Progress, Testimony, and Challenge

We had 5 less actives attend Church on Sunday that have not been attending for a while.  It was amazing.  We have been working with 3 of them intermittently.  I guess a service project we did last week actually helped them and they are planning to come to FHE where another less active is coming and is going to bring his non-member girlfriend!  Sometimes the Lord gives blessings that are obvious

and easy to recognize. 

I was also asked to be Stephanie's escort when she goes through the Temple in a few months.  It has been amazing to see the change in her life as she has allowed Jesus Christ into her life.  When we first started teaching her she was moody, frustrated and not really sure why she was coming back to Church.  Now she is less moody, full of happiness, more patience, excited to start her own side business, and excited to learn more of the Gospel.  She is helping her mom who is struggling with things.  It is truly amazing the power of the Gospel.  The quote by President Boyd K. Packer rings true here "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the Gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." And it rings true

for anyone.

If we will pray for missionary experiences and act on them, our lives will improve exponentially.  We will have more revelation day to day, the Spirit will abide with us more fully, and our relationships will

improve dramatically.

I invite each one who reads this to sincerely pray for missionary experiences.  They might not be giving a Book of Mormon to someone or seeing a baptism in three weeks, but anything that can bring someone else closer to Christ.  It does not matter if they are member or non-member, active or less active.  Lift others around you and you are being a missionary.  Pray for these experiences and the joy that you feel about the Gospel and about life in general will rival that of Ammon's in Alma 26:11,13-14:  

"I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice? Yea, we have reason to praise

him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell." 

I know the joy that I have felt and the joy that I have seen in others’ lives because they are willing to lift

others.  And I know that you will feel it too. 

New Year, New Apartment, New News

Our New Year's was pretty boring.  We were still sick so we didn't do much. Just another day in the life of a missionary.

  

President Packard came for District Meeting and it was really good.  He gave some good insights and had some fun with us at lunch so it was good to have him there.

Sister Packard will be coming down either this Friday or next Friday to spend some time with us and to help us move.  The Mission found an apartment.  Luckily it's only 2.7 miles away from Pops and Sweetie.  We're pretty sure it's the one we suggested to the APs.  To move in, you have to have a background check.  It's going to be a good place to live.  It looks nice anyway.

The weather has been really warm here.  It's only dipped down into the teens at night.  We haven't gotten any more snow since last week and most of it is melting away.  It's been that warm.  I've only pulled out my nice wool jacket for one or two days at a time.  And even then by midday I don't need it.

With the news that we are moving out I don't know how the W's are doing.  Mostly broken-hearted, I think.  But last night I was talking with Sweetie and she told me very firmly that the only thing that is going to change is that we don't sleep there anymore.  That's fine with me! =}

  

Things are going well out here.  We are teaching Zaria. 

President told us some things to keep the Sisters guessing.  So first of all we only have 12 English-speaking Sisters because some going home with medical issues.  We have 15 English-speaking Sisters arriving in February.  This means that there will be some trainers double training or some Spanish sisters transferring to the English program, but that can't work because in March a lot of them go home.  

Then he told us that Nantucket, MA is breaking off of the Brewster Ward (or Branch, I'm not sure which) to become it's own Branch, with only 6 families.  And guess who gets to go there?  Sister Missionaries.  !!!   Then the Hermanas told us that Sister Packard told them that Rhode Island is going to be getting more Sisters.   And we know that President’s Ward is getting Sisters. AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  

I don't know where I'm going!!!!!!  I never do, but now there are just so many more variables. That's what's going on in my brain right now.  Just so you know.