This week it has been chilly! I wore sweats to workout this morning...in the middle of September! The weather literally just changed overnight. We woke up on Tuesday and it was just cold! I've been sleeping with 2 blankets all week. I'm sure in for a treat these next months :)
Well this week was definitely one for learning and growth as well! Sister Aeschbacher was sick with a nasty virus that actually started last Sunday. She toughed her way through Sunday and Monday but when she woke up Tuesday she was not doing good...so we stayed in all day..Bittersweet I'll tell ya. My natural instincts were to stay in bed and sleep with her but nonetheless, I woke up at 6:30 and worked out, studied and all that stuff all by myself! So Tuesday I made calls and did as much as I could without Sister Aeschbacher and then got some good studying in. I was asked to sing at our next zone conference this Thursday and Elder Wilson from the Seventy is actually coming to speak to us so I'm a bit nervous! But, we have some members who live right behind our apartment and they have a GRAND PIANO that never gets played. So Sister Aeschbacher was kind enough to camp out on their couch while I practiced on their piano. I am going to sing and play "Come Thou Fount". I will try and get a video of it and send it next week!
Wednesday we had district meeting and Sister Aeschbacher toughed it out for that as well as the rest of the day. After district meeting we went to go see 95 year old Ida Valley and she told us she was not interested and gave us our B of M back as well as a restoration pamphlet we had left with her. So that was a little discouraging but...A miracle that I witnessed afterwards was really cool. We were boxing out in Ida's apt complex and the third door we knocked on there was another sweet lady that opened the door. So I took the lead and I told the lady, "We are representatives of Jesus Christ and we are going around sharing a message of our Savior Jesus Christ and ultimately helping people to be baptized just like He was. And she looked at me and said, "I've never been baptized, do I need too?" And i said "Weeeell we would love to teach you, may we come in?" And she let us in! The first time that has happened for me. The spirit prompted me to be bold and it really worked. And the spirit was super duper strong during our lesson. Before we left she said "Let me read this book and I'll give you a call...I don't know what it is but there's definitely something different about what you taught me and I think I kinda like it!" Aww! So Hopefully we get a call from sweet Edithe. :) Then we went to dinner with Sister Chiaradonna at this chinese place...east coast chinese is not the same as chinese in the west I'll just tell you that! But we were waiting for her by this pond that had real life lily pads as you can see in the picture! Sister Aeschbacher probably thought I was so weird..but I was so excited!
Thursday Sister Aeschbacher woke up not feeling any better, probably worse so we stayed home again and I got some more good studies and practicing in. It was defintiely a faith-trying week because our faith was so strong that Sister Aeschbacher would be healed and I prayed every night that she would get better so we could get back to work! But it just wasn't happening...and then I realized that the Lord was preparing me for next transfer when I won't have Sister Aeschbacher anymore. I was able to look back and see how much I have grown and how much I am capable of even though I feel so inadequate. I will be responsible in helping my new companion get to know the area and I won't be a greenie anymore and I feel so much more confident in moving forward and I know that that is why Sister Aeschbacher was sick so I could see that in myself. The Lord is so aware of His children. I literally can feel him watching over me. It's a feeling I've never felt in my life and I have no idea how he does it but I know he is so aware of each and everyone of his children. It just blows my mind!
Friday we did weekly planning..something I am still coming to love. And then we got to go out and see Brother Preney and Grace! I was so worried about them because we hadn't really heard from them or seen them all week...Satan has been working very hard on Grace and sadly he is winning with her right now. She came to church yesterday and then after we got a call from her telling us that she didn't want to meet with us anymore and that she did not want us to contact her anymore...I was so devastated. I have been trying to be so patient with her and through that I have come to love her so much. I know that it just isn't the right time for her though and I have to have faith in that...But I'm still not giving up on her!
Brother Preney went out and bought himself a new white shirt and tie and he looked so good at church! Him and his fiance, Sister Farrell have now been to church four times! I have really come to love them.
Yesterday, we taught Herb. I think I have told you about him. He came to church again as well as Sister Harlow! So amazing to see. Anyways we taught Herb the restoration and the spirit was so strong. I am amazed by how strong the spirit is everytime I teach it no matter how many times I already have! I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored.
President Stoker gave the whole mission a challenge to read the book of Mormon by our next zone conference on October 21st. It comes out to 12 pages a day! He gave us promise that we would be able to bear stronger testimonies of the Book of Mormon as we contact people. We also have a mission-wide challenge to try and get 10 "Invitations to learn" a day and the district that gets the most will get pizza from President Stoker. The purpose is that we will hopefully find more investigators to teach and I know they are both inspired. My testimony of the book of Mormon has already grown so much!
I know this gospel is true and I know like it says in 2 Nephi 2: 8, " How great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth!" Be urgent and pray for ways to share the gospel, not just to be examples but to baptize people! We are so blessed with what we have and the thought of someone not having the same blessings breaks my heart.
I love you all and hope your week is great!
Sister Innes
No comments:
Post a Comment