Dear Family/Friends,
Sorry you did not get anything from me yesterday! Our P-day was moved to Tuesday this week because we had the opportunity to go to the temple this week and our P-day gets moved to the day we go to the temple. I was so refreshing! I am always grateful for the Spirit that is there so thick that you can drink it! I also really enjoyed our ride to and from the temple (about a two/ two and a half hour trip). Our District Leader suggested that we sing hymns in the car and it was awesome! It was great preparation to go to the temple and get feeling the Spirit. It was also really fun because we had four and five part harmonies going and everyone just sang from their heart. And since it is halfway to Christmas, I will make an "ELF" reference: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." And in this case, Christmas cheer means the Spirit of Christ in general. Hopefully that isn't too blasphemous...
Last week was yet another trying week. We got dropped by our three investigators so we are starting from Ground Zero again. We spent several hours each day tracting and trying our best to find people who are willing and ready to listen. We haven't had too much success on that front, so we are actively thinking of new ways to find. We were able to carry out one of those ideas last night at the "Empty Nesters" FHE group in our ward. We shared with the members the message of the Restoration. We invited them to reflect on what the Restoration meant to them and pay attention to promptings they received regarding who they should share this message with. We hope that this effort and the wonderful broadcast on Sunday will help the ward members to get more excited about missionary work. Referrals have been hard to come by, so we are excited about the prospect of receiving some soon!
We have been blessed for our efforts in many small ways this week though. On Friday, we were able to have two impromtu member present lessons as we visited various members in our ward. They just happened to have non-member friends or family over when we stopped by and shared a message with them. We are starting to be able to get the word out there!
Sister Slade and I had one new investigator this week, Chuck. His wife is a member and they just recently had their second child. Sam (his wife) is preparing to be able to go to the temple to receive her endowment. Chuck wanted to know more about why his wife seems to believe that the temple and her faith is so important. He is agnostic and very philosophical. But he attended church on Sunday and we have a lesson with him on Thursday! We are grateful that he is open regardless of his hold-backs and willing to listen and try it out. Sister Slade gave a very inspired challenge to Chuck to take what we have to say to heart and try it out so that he can truly learn and appreciate what we are teaching him. I have realized that that is the only way that we really can understand the Gospel. By trying it out. I know that my testimony of the Plan of Salvation was a nice thought, but it did not really mean anything to me until my mother passed away and that was all I had to rely on--God and His promises. We are hopeful that Chuck will act on all our challenges and gain a testimony of his own. What a blessing that will be to him and his family to be sealed and have their family centered on the Gospel!
I have studied Jacob chapter five this last week (Lari--and Cami), and it has meant a lot to me. Especially the promise that the Lord gives us in verse 72, "And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them . . ." As we give our all to do the Lord's work, He promises that He will labor alongside us. I also loved a comment that Elder Andersen made during the Mission President Training. He said, "They are in the hand of the Lord of the vineyard and they are His" and that the Lord will not let us fail. This came just when I needed it, because I was VERY discouraged this week. Our key indicator totals for the better part of the week were ones and zeros, and not for lack of effort by any means. I am just grateful for that reassurance that they are the Lord's children and they will (and we will) be taken care of by the Lord in His time. Our District Leader, Elder DeVictoria gave us some great suggestions as to how to handle that situation and avoid discouragement. I am excited to try them out! I guess I feel like the Lord of the vineyard in Jacob 5:41 "And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?" I feel the Lord's disappointment when He is rejected by His children. I am sure that He weeps when they choose to disregard and disobey Him. Choose the Right!
I hope that you are all doing well!
Love,
S. Turley
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Weekly from Washington Everett Mission from S. Turley
Dear Family and Friends,
This week was rather a tough one again, but a great learning experience. We have really struggled to find new investigators this week. Yesterday Sister Slade and I fasted that we might be able to find a new investigator who is prepared and ready for the Gospel. Our Zone Leaders, Elders Rencher and Combe invited us to fast for a specific investigator (age, gender, status in life) and we felt impressed to fast for a single woman around the ages of 40-50. We are confident that our paths will cross this week and that we will recognize her when she is put in our way.
Unfortunately, all or our baptisms fell through. We are hopeful though, that we can set new baptismal goals with our investigators once their concerns are addressed. Thankfully, our investigators are not looking to disprove the Gospel, but have a more full understanding. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to study the doctrine of become like God this week in response to one of our investigators questions. It has only strengthened my testimony that our Heavenly Father loves us. He wants us to have ALL the blessings that He has, and that means the opportunity to become like Him and doing all the things that He does. Becoming like Him doesn't change the fact that he is our Creator and Father and that He is our God. If anything, it makes Him more glorious and wonderful and emphasizes His mercy and love. He is willing to allow us, mere mortals for the time being, to become as wonderful as He is!
We had the opportunity to teach two lessons to an 18 year old girl, Kelsey, that is visiting some family friends from Arizona. She attended our Gospel Principles lesson last Sunday that was on baptism and she called us on Tuesday wanting to take the lessons. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted! Unfortunately, we will not be able to keep her, but we are excited for the missionaries in Arizona that will get to continue teaching her. She offered the prayer after our second lesson and it was so pure and heartfelt and she truly recognizes the blessings of the Gospel and is excited to learn more. She has been blessed to visit the Jensens, a remarkable family here in Oak Harbor, and feel the Spirit in their home. It was not an accident that she was able to come to Washington and start taking the lessons with the Jensen family. It has been a great building block for her testimony.
So, since I don't have too much more to tell you, I thought I would tell you my two favorite "Who Is It?" door step experiences for the week:
1) We knocked on a door tracting and the man at home said "Who is it?" Sister Slade responded, "It's the Sister Missionaries!" He then said, "We're not home!" We just laughed we walked away. Maybe next time we will try, "It's your best friends!" or be bold and tell them straight-up "We are servants of the Lord!"
2) We had an appointment with a less active family in our ward, and when we knocked on the door, the mom yelled "Who is it?" We responded, "The missionaries!" Inside, we hear, "Esteban! Put some pants on! The missionaries are here!"
I hope that this finds you well, and as always, I love you!
Sister Turley
PS--Some things I forgot last time: The Hancocks met my comp, Sister Slade at Conference in April in the Tabernacle. Small world! And her cousin, Micah, was in my freshman ward at BYU. Also in my freshman ward was the brother of Sister Loose, who just came in. And a girl from Cami's freshman ward, Sister Tuttle, is here serving in the WEM as well. Who knew?!
This week was rather a tough one again, but a great learning experience. We have really struggled to find new investigators this week. Yesterday Sister Slade and I fasted that we might be able to find a new investigator who is prepared and ready for the Gospel. Our Zone Leaders, Elders Rencher and Combe invited us to fast for a specific investigator (age, gender, status in life) and we felt impressed to fast for a single woman around the ages of 40-50. We are confident that our paths will cross this week and that we will recognize her when she is put in our way.
Unfortunately, all or our baptisms fell through. We are hopeful though, that we can set new baptismal goals with our investigators once their concerns are addressed. Thankfully, our investigators are not looking to disprove the Gospel, but have a more full understanding. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to study the doctrine of become like God this week in response to one of our investigators questions. It has only strengthened my testimony that our Heavenly Father loves us. He wants us to have ALL the blessings that He has, and that means the opportunity to become like Him and doing all the things that He does. Becoming like Him doesn't change the fact that he is our Creator and Father and that He is our God. If anything, it makes Him more glorious and wonderful and emphasizes His mercy and love. He is willing to allow us, mere mortals for the time being, to become as wonderful as He is!
We had the opportunity to teach two lessons to an 18 year old girl, Kelsey, that is visiting some family friends from Arizona. She attended our Gospel Principles lesson last Sunday that was on baptism and she called us on Tuesday wanting to take the lessons. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted! Unfortunately, we will not be able to keep her, but we are excited for the missionaries in Arizona that will get to continue teaching her. She offered the prayer after our second lesson and it was so pure and heartfelt and she truly recognizes the blessings of the Gospel and is excited to learn more. She has been blessed to visit the Jensens, a remarkable family here in Oak Harbor, and feel the Spirit in their home. It was not an accident that she was able to come to Washington and start taking the lessons with the Jensen family. It has been a great building block for her testimony.
So, since I don't have too much more to tell you, I thought I would tell you my two favorite "Who Is It?" door step experiences for the week:
1) We knocked on a door tracting and the man at home said "Who is it?" Sister Slade responded, "It's the Sister Missionaries!" He then said, "We're not home!" We just laughed we walked away. Maybe next time we will try, "It's your best friends!" or be bold and tell them straight-up "We are servants of the Lord!"
2) We had an appointment with a less active family in our ward, and when we knocked on the door, the mom yelled "Who is it?" We responded, "The missionaries!" Inside, we hear, "Esteban! Put some pants on! The missionaries are here!"
I hope that this finds you well, and as always, I love you!
Sister Turley
PS--Some things I forgot last time: The Hancocks met my comp, Sister Slade at Conference in April in the Tabernacle. Small world! And her cousin, Micah, was in my freshman ward at BYU. Also in my freshman ward was the brother of Sister Loose, who just came in. And a girl from Cami's freshman ward, Sister Tuttle, is here serving in the WEM as well. Who knew?!
Monday, June 10, 2013
New Comp and New Experiences in the WEM
Dear Family and Friends,
My new companion is Sister Slade. She is from Rye, Colorado, about 30 minutes south of Pueblo. I feel like an old lady around her because she was born in 1994! Holy Cow! She is so ready to work hard and get the job done. I honestly cannot keep up with her! Such determination! I thought I worked hard, but guess again, haha!
Elder Bloomfield is in Blaine, so he is definitely staying in the Everett Mission. It was fun to see him a few times this week down at the Mission Office! Unfortunately, my camera died before we got a picture and he didn't know if he had a cord to send pics, so hopefully we can send one to you some way, some how. We also got to know our cousin Elder Merrill who was just called to be an Assistant to the President! My old companion, Sister Cromar kept telling me how much we look like cousins, haha.
What an interesting week last week was! So many new changes and challenges! We had another week with a lot of appointments falling through. I felt really bad for Sister Slade having that be her first few days in the field because she took it really hard. We had to take a break one day and just get the frustrations and disappointments out. However, God is merciful and we have seen his tender mercies along with the struggles. I have thought a lot about that concept in 1 Ne. 1:20 (Lari) this week. I think it is very important that the Lord uses the wording "tender mercies" rather than "big miracles." As was discussed in the New Missionary Training this week, the Lord has to try our faith. He doesn't give us signs and wonders to build us up, but constant, personal, quiet, thoughtful, meaningful tender mercies. We have seen so many tender mercies this week. We found many potentials while tracting and had great experiences with the investigators that we already have. And we had two investigators at church (probably the hardest standard to meet)! I have no doubt that as we keep the faith and endure to the end, we will be blessed. Sister Cromar and I had previously discussed that to us, "enduring to the end," really means to keep the commandments and do what the Lord has asked. So we decided that it wasn't really "enduring," but "en-doing." Doing is everything, so we are determined to continue.
We have had so many beautiful experiences with Sandra and her family. Her faith is amazing! Her brother is coming up to perform the baptism (June 22!) and I am so excited for them! It is going to be such a special experience for them. I cannot wait for their family to start realizing the blessings of the Gospel bringing them closer together and for them prepare to be sealed together in the temple. We were lucky enough to have dinner with a family in our ward last night and they also invited Sandra, Alex, and her husband Jim to dinner. We were able to have a wonderful time getting to know them and sharing our testimonies with them. I know that they were all touched by the Spirit and felt it's influence. I hope that Jim takes that to heart and will desire to unite himself with the Church and his family in their decision. He is so close.
I have really felt the urgency of the Lord's call to hasten his work. I know that there are so many prepared people here in Oak Harbor and I cannot wait to meet them to share the truth with them. I know that the Lord will place them in our path in the coming weeks as we continue to be obedient. It is seriously time to gather Israel. Do it now! Maria shared with me that she has really caught the missionary spirit since Elder Bloomfield started preparing for his mission and I hope that you will all catch it as well. In the true missionary way, I would like to extend a commitment to you all. Give the missionaries referrals. I know that you all know people from school, work, and your communities that are ready. I promise that they are. The worst that can happen is that they will say no. And if they say yes, they will be so grateful to you for the blessing that you introduced into their lives. And "how great will be your joy in the kindom of God!" Haha, my new and favorite maxim: Pull a Nike, and just do it!
Love you all lots and hope you are all well!
Sister Turley
My new companion is Sister Slade. She is from Rye, Colorado, about 30 minutes south of Pueblo. I feel like an old lady around her because she was born in 1994! Holy Cow! She is so ready to work hard and get the job done. I honestly cannot keep up with her! Such determination! I thought I worked hard, but guess again, haha!
Elder Bloomfield is in Blaine, so he is definitely staying in the Everett Mission. It was fun to see him a few times this week down at the Mission Office! Unfortunately, my camera died before we got a picture and he didn't know if he had a cord to send pics, so hopefully we can send one to you some way, some how. We also got to know our cousin Elder Merrill who was just called to be an Assistant to the President! My old companion, Sister Cromar kept telling me how much we look like cousins, haha.
What an interesting week last week was! So many new changes and challenges! We had another week with a lot of appointments falling through. I felt really bad for Sister Slade having that be her first few days in the field because she took it really hard. We had to take a break one day and just get the frustrations and disappointments out. However, God is merciful and we have seen his tender mercies along with the struggles. I have thought a lot about that concept in 1 Ne. 1:20 (Lari) this week. I think it is very important that the Lord uses the wording "tender mercies" rather than "big miracles." As was discussed in the New Missionary Training this week, the Lord has to try our faith. He doesn't give us signs and wonders to build us up, but constant, personal, quiet, thoughtful, meaningful tender mercies. We have seen so many tender mercies this week. We found many potentials while tracting and had great experiences with the investigators that we already have. And we had two investigators at church (probably the hardest standard to meet)! I have no doubt that as we keep the faith and endure to the end, we will be blessed. Sister Cromar and I had previously discussed that to us, "enduring to the end," really means to keep the commandments and do what the Lord has asked. So we decided that it wasn't really "enduring," but "en-doing." Doing is everything, so we are determined to continue.
We have had so many beautiful experiences with Sandra and her family. Her faith is amazing! Her brother is coming up to perform the baptism (June 22!) and I am so excited for them! It is going to be such a special experience for them. I cannot wait for their family to start realizing the blessings of the Gospel bringing them closer together and for them prepare to be sealed together in the temple. We were lucky enough to have dinner with a family in our ward last night and they also invited Sandra, Alex, and her husband Jim to dinner. We were able to have a wonderful time getting to know them and sharing our testimonies with them. I know that they were all touched by the Spirit and felt it's influence. I hope that Jim takes that to heart and will desire to unite himself with the Church and his family in their decision. He is so close.
I have really felt the urgency of the Lord's call to hasten his work. I know that there are so many prepared people here in Oak Harbor and I cannot wait to meet them to share the truth with them. I know that the Lord will place them in our path in the coming weeks as we continue to be obedient. It is seriously time to gather Israel. Do it now! Maria shared with me that she has really caught the missionary spirit since Elder Bloomfield started preparing for his mission and I hope that you will all catch it as well. In the true missionary way, I would like to extend a commitment to you all. Give the missionaries referrals. I know that you all know people from school, work, and your communities that are ready. I promise that they are. The worst that can happen is that they will say no. And if they say yes, they will be so grateful to you for the blessing that you introduced into their lives. And "how great will be your joy in the kindom of God!" Haha, my new and favorite maxim: Pull a Nike, and just do it!
Love you all lots and hope you are all well!
Sister Turley
Deception Pass (how we get on the island)
Me & Elder Merrill (ok, we do kinda look like cousins...)
Monday, June 3, 2013
BIG NEWS from the WEM
Dear Family and Friends,
So here is the BIG NEWS (in the form of a novel/dialogue/play?):
It was the Thursday night before transfers and Sister Cromar and I knew that leadership calls were afoot. However, we knew that we were safe because missionaries Church-wide now have a twelve week training program because the shortened MTC time. We returned home after our days activities and did our daily planning. Around 9:45 p.m., the phone rang. It was the Zone Leaders and I exclaimed: "You have got to be kidding me!" Sister Cromar answered the phone.
S. Cromar: Hello, this is Sister Cromar.
ZL: Hi Sister Cromar, this is E. Rencher. We are calling to let you know that you have been asked to train.
S. Cromar: Seriously? That is crazy.
ZL: I know, because you are already training! But you are going to be training a new Sister! Isn't that awesome? So you will need to be at trainer's training tomorrow in Mill Creek at one.
S. Cromar: Yeah, ok. What is happening to Sister Turley?
ZL: We aren't sure yet, but we will call you as soon as we know.
Hangs up the phone. Phone rings (the ZLs)
S. Cromar: Hello, this is Sister Cromar.
ZL: Hello Sister Cromar. We need to talk to Sister Turley too.
S. Turley: Hello, this is Sister Turley
ZL: Hi Sister Turley, you have also been called to be a trainer.
S. Turley: Are you serious right now?
ZL: Yep! So you will need to be a trainer's training in Mill Creek tomorrow as well. This is so crazy! You have only been out for six weeks, this is awesome!
*General freaking out on both ends of the line...*
ZL: The Lord trusts you guys! This doesn't happen!
More general freaking out on both ends of the line and wishes of good luck and congratulations. Hang up phone.
Turns out, there are 9 new Sisters coming into the mission and only 5 who were available to train. We also found out from the Sister Trainer Leaders that President told them that there were not going to be any three packs of sisters. So, I am training. It is so weird to try to come to terms with the reality of that. On the bright side, I will get to see Elder Bloomfield tomorrow and on Friday for New Missionary Training! Craziness. Nervousness. Excitement. Cup running over. Sister Cromar said it right (not for the faint at heart. . .): "I think I am going to poop my pants!"
There has been a lot on my mind the last few days with the call to train and transfers coming up. I am incredibly nervous but grateful for this call. I hope that I can live up to all that the Lord wants me to do and be. As I was reading the leadership section of the white missionary handbook, I had two thoughts. The first was that the companion that I get to train will have been prepared for me to her trainer. She will be prepared for my inadequacies and lack of experience and at the same time, prepared for what I do know and have a testimony of. The second thing was in D&C 121 (Lari--esp. verses 34-end) which is suggested as reading in the white handbook on leadership. I was the Sister Trainer Leader in my branch in the MTC, so I became familiar with that section while I was there, but I decided to read it again. I love the promise made in verse 46 that says "The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion . . . and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." I love that as we live to be receptive of the Spirit and do as it directs, we will be privileged to receive the blessings that flow to us unimpeded. They will just come! That doctrine is going to be CRUCIAL in the coming weeks. To seek direction from the Spirit in ALL things because I definitely need the help and direction. I am grateful that the Lord trusts me to train right now. I know that I can do it because He has asked me to. One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:13 which reads, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." I have a testimony of that. It is not always made easy, but it is made doable. So many thoughts, but the following thought was also interesting and encouraging to me. The Spirit often speaks to me through words or tunes from hymns. On Friday morning after leadership calls, I woke up with the tune to "Sweet is the Work" and the first line "Sweet is the work, my God, my King" running through my mind. The work is sweet and I hope that as I continue to work hard and build my foundation more firmly on Christ that it will become even sweeter.
Our investigator, Sandra, is so amazing to me. Her testimony is so strong and pure. We had a church tour with her on Saturday and as we concluded, we invited her to pray. As she did, she expressed to our Heavenly Father "I will do all that is asked of me." She choked up as she said this and it was with such conviction that I know she will. She truly understands the commandments and their importance and all that she has been taught of the Gospel to this point. Sister Cromar and I informed her yesterday that one of us would be leaving on Tuesday and she said, "I'll be okay, just go and do the Lord's work." She loves the missionaries, but she loves the Gospel more. We have started teaching her son, Alex, the lessons as well and we invited him to be baptized with his mother which he accepted. We hope that he will continue pray and receive confirmation that this is the true Church of God. He asks wonderful questions and as we asked him if he believed what we had taught him, he said "Yes. I just all makes sense." I am so grateful for these prepared individuals that we continue to meet. The field truly is white, ready to harvest.
We had a miracle yesterday at church too. One of the ten year old girls that we have on date for baptism is the daughter of returning less active members. The dad works every Sunday so we have not seen him at church, and the mother and two girls didn't show up the last two weeks. BAD when they are on date! But the whole family showed up yesterday and stayed for all three meetings! The dad had somehow gotten off work early and was able to make it. Such a miracle! Also, a less active woman that we have been meeting with showed up for all three meetings yesterday as well. I can't believe how spoiled we were! And if that wasn't enough, we taught the Gospel Principles lesson yesterday on Repentance. The Spirit was so strong as nearly everyone in the class shared their testimonies. We didn't get through very much of the lesson as teachers, but it was all covered by the testimonies and comments of the people in the class. I loved it and wish that every lesson could be like that.
I am sad to see Sister Cromar go, but I am thankful for the example and help that she has been to me in the last six weeks. I have learned a lot and look forward to learning more in my new companionship.
I hope that you are all doing well and finding success in your various stations!
Love ya!
Sister Turley
So here is the BIG NEWS (in the form of a novel/dialogue/play?):
It was the Thursday night before transfers and Sister Cromar and I knew that leadership calls were afoot. However, we knew that we were safe because missionaries Church-wide now have a twelve week training program because the shortened MTC time. We returned home after our days activities and did our daily planning. Around 9:45 p.m., the phone rang. It was the Zone Leaders and I exclaimed: "You have got to be kidding me!" Sister Cromar answered the phone.
S. Cromar: Hello, this is Sister Cromar.
ZL: Hi Sister Cromar, this is E. Rencher. We are calling to let you know that you have been asked to train.
S. Cromar: Seriously? That is crazy.
ZL: I know, because you are already training! But you are going to be training a new Sister! Isn't that awesome? So you will need to be at trainer's training tomorrow in Mill Creek at one.
S. Cromar: Yeah, ok. What is happening to Sister Turley?
ZL: We aren't sure yet, but we will call you as soon as we know.
Hangs up the phone. Phone rings (the ZLs)
S. Cromar: Hello, this is Sister Cromar.
ZL: Hello Sister Cromar. We need to talk to Sister Turley too.
S. Turley: Hello, this is Sister Turley
ZL: Hi Sister Turley, you have also been called to be a trainer.
S. Turley: Are you serious right now?
ZL: Yep! So you will need to be a trainer's training in Mill Creek tomorrow as well. This is so crazy! You have only been out for six weeks, this is awesome!
*General freaking out on both ends of the line...*
ZL: The Lord trusts you guys! This doesn't happen!
More general freaking out on both ends of the line and wishes of good luck and congratulations. Hang up phone.
Turns out, there are 9 new Sisters coming into the mission and only 5 who were available to train. We also found out from the Sister Trainer Leaders that President told them that there were not going to be any three packs of sisters. So, I am training. It is so weird to try to come to terms with the reality of that. On the bright side, I will get to see Elder Bloomfield tomorrow and on Friday for New Missionary Training! Craziness. Nervousness. Excitement. Cup running over. Sister Cromar said it right (not for the faint at heart. . .): "I think I am going to poop my pants!"
There has been a lot on my mind the last few days with the call to train and transfers coming up. I am incredibly nervous but grateful for this call. I hope that I can live up to all that the Lord wants me to do and be. As I was reading the leadership section of the white missionary handbook, I had two thoughts. The first was that the companion that I get to train will have been prepared for me to her trainer. She will be prepared for my inadequacies and lack of experience and at the same time, prepared for what I do know and have a testimony of. The second thing was in D&C 121 (Lari--esp. verses 34-end) which is suggested as reading in the white handbook on leadership. I was the Sister Trainer Leader in my branch in the MTC, so I became familiar with that section while I was there, but I decided to read it again. I love the promise made in verse 46 that says "The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion . . . and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." I love that as we live to be receptive of the Spirit and do as it directs, we will be privileged to receive the blessings that flow to us unimpeded. They will just come! That doctrine is going to be CRUCIAL in the coming weeks. To seek direction from the Spirit in ALL things because I definitely need the help and direction. I am grateful that the Lord trusts me to train right now. I know that I can do it because He has asked me to. One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:13 which reads, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." I have a testimony of that. It is not always made easy, but it is made doable. So many thoughts, but the following thought was also interesting and encouraging to me. The Spirit often speaks to me through words or tunes from hymns. On Friday morning after leadership calls, I woke up with the tune to "Sweet is the Work" and the first line "Sweet is the work, my God, my King" running through my mind. The work is sweet and I hope that as I continue to work hard and build my foundation more firmly on Christ that it will become even sweeter.
Our investigator, Sandra, is so amazing to me. Her testimony is so strong and pure. We had a church tour with her on Saturday and as we concluded, we invited her to pray. As she did, she expressed to our Heavenly Father "I will do all that is asked of me." She choked up as she said this and it was with such conviction that I know she will. She truly understands the commandments and their importance and all that she has been taught of the Gospel to this point. Sister Cromar and I informed her yesterday that one of us would be leaving on Tuesday and she said, "I'll be okay, just go and do the Lord's work." She loves the missionaries, but she loves the Gospel more. We have started teaching her son, Alex, the lessons as well and we invited him to be baptized with his mother which he accepted. We hope that he will continue pray and receive confirmation that this is the true Church of God. He asks wonderful questions and as we asked him if he believed what we had taught him, he said "Yes. I just all makes sense." I am so grateful for these prepared individuals that we continue to meet. The field truly is white, ready to harvest.
We had a miracle yesterday at church too. One of the ten year old girls that we have on date for baptism is the daughter of returning less active members. The dad works every Sunday so we have not seen him at church, and the mother and two girls didn't show up the last two weeks. BAD when they are on date! But the whole family showed up yesterday and stayed for all three meetings! The dad had somehow gotten off work early and was able to make it. Such a miracle! Also, a less active woman that we have been meeting with showed up for all three meetings yesterday as well. I can't believe how spoiled we were! And if that wasn't enough, we taught the Gospel Principles lesson yesterday on Repentance. The Spirit was so strong as nearly everyone in the class shared their testimonies. We didn't get through very much of the lesson as teachers, but it was all covered by the testimonies and comments of the people in the class. I loved it and wish that every lesson could be like that.
I am sad to see Sister Cromar go, but I am thankful for the example and help that she has been to me in the last six weeks. I have learned a lot and look forward to learning more in my new companionship.
I hope that you are all doing well and finding success in your various stations!
Love ya!
Sister Turley
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