Crazy Week!

Hello again, Friends and family!(:

 

This week has been crazy!

 

We had a lesson with Heidi and Kathy this week! It went decent...but she was getting ready for her son Bo's birthday party that was that night, so it was a little rushed...We just love visiting with her though! After the lesson, Kathy said, "Sister's would it be okay if i said the prayer? I am full of thanks!" UMM...YESSSSS! She will never say the prayer, so when she asked??? AHH Misson accomplished!(: It was one of the greatest prayers i have ever heard.  It was so genuine and so amazing! I love her! We are going to get her a baptism date this week!!!(:

 

At district meeting we talked about the Kingdoms of Glory, and how we should focus on reaching the Celestial Glory.  A lot of missionaries are having problems with people understanding that we don't want to settle for the lower kingdoms, and Sister Pereira said something that has really stuck with me. She said, "The fact that there is right and wrong in the world is proof that there is something after this life that matters.  If there wasn't..why would it matter? Why would it matter if we went to jail or stole or did any of those things if there wasn't an after life?"  It was the coolest testament to me, and it is incredible simple, yet so true! Our life on earth is a teeny dot in the perspective of things.  Our purpose isn't to live life and be done.  Our purpose is to live and grow and choose things that bring us closer to Christ, so we can return to live with Heavenly Father.  Our troubles and trials here in this life is nothing. It is so teeny and if we could just understand that and realize that our trials would be simpler to overcome. Not saying that it would be easy. But it would be easier, because we could understand that everything is here, so we can be our ultimate selfs.  So we can be happier, and even if we don't understand now, Heavenly Father is shaping us exactly how we need to be. 

 

We stopped by the Sheltons and visited with them after weeks of not seeing them and had a good discussion.  Then we were leaving and Sister Shelton said, "Wait i need you to say a prayer with my family."  OH MY GOSH. She used to never want prayers. Finally progression! Not a lot, but little steps!(:

 

I gave away my first Book of Mormon...(i know pathetic i have been out 2 months and only have given one.) But anyways. I gave it to Crystal and her daughter Tabitha. And at church on Sunday, i didn't see Crystal, but Tabitha was there!(: Crystal has grown up baptist and didn't agree with the fact of one heaven and hell. She believes there is levels, so when we heard this we jumped at the opportunity to teach her the plan of salvation.  She totally agrees with us! She is awesome and i can't wait to see her again!

 

Last bit for this week, we have had opportunity after opportunity this week to do service.  We helped two families move, painted a book case and some walls and the womans shelter, and many other acts of service.  During one of the moves, i was very frustrated. We walked in and the house was a mess. NOTHING was packed and there was garbage everywhere. She told us to just pack things she would need and take the rest to storage. Well i was thinking, "How am i supposed to know what you want and what is and isn't trash."  I was super negative. Then we had to leave and come back and we sat and waited for her for 30 minutes. She wasn't home we had no idea where she was, and she wouldn't answer her phone.  You can imagine my happiness level after everything that happened.  As i thought and pondered the day at night i had a thought come to my head.  I was so not Christ-like.  I was terrible. I kept thinking, "this isn't my job." "i am not doing this."  Well guess what? It is my job.  I am called to SERVE. Being a missionary isn't about teaching lessons, it is about serving.  It is my job to help serve others in any way they possibly need me.  As i was thinking about all the complaints i had i thought, "NO. I need to do this because Christ would have." He wouldn't have given moving and cleaning this families house a second thought. He wouldn't have lost patience, he wouldn't have been frustrated.  He would have done whatever this family needed and he would have done it with a smile on his face.  I realized that I am a representative of Christ.  I am supposed to say and do what he would. And i did not do it.  I have had that thought on my mind all week.  I learned that i need to humble myself and serve others to my fullest ability, because Christ would have.

 

Pictures:

1) We did some planning at a pond cause we were falling asleep.

2) Same as 1

3) Spiders like to cover our door, and not let us in, so we use the hose to get in.