Can I just start off with How great you are. I love my family so much! Honestly I have the best family ever!
Well this week his been super busy. I would say it has been one of
the best weeks here, and honestly it probably has, but I have never been
so exhausted! If I was not as tired it really would be the best week
ever! haha We were finishing up monthly reports for President and the
Stake presidents so we have been in the office a lot, at least at the
beginning of the week. We also had enough appointments and meetings and
stuff to do that we maybe had a lunch break 3 times this week...not even
a full one haha. We literally have been running around so much! Even
though we have not had a lot of breaks we had a great week! I love
Sister DeBry! Last night we were talking about how nervous each of us
were to be companions, and it's just funny cause It is like meant to be
the work is changing here and it is really cool. We work and teach
really well together!
We have had about 6 people give us just solid referrals this
week! One guy in our ward referred us to his Chinese foreign exchange
student friend who is Buddhist, and he came to church on Sunday and
really enjoyed it! I am excited to start teaching him! He has no
Christian background, I have not taught a person like that before, so
this will be really interesting haha, but I am excited.
This week we had mission tour! Elder Goodoy one of the 70's
and his wife came and spoke to us! That was amazing! He talked for most
of the time and it was like 6 hours and I honestly can say I never got
bored! He is amazing! They are from Brazil, and he was a mission
president there also, a long time ago. His wife talked about how each
principal of the gospel is vital, and how we have to live all of them.
We can not pick and choose. She wrote all these different principals on
the board, like tithing, prophets, revelation, God Head, Chastity, plan
of salvation etc. We filled a whole white board then she said..hummm
well lets erase word of wisdom..I don't like that (just joking)..then
she showed us how by erasing that it took away, prophets, cause it was a
revelation, so then it took away revelation, which took away God Head,
and so on and so forth, and soon enough the board was blank. That was a
cool visual aid, like we can not just deny one principal cause they are
all interconnected. We used this example she showed us with several
investigators this week.
Elder Goodoy just had so many amazing things to say..I
can't remember a lot...haha but I did take notes. He talked a lot about
how well our mission is doing compared to others. He showed us areas we
excel in but he also showed us the one area we are lacking, which was so
nice because I was able to leave mission tour knowing what I can work
on and fix rather than having just a abstract idea to fix, like being a
more concentrated missionary...with things like that are great, but I
liked having a specific mission area to fix, like he told us the only
area we really can do better in is referrals, and he gave us ideas. Like
we are good with getting referrals from members and tracking, but we
need to be better at getting them from less actives. That was so cool,
cause now I can go back and really work on that. He gave us so much
advice and I wish I could write more, cause he talked on a lot more than
just that area. It was so good!
We have been visiting the Hibberts a lot. Luke Walker who is
one of their friends gave a talk yesterday! It had been really awesome!
Yesterday the two less active Hibberts were gone so we just talked with
Jake Hibbert and Luke. They are both preparing to go on missions and so
we had a scripture study which was so cool! They are going to be
amazing missionaries!
Okay the best part of the week for me was Saturday! We came
into the office on Saturday and there was a letter sitting in our box
for me...it was addressed to me and was sent from the church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints. After a second I realized it was my year
mark Letter! So the first day we were in Montana, they had us write a
letter to ourselves that we would get on our year mark. And to put some
money in there ( I put 20 bucks) I have been so excited to get this
letter! I know i have not quite hit my year mark, and I was going to
wait till my year mark to read it but I could not resist. So I pulled it
out and started reading. I was a little nervous about what it would
say, I was worried I would sound ridiculous. That was not the case. The
letter ended up being what I needed The first Part says
"Congratulations! It has been a year, Well I hope I am doing well. I
hope that everything is good because you are working hard and focusing.
Even if it's hard just pray, praying helps, Heavenly Father wants to
help. Remember the quote Matthew wrote you in the MTC "Don't tell God
how big your problems are, but tell your problems how big God is." I am
so proud of you for still going and not giving up. Right now it seems a
little overwhelming but I know with the Lords help we will do great.
Love the people" Then I continued and bore my testimony. This letter
might sound cheese to you, but for me it was perfect. I have learned to
completely rely on pray, that when i cant do any more, that I must pray.
Prayer is powerful. I have done pretty good with the quote Matthew told
me, until the last couple months, and sometimes i would catch my self
complaining and praying and being a wimp. But then reading that quote
again it hit me. STOP! Not that I do it a lot, but still I do it enough
that that quote hit me. Stop! Don't get discouraged and pray for help
cause I did not feel strong enough, but rather recognize the strength I
have been given. I KNOW that I could not be doing any of this without
the Lord. It simply would not be possible. But with his help I can do
anything, nothing is impossible. I am so grateful that I have and am
figuring that out.
It was really cool to read my testimony, it was pretty simple,
or just normal I guess...but my testimony has grown so much! It is much
more personal now. I had a testimony when I came out, but it is so much
more personal now. Just like we are all individuals and God knows us
specifically. That is how I feel about my testimony now. It is my
individual one. I can't explain it very well haha so I hope that makes
sense.
I love this gospel and I love my Heavenly Father and my brother
Jesus Christ. I know that they live! I know that they care about me and
help me every day. I love that I Can talk with them any time and they
will bring me peace. I feel their love. I know they live. I know my
family will be together forever we have been sealed together in God's
house. We have been sealed and have made very sacred and important and
vital covenants there. :)
I love you all :) have a great week :)
-Andrea
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