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| Valerie's baptism. She is wonderful. I love her so much and I am so happy for her. She's entered the gate and has lots of blessings ahead of her. God is good. |
Disclaimer-- This email is long and you'll all
probably be bored and skim, so to save you the trouble just read the last
paragraph. En te que (anyway in French)... Ho boy do I love you guys and all of
your emails. You're all the coolest and I am super pumped to write to you
today. But first, just a few little "get them outta dah way" type
things... Dad and Mo, if I have used the card it is because I didn't have
Canadian cash on me. Second, transfers... I'm staying with Sister Ryser
and we are still the STL's whoop whoop! I will answer questions asked in your
emails in the next letter I write home. So DAH week:
This week was just incredible. No doubts about
it. God is good all the time. Oh man where do I even start? Remember how a few
weeks ago I told you about a girl who just showed up for church and asked for a
Book of Mormon and then called us the next day for us to see her? Well, turns
out she had been baptized years ago, but stopped going to church and now wanted
to come back. Her names is Elizabeth and she is just a tender soul. I love her
and I hardly know her. Her desires to do good are outstanding and they just
blow me away. She knows what's important and followed some pretty wise advice,
which is, "ask the missionaries, they can help." So now we have the
blessing to see her and just read the Book of Mormon with her and teach her
what we know. She is a miracle, and I am so beyond the valley of the happy that
I got to meet her. We had a ward council this week too, and it went well. Our
ward is super sweet and just gets things done. Our bishop and ward mission
leader are so awesome. They do so much for the work it is such a blessing to be
able to work along side them. One thing though that I noticed, and I have
learned and was wondering how it goes at home, is that sometimes the council
gets a little caught up in the planning of events and doesn't focus on the
people in our ward and their needs. I was just wondering how it was at home.
This question might be for you, Dad, but it's super important that our councils
are effective, and actually councils, so I just thought I'd ask how it was
going there. Not that I can come and change it or anything, it's just that
Heavenly Father is hastening the work of salvation. And if we are too stuck in
our ruts (is that how you spell that?) and not willing to step up and go with
Heavenly Father's pace, then we're going to have some problems. That means we
might have to rethink how ward councils are going. But Utah always seemed to be
with the game, so hopefully that is the case here. If not, it's ok, everything
takes time. And we need patience. Right now we are working on getting everyone
trained so that the work can move forward at a faster pace. I am so stoked to
get home and contribute. There is just so much to be done in establishing the
Kingdom of Heaven on the earth, and it starts with individual members, so I am
pumped to work at home too, now that I have a better idea of how I can help and
how things should be going. Sorry, random tangent is over now.
We had a fairly normal week this week (which
means we made a lot of plans that didn't work out, taught some people and just
rejoiced in the salvation of God). We didn't reach all of our goals, but I
think we still worked hard. Our ward just launched our ward mission plan.
Everyone is getting pretty excited to get started. One day it will be the
member's work that the missionaries help with. But for now it's kind of a mix
of both. But I love our ward mission plan because it is really helping people
to get excited to just be involved and share the good news with their little
friends and whatnot. One lady in our ward invited us over to dinner and we ate
with her roommate and talked about the gospel. Which means we got some awesome
Haitian food (ho boy I love it so much) and a new investigator (love that even
more!). I don't know how interested she is right now though, which is tough
because the member really wants this for her. But, I am a big believer in
following the will of our Heavenly Father, so he'll help us know what to do,
the member incluced. Just follow the spirit people, it's his job to guide us
when we are worthy to have him with us, so let's just let him do his job and follow
what he says. We had two other sweet meetings this week too. One was mission
leadership council and the other was stake council. I just really love councils
actually. I was reading a talk the other day about leadership, it was given in
a priesthood session, I can't remember the name of it right now or who wrote
it, but it was awesome, and it just talked about how wise and just awesome it
was of Heavenly Father to give us councils. He used councils (council in
Heaven.....)! They are so effective if they are done right. Anyway, we had the
mission leadership council and just talked about problems and concerns we've
seen in the mission right now and with the missionaries. We then decided what
traingings would need to be given so that we can help fix these problems and
concerns. I better understand the scriptures that talk about Heavenly Father
being a God of order. I think you can find one in Doctrine and Covenants
section 118 or 119 or something, the one wear it says "establish a house,
even a house of prayer, a house of fasting.... a house of order." Being
organized and ordered in what we do just makes us so much more efficient. I
love order and organization so much more now! It makes me want to clean my room
or something. Now I'm gettin crazy, what has this place done with me? Anyway,
that's why I really liked the mission leadership council, because we talked
about the problems, found a solution, delegated responsibility and made
assingments to go forward in trainings in order to fix the problems, and after we
will report back. You know what we were doing there? Following the Christ
Centered Leadership Model. Pretty much I think we should just use that model in
all that we do. Then we'd really always get things done. If you don't know what
that is maybe I can explain one day. It just makes me so gitty and excited I
don't know if you want me to keep talking about it right now. Oh man, you learn
the greatest things on the mission. The trick now is to actually use it once
your home. I pray I can be better once I'm finished here. Stake council was
yesterday and it was amazing too. This time it was just with the zone leaders,
our mission president, the stake president, the stake mission leader, and
us. So it was a lot more personal and we could all be a lot more personal and
counsel better together. The church is just made up of a bunch of people who
are trying their best and just giving a lot. I am so thankful that I have the
blessing to be apart of all of this work. And to help in meetings like this. I
don't think I'll ever get the same opportunity again. We just try to help focus
on the needs of others and do more to help to progression of the work. It's a
blessing, and I feel humbled to be trusted. I have to do better.
Ok, now the highlight of the week. There was a
baptism on Saturday!! It was a lady who we taught with the elders. Her name is
Valerie, and she is so important to our Heavenly Father, like each of us, that
I have truly felt honored to even know her, let alone help teach her about the
gospel. Holy cow. From the first time I met her I just knew there was something
different about her. Heavenly Father cares about her so much, and I can see
that in how much others care about her, including me. It is crazy how much love
I have for these people we have only known for a short time. The elders had
been teaching her for awhile, and we started helping throughout the past month
or so. It was so amazing to see baptized finally. The spirit was really strong
at the service. She just is small and quiet and has dealt with her trials well.
I really can't explain how amazing she is. When I see people be baptiezed these
days I just cry. I don't realize how important it is. It's a saving
ordinance!!!!!!! We need it! So when I get the privilege to see someone make
that decision to come unto our Savior, I am just so happy for them. In between
the actual baptism and the second half of the program we sang some hymns to
keep the spirit there and wait for Valerie to change and rejoin us. We sang a
bunch of good ones, but when we sang Seigneur, Mon Dieu (How Great Thou Art), I
was just blown away by the spirit. I am not sure if I'm right, but I think that
is one that was sung at Chandler Webb's funeral. I'm not 100% sure if it was,
but whenever I sing it I think of him. Anyway, we started to sing it and I was
thinking about Chandler and how I could be upset with Heavenly Father for
taking him early, or for all the trials that we have to face in this life. But
then, after seeing the baptism I realized that Heavenly Father really makes it
simple for us. Everything we go through here is just for our learning and
experience. We know what we are supposed to do. We've been told, so we have no
need to worry about what happens in this life. Have faith in our Savior. Repent
when you make a mistake, be humble enough to say your sorry, then have faith
that our Heavenly Father will forgive you. Have faith in yourself and in the
fact that you CAN be better. Be baptized or take the sacrament each week if
you've already been baptized. Recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost, or remain
worthy to have him with you if you've already receieved the gift. Then endure
to the end. Or rather, just keep following our Savior's example. It will never
make you worse off. Just do that! It really is black and white. Yeah we have
hard times, but look at Valerie. I know you don't know her, I don't know her
that well, but believe me she has been through a lot. Then just seeing her be
baptized and make that change and start over was incredible. We can do that
each week with the sacrament too. I just cried while we sang because Heavenly
Father is so merciful. No matter what has happened. He just wants us to come
back to him. And I just realized again that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
doctrine of our Savior, is the only way back to true and eternal happiness.
It's true! And if you don't know that for yourself, find it out. If you do it
with a sincere heart and real intent you'll find your answer. And then:
"When Chirst shall come, with shouts of acclamation, and take {us} home,
what joy shall fill {our hearts}. And {we} shall bow, in humble adoration and
there proclaim, My God how great thou art!" Family, I know without a doubt
that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on
the earth today. It's the only one with the power to act in our Savior's name.
Following my Savior has changed my life, let it change yours too. Read the Book
of Mormon, it has all the answers. I promise you it does. If you're struggling,
hang on, Heavenly Father and our Savior truly are here for you. I love you, as
they do. I can't wait to hear from you again next week. Stay anchored in the
faith!!
Written with love from your daughter, sister and friend,
Suzy
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