Monday, September 8, 2014

Lots of pictures this week!!!


Hopefully I can put her emails in some logical order as I pull them from three strings of emails.  Whitney's advise on putting together the blog post, "HAHA yeah.... Have fun...."  Thanks Whit!

This week has been another week full of miracles.

We went to visit a less active on Thursday. When we tried to call through the buzzer no one answered but right as we were about to leave the door randomly unlocked and the screen said "Door is open, go in." So we went in and knocked on her door and found out that she had moved. But we met this lady from Congo and she wants us to come back and teach her.

Then on Saturday, we had lunch with a member who we didn't know too well. She opened up a lot to us and told us about her mission and some of the blessings and trials she faced. By the end she told us that she was really happy that she set this up.

On Wednesday, we had dinner with the ward mission leader. His daughter is less active and has never joined us for a meal or lesson. But this time she joined us for both and participated in the lesson. Then on Sunday, she came to all three hours of church and was willing to participate in the lesson in Relief Society. I think her heart is softening because her mom is coming back into activity and is also striving to gain more faith through reading her scriptures, saying her prayers, going to church, and starting on personal progress. Which is another cool thing. I was talking to them on Sunday about the mom's personal progress and she told her daughter that it was because of me and because I always wear my medallion that she wants to do personal progress. 

Last week, at a dinner we had with some other members, I used a visual that I learned at the girls camp that I worked at. It's called partner triangle. So there are two who participate and they both have to get from the big, wide end of the triangle to the point without touching outside the line and by holding on and relying on each other which means they have to fall forward, catch each other and then walk together towards the end. Then we relate it to our relationship with God and how as we help others come closer to him then we will come closer to him as well. The member loved it and ended up using it in her Relief Society lesson which was super cool to see that it made that much of an impact on her that she remembered it from two weeks ago.
Oh on Thursday, we had interviews with President Stoker. In mine I told him about what I've been studying, how I've been doing, etc. He told me that he thought I was really good for people in my mission. I also told him that I've been helping recent converts and converts who joined after they were 18 start personal progress. He said he really liked that idea and thinks he is going to make it a mission-wide thing and is going to have S. Pettingill order PP books to have in the office! He told me that as I help them progress to let him know how it goes and that he is super impressed with the idea. He even told S. Smedley in her interview that he was impressed with it. Then I had him give me a blessing just for an extra boost of confidence and in it it mentioned how I was in the premortal life and what I did there, what I would do here, what I needed to study, all the promises given in my Patriarchal blessing, and that I would face some pretty hard trials but that it was so I could grow even stronger. WHOA  (as a mom, I am not so excited about the hard trials...)

Then we found two new investigators which is amazing! And our fridge is overflowing with leftovers from the members! 

So something I learned about faith this week was that faith and hope and being optimistic is all linked. Because when you are optimistic then you have the hope that things will get better which also means that you have faith that it will get better. So as you gain more faith then you will be more optimistic.
Love You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also came across this on Bro. and Sis. Skidmore's Blog.  One more miracle for the week:   Monday night was asked to go out and teach with Elder Barnes and Elder Harrington.  They had an appointment which fell through and 2 backups which also fell through.  As we were walking the streets of Manchester, Sister Smedley and Sister Collins drove up and said the member they were teaching needed a blessing.  So we went to her apartment where she was so glad to see us.  Her name was J and she was struggling with the adversary as she was preparing to go to the temple.  She asked that I give her a blessing.  I think this is the reason we were out Monday night.
Last week we had to send a package to Whit with her prescription.  I made her some no-bake peanut butter bars (one of her favorite treats).  As I looked at the weather I started to worry that they would be a melted mess when she got them.  She ensured me they looked great and tasted even better.  She and Sister Smedley enjoyed them and said I can "DEFINITELY" send them more.  She also said that now that she is taking her meds more regularly, her energy level is back up. :)
 Suggested talk for this week:  What is the Blueprint of Christ's Church?

Whitney has had the youth in the Manchester Ward and in our ward on her mind a lot.  I had shared some information from my YW's lesson this week with her.  So many of the scriptures had talked about service being the answer to so many of our struggles including sadness, loneliness and temptation.  Her reply, "Part of being Christlike is putting others' needs before your own and serving them. In Ch. 6 in Preach My Gospel it is all about Christlike attributes and I think one of them is service. But service is also a part of being filled with charity- the pure love of Christ."
Young Women, know that you are on her mind.  She prays for you daily and misses you so much.  She feels that one of the reasons she is on her mission is to help the youth in that area.  I hope that by sharing her messages, it helps strengthen the youth in our ward as well.
 



Serving at the Cemetery

So beautiful, but maybe a little spooky at night.





Scared faces!
 




Members they got to serve with

"Dorks" Title by Whitney, not me

Some of Whitney's doodles

Wanted Grandpa's dutch oven breakfast, made breakfast casserole instead.

Whitney and Sister Skidmore at lunch

Whitney, Sis Skidmore, Sis Smedley and Sis Pettingill

another picture of the lunch bunch


Sister Smedley loved Whitney's minion hat and asked Sis Young if she could make her one.  Whit said the yarn matches perfectly.

Sis Collins and Sis Smedley have been attending Young Women's in Manchester.  This week they had a BBQ and someone brought these cute cookie hamburgers.










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