Monday, March 28, 2016
Tender Mercies and a Glorious Easter................
Dear loved ones,
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Happy Easter!!!!!
Another week of amazing missionary work completed. But really missionary work never ends. Every day is a new beginning to help someone who hangs lower than us or whose knees are more feeble than our own. I just love the gospel.
This week was full of miracles and tender mercies. At the beginning of the week we went to see a potential and met her husband. He bashed us a bit but invited us to go learn truth and not rely on the knowledge of man. My mouth was kept shut because I know this gospel is true but I knew he wouldn't listen. During the experience I could feel the Spirit tugging oh so gently on my heart strings telling me again that the gospel is true. It was great comfort that Heavenly Father continued to strengthen my testimony of the gospel. Sister Simpson is a pro at seeing things from the eyes of others. She teaches me so much.
We had a lesson with a returning less active named Brother Redding. He is preparing to go to the temple. He is one of the sincerest people I have ever met. We taught him the Restoration and he asked if he could say the closing prayer. My eyes were wet when he finished because he loves the Lord so much and you could see how sincere it was. In his prayer he kept saying how he prays for us as missionaries to be safe and to find people to teach. When I stepped off his porch, another gentle reminder that missionaries with the prophet are the msot prayed for people on the face of the earth. How can I ever get down when I have so many people praying for us? I love being a missionary.
These simple truths were strengthened this week:
We have a prophet on the earth today. One of my favorite quotes is this by Sister Carol F McConkie, "According to the worlds stadnard's, following the prophet may be unpopular, politcally incorrect of socially unacceptable.But following the prophet is always right."
Sacred things are not to be trifled with.
Role Plays take humility.
A miracle this week was meeting Ayanna. She opened the door we knocked on, let us right in and wants to be baptized. It was so great and we are excited to start working with her. She is the mom of a 4 year old named Asia. Such a tender mercy to have someone welcome so lovingly.
I urge you to all watch the General Women's Conference if you were not able to watch it. It is online :)
The thing I gained from it was a in Sister Burton's talk when she quoted the prophet Brigham Young and he said, "We have got to learn that the interest of their brethren is their own interest, or they can never be saved in the celestial kingdom." Whoa! This is service to others. We must become Christlike to obtain the highest!
Here is the link:
The most amazing part of our week was on Fort Jackson with Private Smith. First he is from Reno which is awesome alone and second he is gonna be baptized. It was so cool because Sister Simpson and I got to the Fort earlier than usual and there were four privates who weren't members. Well she taught Private Smith and then handed him off to me for the second part of the meeting. He said no to baptism with her and she promised as he prayed he would know its what he needed to do. Well I invited him and he said yes and he said that his prayer was answered with the lesson that I taught the other privates. There is so much more to this story but I don't have the time to write it all. But know that the gospel is true and Heavenly Father answers prayers. Our jaws were on the ground.
The family will be together forever through the holy temples of the Lord. A 16 year old boy in my ward named Kobie gave a talk. Him and his 14 year old brother lost their mom when they were 10 and 12 to cancer. He has stayed so strong in the gospel because he knows that the sealing power is real.
I bear my testimony that this gospel is true, It is Christs kingdom on the earth. By obedience to the gospel we will be given all the blessings he sees fit to give us :) Remember we celebrate Easter because He lives. He rose from the dead so we can return to our home. It is because of HIM.
I invite you to listen to lovely classical music for this wonderful Easter season!
Pray always,
Sister JordanMonday, March 21, 2016
Hello!
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Transfers are here again! How do they happen so fast!? Well.... Sister Simpson and I are staying together! We are so excited! By the end of this transfer, we will have been companions for 6 months! Holy guacamole. It's okay, I love her. We are also staying in Hopkins! I have the reputation of staying in areas forever. Again it's okay!
So this week was crazy. We had a mini Zone Conference and gave a 45 minute training on companionship inventory. It was the bomb.com. How do you give almost an hour training on that? The Spirit. While we were there and gathering back together from a role play, I noticed Sister Turner had blankets. We all know that I'm cold all the time so I ran out of the room to grab one. I come back and Sister Simpson was looking for me. She said "sight and sound." Then our mission president, looked up and said, " You can't hear her? I can." We all know I'm a loud person but having my mission president comment on it was priceless. After Zone Conference we did car inspections. Our car was grounded meaning we aren't allowed to drive our car until it gets passed on whatever it was failed on. Well the cherry on top of it all, was the Elders who inspected our car left the lights. When we came to our car to leave, it was dead. Sister Simpson looked at the elder and said "You're grounded!" So we had to wait 30 minutes for the APs to come jump our car. Leave it to an Elder to kill a car. Also, we came home and found fish and shrimp in our sink. Good one Columbia sisters. "Fishers of men."
Before I get to the spiritual business, we had a lesson with a less active and it was just a humbling situation. We sat down and started teaching. I looked over and there was a cockroach next to me. I couldn't do a thing... And then I felt some thing on my leg and it was a roach crawling on me. I do not understand it at all. By the time I got to the car, just to hold my tongue, I just kept thinking of how grateful I am the Nevada doesn't have roaches on a normal basis.
This week we had a lesson with Dianna. We have been going over weekly and helping her learn to trust us. Oh my goodness she does! She started crying at our lesson and just poured her heart out. It was such a tender moment. We also were at the Fengers for dinner this week and we shared a poem of the Atonement. It is so good. And it puts the Atonement in perspective. It pretty much makes you weep. I only have it on a hard copy, so if you want it, see me after the mission. It will change your life. But this lesson, they were both crying and bore their testimonies on the Savior. It really made me ponder the testimony of the Savior.
The biggest tender mercy this week was Brother Woodrow. He is in our ward but is a temple sealer and the stake patriarch. He is my favorite human. Well we had a few minutes before an appointment, and we walked the temple grounds. Well he saw us standing outside and he came to the door dressed in white and told us to come in. We sat in the waiting room of the temple for a few minutes. I cannot even express how I felt. To be in a sacred building that I haven't seen the inside of in over a year was the biggest blessing. The spirit and the serenity was so reassuring. I cannot wait for the day that I get to go through the temple again. I love the temple. I love the spirit that is there and I miss going weekly. The Woodrows are the greatest. When I see them in church, I just want to be like them when I'm in my 80s. I love them.
We also bore our testimonies in sacrament meeting yesterday. Latracia didn't come to church but we are still working with her. We sure do love her! We also had two baptisms at the Fort yesterday! It was great and cold! Really I just love being a missionary. The end is coming too fast.
I know this gospel has been restored. The foundation of my testimony relays on the Book of Mormon because of its truth and witness of Jesus Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He lives!
General Conference is coming up! Whoo! We get to hear from our prophet! I invite all of you to first, watch the Easter video if you haven't already. Second, go watch General Conference.
Here are links. It's the best! And even a video to urge you to watch it more!
I love you all! God Be With You Until We Meet Again!
Pray always,
Sister JordanMonday, March 14, 2016
I am a solider!! :)
Hello loved ones!
Many lessons learned this week and many that went right to the core. I will share some in a bit.
I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Henderson from Las Vegas! It was so fun to relate on a Nevada standpoint. We had so much fun and it was great. I am constantly reminded on exchanges to be exactly obedient. Its true that exact obedience is what brings us closer to our Father in Heaven. #nevadaborn
We also were privileged to attend the Army graduation at Fort Jackson! Oh my goodness it was so much fun! The spirit is so strong when it comes to Freedom. Oh it was great and Im so proud to be an American. I love love love the principles that this country is founded upon. With that being said, one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things in the entire world, is standing with my hand over my heart, listening to the National Anthem while the flag waves. Oh it gives me goosebumps and is the greatest feeling ever! 󾓦
We went to a home this week and I witnessed the deterioration of respect for parents. It made me so sad. The parent is in charge. Things I have witnessed of kids and their parents....If I had talked that way to my parents, I would be in so much trouble. And now its normal. Which leads me to being grateful for The Family: A Proclamation to the World. That is the way to build a strong family who respects one another.
A very funny moment of the week was talking to the Columbia sisters about a training that Sister Simpson and I have to give on companionships. We were talking about the story of Moroni and Pahoran. If you are unsure of this story, I invite you to read in the Book of Mormon Alma chapters 59-61. Well I didnt hear the word Pahoran, I heard the word "horn" So I asked where the Moronis horn come in? You probably had to be there but we were all laughing so hard because things go right over my head.
Latracia's baptism had to be pushed back a week and when we found out it was just a rough day. We were ready to go to bed to start a new day. Well Heavenly Father is so aware of heartache that is felt. He inspired Brother Caines to send us this very needed text message. It was the perfect tender mercy and both of us just sat there with tears in our eyes. We see our Father in Heaven in the tender mercies and the details of life. I am so grateful for tender mercies.
My testimony this week is this. To be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost is to live worthy of the Holy Ghost. We can see where we stand as we partake of the Sacrament each week. This is so important because the prayer in the sacrament promises that as we stay true to the covenants we have made, we will have the Holy Ghost with us. The feelings of the Holy Ghost is the most precious feeling. We get to learn how to recognize it. The Book of Mormon is true. I know that there is no other book that can bring us closer to God. It enlightens the soul. It brings peace. It brings reassurance. It helps us feel hope.
Please watch the new Easter video that came out. He lives!
God Be With You Until We Meet Again
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Pray always,
Sister JordanMonday, March 7, 2016
Hello folks!
Where do I even begin with this week? So first off our investigator Latracia is amazing! We love her. She is so ready to be baptized. She cant wait! We had several lessons with her this week and she is so prepared. One of the most elect people I have see on my mission. I cant even tell you how wonderful she is. Oh I just love her. So I will get back to here in a bit.
We had MLC this week. We got a new policy put into place (which it really isn't new, its just never been enforced) No member meals unless there are investigators present. I'm excited because it will help members fulfill their purpose more. Its not about food, its about hastening the work of the Lord and you don't need food to do it. It will take a long time for members to get use to it. We had MLC at the mission home instead of the church. That was fun. I remember my first day in the field there. So long ago!!
Friday was probably the craziest day. So we had ZTM which was great! I love being with other missionaries. It brings the Spirit so much. Then we had interviews with our mission president. That was good. I want everyone to know how much I love my mission president! He is great and so full of the Spirit! Then we were able to do service! That was fun because we rarely get the chance to do laborious work if ever. Then we had a night full of finding. It was good. We got in and planned and I was utterly exhausted. So with 45 minutes before bed I thought "Oh sweet! I get to relax and get some extra sleep!" Wrong! So about 10:15 we had a sister call us frantically to tell us her companion passed out and things. So they called Sister Turner and we were asked to go over and help them. So at 10:30 we went over to the next part of town. We were asked to take her to the hospital. We got her in and we were there until 4 am. Then we came home. The sister is doing good now and she is recovering.
So that Saturday we had a ton of stuff to do that couldn't be rescheduled. So we were going off of 3 hours of sleep and we were just tired. Sunday comes around and its the greatest! I love the Sacrament and I look forward to it every week. Fort Jackson was great! We had two investigators at church and that was awesome! :) After church we had a lesson with Latracia and we brought her into the baptismal font. The Spirit was so strong! I couldn't believe it! It was so amazing! So that was the best thing ever. Then we had a lesson with a part member family. I will spare details but one of them got super offended and I have never felt the Spirit leave like that. The Spirit cannot be where contention is. I have never felt so disgusting before. The Spirit is essential to light and truth. So we hope because of the situation that we as missionaries will still be able to go over.
We saw the Robbie, Mashell, Ashlyn and Dustin. They are such good kids and I love seeing them. They are step siblings and bicker like siblings. The yelling with them got so crazy last night, that afterwards I looked at my companion and said, "Never in a millions years did I think I would say this, I'm grateful to be an only child." So there you have it Mom and Dad, Thank you! We drew pictures with them of Christ and it was a really fun lesson. I love them!
And now we are here to a new week! I love being a missionary and I love the Lord.
Go watch this Mormon message! Its meant a lot to me this week.
God Be With You Until We Meet Again
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Pray always,
Sister Jordan
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