July 8, 2013

Mom,

Thank you for your email!  Brother Henricks is a great guy!  I guess he didn't get along with Sister Whitaker's previous companion and so we was not as involved with us and his calling as ward mission leader.  He has totally stepped up since I have arrived, a new slate, and I am sure the Worldwide Broadcast helped in that as well.  I am so glad he called!  A mother in our ward called Sister Whitaker's mother for her birthday meal.  How sweet is that?  I will try to remember that when I feed missionaries for their birthdays!

 

I am so glad to hear you are doing well!  How is everyone?  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins?

 

That is neat that that update ward members on their missionaries out!  The gospel principles teacher has the only daughter out in our ward.  She is in Russia and she absolutely hates dog stew!  Hahaha he updates us as well and it has been fun to hear stories, too.  Hopefully I will commit someone to baptism this week.  We have two individuals that we think we will meet and commit!  I was hoping to yesterday, but she canceled on us because she was going to her mother in laws house.  We have plans to teacher her the first lesson tomorrow.  She is a neat story.  We could not find the address of a previous person who had taken disscussions, so we had a change of plans in where we went.  Then, a couple hours later, we found their address!  We went over but the house was for sell and no the place was empty.  As our back up plan, we had 5 by 5s planned.  (Knock on 5 doors; talk to 5 people.)  We knocked on a few doors but no one answered.  We were just talking about how nice it would be for a lady, most likely a grandma, to invite us in from the heat and give us water or lemonade.  The next house we knocked on, the husband and wife let us in!!  The needed an uplifting message because they have been going through a hard time.  The husband did not sit in with us but Christina did.  We talked about her life, why we are hear, a little bit about our Church.  She was interested because she has been searching for a new church to go to.  We set up an appointment for the following day!  As I said, that was canceled/ postponed.  We really needed that!  We truly know that it is all in the Lord's timing and in the Lord's way.  He rewards if we are faithful.  The statistics for a baptism in knocking on doors is 1 in a million but for member referrals, it is 1 in 3!  Over the next few houses we knocked on, a gal gave us some water bottles to take with us- She is Methodist but has a Mormon friend that just moved to Utah and her son is serving in Las Vegas.  One man was surprised to see Mormon girl missionaries!!  He thought there were only the men.  Few other friendly people at the doors.  Honestly, friendly people make a HUGE difference in the world.

 

Did you know it is illegal to do fireworks on the streets here in Delaware?  Learned that this week.  No wonder I saw absolutely NO firework stands!  We were able to go to our ward breakfast but no member dinner.  Holidays are different when you are on a mission; that's for sure.  Did the neighbors you invite come to your breakfast?  

 

I am so excited that you get to go to the temple trip!  You haven't yet, while being in YW, have you?  The closest temple here is DC but it is out of our area and mission and so we can only go in we have a recent convert going through.  The Philly temple will not be done while I am here :(  I am SUPER bummed.  Our first day here after the MTC, we drove by and it is just a big hole in the ground.

 

When I tell people I am from Washington, they automatically assume Washington DC so then I have to explain no, but that I did live in Virginia for several years.  In my mind, people say DC more for Washington DC, not Washington.  Shrug oh well.  Okay, I was forgetful in addressing a few items you talked about before.  Be sure to congratulate Maddy Wellborn for me on her mission call!  She will be awesome!  Is Jared in Brazil yet?  If he is still in Arizona, is it still whenever he gets his visa, he will go?  Do you have his address?  Now Brandon Gage... did he get his military paperwork all worked out?  Is he in the MTC yet?

 

I thought of dad when I saw this article!! 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-leader-tosses-first-pitch-dodgers-game?utm_so urce=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LDSNewsRoomTop15+%28RSS%3A+LD S+Newsroom%29

 

Could I get Nhi's and Sister Mergler's addresses?  Also, a few times this week, topics of the priesthood and authority have come up.  Would it be okay for you to send me dad's line of authority?  It is pretty stressed here for the Elder's to have theirs.  This month for Young Men and Young Women's is on ordinances.  (I assume the same is for you.)  One of the Young Women's teachers invited Sister Whitaker and I in to talk to the Young Women on experiences we have had with investigators and how to answer the question, "I have already been baptized, why do I need to be baptized in your church?"  How was Christ's baptized?  With the Priesthood, certain words were spken, and by immersion.  We are commanded to follow Christ's example and that is what we do.  Sister Whitaker gave this analogy: 

If you are speeding on the highway and an ice cream car pulls you over and write you a ticket, are you going to listen to him and pay the ticket.  No.  Why?  Because he does not have the authority to do so.  Now, if a cop car pulls you over and write you a ticket, you will listen to the policeman and pay the ticket because he has the authority to do so.

 

How is your STOMP reading going?  Are you each doing that individually or as a family?  Are anyone of looking for things in the scriptures in particular?  I have started Alma.  Alma the younger is never called "Alma the younger" in the scriptures.  I always assumed that they did.

 

I want you all to know that I have a testimony of the truthfulness of this true Church, that is has been restored upon the earth after Christ had left and his leaders that had the Priesthood died or were killed.  The Lord's timing is always the right timing.  We had to be ready and America needed to have the freedom of religion before He could restore the truth to a boy who asked, Joseph Smith.  I know our Savior loves us and will never leave us alone.  He has his hand out stretched for us and we need to constantly hold on.  Smile :) and wake up each morning determined that it will be a great day.

 

I love you!

Sister Hanson