have ^achosen you, and ^bordained you, that ye should go and bring forth ^cfruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my^dname, he may give it you.
 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
 18 If the world ^ahate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
 19 If ye were of the ^aworld, the world would ^blove his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The ^aservant is not greater than his lord. If they have^bpersecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had ^asin: but now they have no ^bcloakfor their sin.
 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had ^asin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They ^ahatedme without a cause.
 26 But when the ^aComforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall ^btestify of me:
 27 And ye also shall bear ^awitness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

After that I just made it a huge goal to open my mouth. I speak Portuguese and I bare my testimony to them in it. They understand it. And I know it is because of the Spirit.
Friday was an awesome day with lessons (I gave Jessa a picture of Jesus and she loved it). We taught Louis and Adela and Mariah.
Saturday was planning day and weird. We went downtown at night and I felt the spirit go away. It was not fun and I didn't like it. Sunday was awesome. We found these two girls who were totally going to smoke pot after we talked to them, but they were curious and wanted to stop drugs, and gave us a whole bunch of numbers. Debbie wanted to know how to pray because she wanted to pray for her sister, so we taught her and she started to cry. I felt the spirit strongly. And I bore my testimony in sacrament and everyone started to freak out. Who is this girl? What is she saying? Five people were up there trying to figure it out. They didn't think I could speak English. Haha. So this lady translated my Portuguese to Spanish. I was pretty proud she could understand me.
My head hurts from all the Spanish, but I am doing awesome. I really love serving and I feel like I am getting closer everytime I serve. By the way, I am being transferred to a different area. Haha. Still Spanish speaking. I am getting a companion who has only been out for Six Weeks and has no idea whats going on. I am so excited. President was so stressed when he told me that, but I think I made his day when I joked around about it. HOW DARE MY COMPANIONS GET RID OF ME AFTER 2 DAYS! THE VISA WAITER!
I have been getting lots of nice compliments too. "Your eyes are beautiful!" "You hair is fabulous!" BONHITA! "Are you a Victoria Secret Model?" That's my favorite.
I know the church is true! Missionary work is hard but rewarding. Read the Book of Mormon! Sorry I couldn't write as much as I wanted, but Is gots to writes mes missions presidents. I forgetting english! HELP! Haha. Yeah. I might be going crazy, but I love it!
Love y'all!
SIster Powell

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