Hey,
I know what an interesting title for this week
letter, but really I feel like every week is so spiritually and emotionally
draining! I always look forward to Sundays and Mondays! This week we had a
great experience with a Seventy who came to visit the mission! Vikki's baptism
was on Saturday and we had great experiences during the week!
I'll start from Sunday this time:
Yesterday was a great day and Vikki got
confirmed! She had Bishop Fish baptize her and had about 7 total in her circle
which started out to just be 4 including Bishop! I have never seen her smile so
big before! She was literally glowing! She was so cute! She is amazing! After
Church we had a linger longer/baptism for an 8 yr old girl! We had a lot of
food left over after the Fiesta activity so they used it for after the baptism!
Vikki came also and I could tell she enjoyed it a lot too with the fact that
now she gets to attend another already being baptized! She would turn to me and
say that was a good talk I liked that or that's amazing! She is just so great
and I love her to death! It has definitely been an experience I never thought I
would get to have! I got to truly be a part of the preparing her baptism and
having to think of everything! I was so grateful to see how much she has
learned and knowing how much potential she has! I can see her being a Relief
Society President! Oh man! She is just amazing! We left early from the linger
longer to finish stuff before a lesson at 3:30! We were able to have Bishop
come with us to see the Parcell's. I'm not sure if I talked about them before
but we had gotten a referral from someone in the same neighborhood as them and
when we were able to get through the gate we stopped by to see them and she
loves us coming! We were hesitant in telling her that Bishop was coming but
when we arrived she was so honored to have him in her home! Her husband
(nonmember) stayed during the lesson and just listened! We talked about the
Atonement and the gospel of Jesus Christ using a visual! (I love using it-and
she needed it). It was a great lesson and she is wanting to go to the Temple!
She hasn't been to church since before knowing that there was a temple in
Raleigh! It was back in the 70's where they only went to Washington DC and that
her home town was barely a branch! Now it is a stake! Go figure! She is such a
sweet lady and just kept asking us when we could come back! It was a great
lesson all the way and Bishop did a great job in answering all her questions!
She asked some hard ones! Bishop Fish is the best Bishop I have worked with
here in NC!
We had a great experience tracting tonight! We went to see a less
active and had a quick dinner with them. We were going to go see another less
active but instead drove home to try tracting out our apartment complex!
Seriously no body would even let us talk! But oh well! It was starting to get
discouraging but we knocked on the last door for the night and a mom and her 5
yr old opened the door! The boy ran out and said "Hi ladies you can come in
and play with me." He was the cutest thing ever! We started talking to the
mom and we were setting up a time to come back. We were setting up a time but
then she just let us come in. They didn't have a couch or really anything in
there living room and so we sat on the floor while she sat in camp chair.
Now this 5 yr old had some energy and the time he really wanted us to play with
him. I tried to play with him to let Sister Higbee talk but he was just to
distracting and we could tell the mom (Wendy) was embarrassed so I just went
with it and we started talking about how we are all God's children! We asked
question that we got I don't know answers to. We asked her "Do you know
that you are a child of God? She said no I don't know. It broke me to hear that
we explained how we are. I felt impressed to apply this concept to her
personally so she can see what we are saying. I use her being a mom and she completely
opened up. Told us a lot of things and that she doesn't get support from a lot
of people. She is living with her Mom. She is just a sad lady. Had decided
Today to quite smoking to be healthier and to be able to save money. I truly
know that we meant to see her tonight and this lesson with her was very much
spirit directed and I was able to help with it. I told her that now we
will be a support group and we can help her get back to church and see what is
in store for her. I told her that the church is a support system and a big
family! My heart just ached for her and I felt so bad and I know God let me see
her the way he sees her! I have a love for her already that I just want to give
her something to keep her going! To realize all of this was seriously a
spiritual drain!
Saturday= Baptism Day! We were pretty busy and
it was interesting to try to get the font on! It leaks even when you have water
in! But it worked fine we thought we might have to use a plastic bag. We got it
fine! Vikki's baptism was great and we had a lot of people come. We got to meet
her family and her husband really liked it! The talks were great and Vikki was
glowing! When she was baptized she was just smiling so big and just cried. She
was laughing and just was amazing! It's crazy to think that all of it is over
now but thankfully nothing went wrong! Oh I love this woman!!!!! After we had
about an hour before we had to be home so we went to go see a potential who we
had tracted into. Not sure I said anything about him earlier but he is a single
man and lives by himself in a big home and at first talked to us just fine but
once he found out we were Mormons he got kind of defensive. We left the first
time on good terms and so when we stopped by he was glad to see us. He is ready
and I know he has been prepared but he may take a while. We hope to fellowship
him with our Ward mission Leader! It was great we learned he likes Poetry and
romantic movies. hahaha.
Thursday we had Zone Conference and I
got to go back to Fayetteville! Never thought I would miss Fayettenam! It was
great to be with the Southern Zone of which all I have been in now! Elder Zwick
came and we had a great conference. It's amazing just how much the leaders of
the church know what's going on in the world. I am proud to say he wants to
tell the quorum of the 12 that we are a very impressive group of missionaries.
He says he will report only good things! He talked a lot about new ways to
teach and Sister Higbee and I have used it already and it truly helps us better
present our purpose and being able to share a strong testimony. It's called Teach
Testify or I call it Teach and Testify from the Heart! Elder Zwick talked
a lot about obedience and why we are to be obedient. It's not that we are
expected to be but that we should want to! President talked about setting goals
and I felt that was a call to repentance for me. I may be setting goals but do
I really need to work on them or are there better ones that make me stretch and
improve! It was literally I felt for me! Sister Zwick talked about praying and
that I know I need to be better at. Not doing it more but more of letting the
spirit direct. I was so tired at the end I was grateful that I wasn't driving
back from Fayetteville. It is amazing just how much I got out of this
Conference! I love these meetings..... I never thought I would say that!
I have so much I could talk about but I
wanted to leave with a testimony today! I love this work and I love the
companionship of the Spirit and just how I feel as I do this work here in North
Carolina! I have learned so much and honestly what haven't I learned! Anyone
who asks better be prepared for a long list! I love just how I feel at the end
the day, even and especially on the hard days! I truly love this Gospel and I know
it's true! The more I live it and try to learn it the more I am love it and
know that it is what I need! I have learned so much about the plan God has for
us and also the individual plan he has for me personally! I may not know what
it is but I know the plan he has for me as a missionary. Whatever I do know
about anything that makes a testimony is the faith we need to trust that
everything will be okay! No matter the hardships, the unknown, the times when
we feel incapable. We really are incapable of so much but Christ fixes that for
us all, personally and lovingly. This is the Gospel of Hope and love and those
who say otherwise better wait cause something will always come to teach us! We
may feel lonely but from the story of the footsteps in the sand he is really
there the whole time and times carries us when we don't realize it! I love my
Savior and I love this work and I love North Carolina and I especially love the
South of where there Faith is grounded but they loosen it enough to see and
receive what is truly better! Love you all and I hope and know you will be
blessed and looked after! Have a blessed week!
--
Sister Tayler Farr
No comments:
Post a Comment