Greetings!
Guess what!? Something is actually going on in Stonebridge! I think
sparks are starting to fly so hopefully they'll catch fire and start
burning! We have the best ward mission leader. He's super sneaky and
used reverse psychology on the ward council on Sunday. It was the most
epic thing in my entire life. Nothing was happening in the ward and
the council was not being active in getting things done. With Brother
Smith's cleverness the ward is now actively working to have open
houses monthly! It's a small thing, but this is the most progress I've
ever seen in this ward!
All of us were talking the other day during weekly planning and we've
created a plan to teach the members the lessons, to strengthen them,
and to help them become more converted. We're actively working to
teach 20 lessons a week to members since less actives want nothing to
do with us and almost all of our investigators have moved. We've only
been doing it a few days but it has been successful. The members are
starting to trust us more and are able to see what we are called to
do: to teach. I feel like all my experience on my mission has been
preparing me to work in this area. Over the past year the Lord has
been building a vision and helping me create plans to help members to
do missionary work and to be converted. Now I get to put this
knowledge and vision to work. It's a little intimidating because I
have to teach my companions how to work with the members and I'm doing
a lot of things I've never done before. I've never felt like I need
the Lord's help so much. I'm just trying to do what I feel prompted to
do. At times I feel like a chicken with her head cut off but when I
step back I can see things starting to come together. The work in the
Stonebridge ward will take a while to get going, but it is starting to
grow. I hope to stay and continue to help them. The potential to do
amazing things has always been there, we just need to help them see
it and do something with it.
Ed has a different work schedule so he can come to church
now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many prayers have been answered! He still works
for the same company but he works graves (9pm-6am) and will be able to
start coming to church! He's more excited than us that he can come to
church! He still wants to be baptized and is working to get there.
He's praying and reading here and there. He's definitely working
towards September 20th. We talked to our ward mission leader about
getting him real friends but he didn't really listen.... but Heavenly
Father did and he inspired the elders quorum to stop by to see him!
Patience, faith, and prayers.... they really work to facilitate a
miracle! Hopefully he will be able to come to a FHE with a member
family tonight!
I've been studying PMG this week and I've gotten to chapter 3. I've
decided to find a talk to read that will expand and enhance my
knowledge about each principle in the lessons. I studied a talk by
Robert D. Hales called "Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and
His Son, Jesus Christ" and I learned that every single person knows
who God really is, His nature, everything! We each have the potential
to learn who He is but we have to choose to know who He is. We do this
by study, prayer, bearing testimony, and believing in other's
testimonies. That was really eye opening and I feel I have a greater
understanding and appreciation for the scriptures and the power they
have to teach us the things of heaven.
Hehe.... Brother Smith is really good friends with Rob
Gardner................ :D Enough said.............. :) :) :) :) :)
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
-Sister Dunn
Sunday, August 17, 2014
August 4, 2014
Greetings!
Happy August! I'm so excited it's August because school starts which
means people are going to be home finally! I'm so excited for mission
tour! It's going to be at the end of August! Elder Schwitzer will be
coming! I remember how amazing it was last year. I learned so much!
I'm ready to be called to repentance and to become better. I can't
believe that a member of the 12 Apostles will be coming on September
20th!!!! We don't know who will be coming yet, but we have been told
that he wants to shake each of our hands! Yupp! This is also going to
be with the Scottsdale Mission, so maybe it will be out of the
mission! Road trip, maybe?
I've spent a lot of time this week during person study and "personal
time" setting goals and creating plans for this transfer and for the
rest of my mission. I thought a lot about what I want to accomplish.
I've been thinking about how I want to be remembered by my fellow
missionaries and President Jenkins. I don't want to disappoint anyone
and I especially don't want to disappoint the Lord. A goal that I have
is to do all that the Lord asks me to do so that by the end of my
mission I can feel the Lord's acceptance and approval. I think that's
real fear I have... disappointing the Lord and not doing enough. I
also want to become more of a PMG missionary so I'm going to reread
PMG from the beginning, plus a couple more goals. :)
We learned a lot from our investigator this week. We learned that he
doesn't like members really... Weird, I know. He expressed (or made
excuses) how they made him feel uncomfortable etc. We were a little
shocked when he told us. We're trying to figure out how to work around
this little road block. I firmly believe in having members with us and
the members we've brought with us have been phenomenal and he's
progressed because they have said things that he needed to hear. I'm
trying to understand..... I know it's the adversary, but Ed is heeding
to that voice and is moving backwards... I feel helpless as he pushes
himself off the path! We're doing all we can but he isn't listening to
us. Ugh. I don't like the adversary. As soon as something amazing
happens or when someone is on track for baptism he steps in and does
his evil stuff and makes the path look unclear even though it is. We
just have to keep giving the "light" to Ed so he can find the path and
stay on it.
We went to the Visitors' Center with the Lee family and their niece
before she left to go home. It was so amazing! This young woman is so
ready to be baptized! It's just unfortunate that her family is
anti.... Before we left the VC she committed to read the Book of
Mormon at school. Her cousin highlighted certain scriptures, wrote her
testimony in the cover, and created a cover for her Book of Mormon so
she could read it anywhere and not get in trouble. She's so amazing!
She'll be so ready to be baptized by the time she turns 18 if she
reads and prays.... :)
We went visiting a lot with one of our ward missionaries and it was
great! Even though no one was home, she got to see how hard our job
actually is and her heart is beginning to be softened and is starting
to open up to the idea of befriending her neighbors! Miracles! We're
also working with the Young Women a lot and helping them with their
Personal Progress. It's actually really cool to see their attitudes
change as we help them do their value experiences. They're really
learning a lot and I know they're starting to trust us. I hope that
they will be inspired to do missionary work and then we can also help
them with that. :)
Here's a quote that changed the way I pray forever. "Prayer is made up
of heart throbs and righteous yearnings of the souls, of supplication
based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire." I
finally feel like I know how Alma prayed or how the Lord prayed and I
want to pray like them. This is how one prays with sincerity of heart
and shows faith. I'm going to work on developing my prayers to be like
this. :) What are you going to do to make your prayers more meaningful
and sincere?
Adventures of the week!
1. I drove over the demon cactus, AKA the jumping cactus. This cactus'
needles are shaped like fishing hooks. So, when you try and pull it
out it snags on your skin. Here's a bonus! They're also brittle and
rather than fighting against your flesh they break off and have a
vacation in your flesh. They're pleasant said no person ever. Anyways,
I accidentally drove over one... It took forever it get the main chuck
out of our tire. We didn't really even attempt to get everything out.
It was great to be doing that in 110 degree weather... never. again.
will. I. drive. over. a cactus.
2. We saw a coyote! My first coyote!
3. It rained! YAY!
Happy August! I'm so excited it's August because school starts which
means people are going to be home finally! I'm so excited for mission
tour! It's going to be at the end of August! Elder Schwitzer will be
coming! I remember how amazing it was last year. I learned so much!
I'm ready to be called to repentance and to become better. I can't
believe that a member of the 12 Apostles will be coming on September
20th!!!! We don't know who will be coming yet, but we have been told
that he wants to shake each of our hands! Yupp! This is also going to
be with the Scottsdale Mission, so maybe it will be out of the
mission! Road trip, maybe?
I've spent a lot of time this week during person study and "personal
time" setting goals and creating plans for this transfer and for the
rest of my mission. I thought a lot about what I want to accomplish.
I've been thinking about how I want to be remembered by my fellow
missionaries and President Jenkins. I don't want to disappoint anyone
and I especially don't want to disappoint the Lord. A goal that I have
is to do all that the Lord asks me to do so that by the end of my
mission I can feel the Lord's acceptance and approval. I think that's
real fear I have... disappointing the Lord and not doing enough. I
also want to become more of a PMG missionary so I'm going to reread
PMG from the beginning, plus a couple more goals. :)
We learned a lot from our investigator this week. We learned that he
doesn't like members really... Weird, I know. He expressed (or made
excuses) how they made him feel uncomfortable etc. We were a little
shocked when he told us. We're trying to figure out how to work around
this little road block. I firmly believe in having members with us and
the members we've brought with us have been phenomenal and he's
progressed because they have said things that he needed to hear. I'm
trying to understand..... I know it's the adversary, but Ed is heeding
to that voice and is moving backwards... I feel helpless as he pushes
himself off the path! We're doing all we can but he isn't listening to
us. Ugh. I don't like the adversary. As soon as something amazing
happens or when someone is on track for baptism he steps in and does
his evil stuff and makes the path look unclear even though it is. We
just have to keep giving the "light" to Ed so he can find the path and
stay on it.
We went to the Visitors' Center with the Lee family and their niece
before she left to go home. It was so amazing! This young woman is so
ready to be baptized! It's just unfortunate that her family is
anti.... Before we left the VC she committed to read the Book of
Mormon at school. Her cousin highlighted certain scriptures, wrote her
testimony in the cover, and created a cover for her Book of Mormon so
she could read it anywhere and not get in trouble. She's so amazing!
She'll be so ready to be baptized by the time she turns 18 if she
reads and prays.... :)
We went visiting a lot with one of our ward missionaries and it was
great! Even though no one was home, she got to see how hard our job
actually is and her heart is beginning to be softened and is starting
to open up to the idea of befriending her neighbors! Miracles! We're
also working with the Young Women a lot and helping them with their
Personal Progress. It's actually really cool to see their attitudes
change as we help them do their value experiences. They're really
learning a lot and I know they're starting to trust us. I hope that
they will be inspired to do missionary work and then we can also help
them with that. :)
Here's a quote that changed the way I pray forever. "Prayer is made up
of heart throbs and righteous yearnings of the souls, of supplication
based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire." I
finally feel like I know how Alma prayed or how the Lord prayed and I
want to pray like them. This is how one prays with sincerity of heart
and shows faith. I'm going to work on developing my prayers to be like
this. :) What are you going to do to make your prayers more meaningful
and sincere?
Adventures of the week!
1. I drove over the demon cactus, AKA the jumping cactus. This cactus'
needles are shaped like fishing hooks. So, when you try and pull it
out it snags on your skin. Here's a bonus! They're also brittle and
rather than fighting against your flesh they break off and have a
vacation in your flesh. They're pleasant said no person ever. Anyways,
I accidentally drove over one... It took forever it get the main chuck
out of our tire. We didn't really even attempt to get everything out.
It was great to be doing that in 110 degree weather... never. again.
will. I. drive. over. a cactus.
2. We saw a coyote! My first coyote!
3. It rained! YAY!
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