This week has been incredible working with the members, they are seriously on fire right now!!! Sister Bailey and I have seen the HUGE difference in the work, when like...ALL our lessons are taught with members and so we are working so hard to have them EVERY lesson, and boy is it bringing miracles and great conversion! This week we also had a zone conference on “working with Stake and Ward Leaders” and it has already begun to change our mission a lot. Sister Bailey and I (as Sister Training Leaders) were ‘blessed’ to be able to help a lot, and we definitely saw the Lord strengthen us where we saw we were very weak, how grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who helps us no matter how inadequate we feel! Sister Bailey and I, along with 2 other sisters, were able to sing “our Savior’s Love” and it was really nice. Our Saviors love really is the most glorious thing, next to his sacrifice, and the infinite love and mercy of our Heavenly Father!
With the help of our members we are able to teach around 13 member present lessons each week, and yesterday we taught 6!!! The members have really caught the vision and are now working with us in the most effective way! WE are one team, and missionary work truly, has never been better. Our members are now the ones inviting their friends to be baptized, to come to church, and to repent...I’ve really begun to see how missionary work really does need to be done. The coolest experience relating the this was last week when Brother Fremantle, (from the bishopric) called us with the greatest news ever!!! The foster kids living with them now want to be taught and baptized!!! We set a day to go over...we didn’t have to plan any of the members being there...and when we arrived on Sunday after church for the lesson, i was blown away! 10 members of the ward (including like all of the Young Woman) were there to support Suanne (18yr. Old investigator)...We opened with the prayer, and I just teared up, feeling so much love and happiness from our Heavenly Father! Being in that lesson, and being the missionaries who were so blessed to have witnessed what we did, helped me see that, THAT was TRUE missionary work, and that there is no reason for it to be finished with Suanne!...I know it will continue :) But in the lesson where the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was taught, the spirit was SO STRONG that literally everyone (including the less actives) were all crying... “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20) and this was so true! The Lord was with us and the spirit burned stronger than ever before, because the Holy Ghost was there! Suanne will be baptized on 8 Feb. and is so excited! She has been coming to church for a while, but is finally ready! She went to EFY and the spirit worked so strongly within her, that now she wants the fullness of the gospel in her life! WE asked her why she wanted to be baptized and she explained that it was because it brought more happiness than anything else, she felt like Christ needed her to, and she wanted to be able to raise her children in the gospel one day...UNREAL! She has so been prepared by the members, and the Lord...you members are the reason for MIRACLES!
I know that whenever we pray for an opportunity to share the gospel...IT COMES!!! As we have been helping our ward members set up mission plans, and committing them to pray for experiences...they have been calling us the following day reporting their miracles!!! The lord does hear and answer our prayers, and will ALWAYS provide us with an opportunity to share HIS word, when we ASK!
The Coyle family (who is preparing to be married and baptized on the 15th of Feb) are doing really well, taking some incredible steps, but REALLY NEED YOUR PRAYERS!!! Please, please, please include them in every prayer, they need your extra help...They are working on overcoming the last final things that come with addictions, but nonetheless, they have made incredible progress!!! The ward is helping a lot, and has planned a massive surprise wedding (Brother and Sister Coyle just think there are going to be sandwiches after haha), and they are being the greatest! Our bishop has said that having this at the beginning of the year is the Lord testing the ward to see if they will work hard enough this year (seeing we have doubled our ward goals for convert baptisms, retention, etc.), and I know that they are showing the Lord they are ready to work! They are putting together a massive Hangi, getting a photographer, great wedding dress, wedding cake, flowers, etc...this ward is seriously insane! From when I have first came into this area, the ward has just grown so muchJ . It’s the coolest thing to see all of them have such a strengthened love for missionary work! And the cool thing is...is we really are seeing how missionary work is the solution to all problems...because it is also the reason our less actives are becoming active again...they have been able to help us with missionary work! I am the biggest fan of this work, and will forever be! (p.s Kaleb, their son/recent convert, passed the sacrament last week and that was HUGE for him! Yashar helped prepare the sacrament, and our less active friends (young men) we have been working with (along with their families), are receiving the Melchizedek priesthood this SUNDAY!!!)))
Well fun story...there was a big fire in our suburb...and us along with several other suburbs had to evacuate...it was fun hahaha...we have the funniest videos of us carrying all out luggage to the car to evacuate immediately haha- oh the fun times as a missionary...anyways, after packing and leaving home, we went to our appointment with Rochelle (who also needs your prayers as she prepares for Baptism) with April (a RM)..well when we got to Rochelle’s house her family was also all leaving so we were like, “hmmm we have a sweet member with us, we have to see SOMEONE!” So we just felt prompted to go see Harmony, a less active YSA we recently found..Long story short, we got to there to find that Harmony was not home, but her housemates and friends were...In that lesson we taught 4 new investigators about the atonement and repentance, and committed them to repent and learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.......ALL ACCEPTED!!! J The cool part was, the member we took with us, knew these other YSA”s in the 20’s and so she couldn’t have been a more perfect pick! There was one girl in particular in that lesson who was really keen about the Book of Mormon, so we left one with her to read...went back yesterday and she has been reading and writing down questions and is SOOOOO keen! She will be baptized, mark my words! Those YSA’s were led by the spirit to walk into the house just after we arrived, so that they could hear about the Savior and what he has done for them! I love the Lords timing! Cool part, one of the friends is from Arizona...a fellow American!!! You never see American's here so it’s pretty sweet when we meet one;) But ya, we are really excited to work with those YSA’s, because they truly are the future of the church!
We have a lot of great opportunities of visiting less actives in our area and seeing them break down in tears, in gratitude for our Savior and His gospel, and commit to come back into the fold is just as sweet as seeing someone be baptized! I love the Lord, I love his children in this area, and I love seeing the work hasten. Members are the ONLY way things are happening the way they are!
I love you guys and pray that the Lord may continue to bless you with opportunities to share HIS gospel! Today we get to go to the temple. I have done a lot of preparation and am beyond excited to enter my Heavenly Father’s house...what a sacred experience it will be today!!! Xoxo
Love,
Sister Diondra Ensign
Happy BIRTHDAY SAMMA! LOVE YOU (FEB5)
No comments:
Post a Comment