HEY sorry it's been so long since I have sent one of these! Let's see where to start!
The transfer started slow but now time is flying by! It's already been a month, and we are planning for week 5 (of 6) tomorrow! Time really does fly by.
We currently have 3 people set with a baptismal date, and a forth one soon to come. we also have about 4 people who are progressing towards baptism! This area is on fire!
Elder S. (new companion) and I are working really well together and finding great joy in this work. I cannot think of a better time that I have had on my mission than right now.
What I really love the most is that I'm trying my hardest and the Lord is opening doors that previously were closed. I know that this is his work because the blessings I am experiencing are not things I could make happen on my own.
I want to share a couple stories about member missionary work.
we are teaching a lady named N. who is progressing towards baptism. a few years ago she was in a very bad car accident and she woke up only remembering her name. Now she is doing much better, but she is still trying to find peace and happiness. Here's something that really struck me, she said, "All the happy people I know are mormons!" And I thought about it, Why? Because we have the gospel and we know who we are and who our Heavenly Father is! She's beginning to know and understand that, and it's because her Physical Therapist (who is a member) helped her to open her eyes to the truthfulness of the gospel.
The other example is D. I don't know to much about her, other than she lives with a member, but she was invited to take the missionary lessons. She loves the church so much and wants to embrace the gospel, and it's all because of the example that the members set.
Example, more powerful than what you say, is who you are (*note from the sister: Russell didn't put that in bold type-it just really stuck out to me and made me think about the kind of example I am setting for others. ). I know that this is true and that people notice everything about "the mormons."
I also had a really neat experience. I have a friend who is going to BYU and works at the bike shop who is in the same position I was in last year (trying to go back on his mission.) I had the awesome opportunity to have him join us for a few hours last night and to go and teach some lessons. Something that I learned last night is that Heavenly Father provides a way for us to embrace the gospel and have spiritual experiences. How grateful I am for that, and I hope my friend had as good as an experience as I did!
I love being a missionary, and doing this work!
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1 comment:
Hi Haley, I'm a friend of Russells from the stake back home in TN, I know when you first started this blog that you said if we wanted to send him any messages, that you could forward them along. Could you please send this along to him. Thanks so much!
Russ,
I follow the blog your sister posts when she send letters to your family and I LOVE reading about your mission. Willie was the ward mission leader in our ward in Monmouth, Maine at the beginning of the year here. I LOVED having the missionaries in our home every week because I got to learn so much about missionary work and to hear the excitement, like you share with your family, about the gospel and serving the members and those investigating our church. I'm really encouraged, as a member who has never served a mission, to share as much as I can with anyone who asks- even for a little information. Not only does it help them learn, but it increases our testimonies to hear ourselves say what we believe outloud to another person. When we do that, we really have to reflect and make sure that we KNOW what we're saying is a truth.
Please know that others are being blessed by following in your example.
I hope all is going well and good on your mission.
P.S. I bet your Maine-ah companion has a wicked bad accent. I'm trying to keep it away from me since I've lived here!
-Vanessa Guerrette
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