Hello Ya'll-
First things first.....are ya'll participating in the I FOLLOW HIM Event??? If you haven't joined and are planning on participating.....you should. It is happening this Saturday. Its easy.
Follow these simple steps:
1. Join the Event "I Follow Him"
2. Invite all your friends to Join....ALL of them (our goal is to get 250,000 invites and we cant do it without you)
3. On August 23rd, post a picture of you holding your favorite picture of Christ and write why you Follow Him.
4. Add the hashtag #ifollowhim
5. Enjoy the blessings of helping with missionary work!! :-)
Ok....Now for my letter....
I am absolutely loving Waycross and the people up here! It is a completely different world up here! Time is flying by oh so fast with everything that is going on, getting to know the area, completeing assignment from the leaders of the ward, and then having to prepare a talk, a musical number, and a relief society lesson for church this past Sunday!! HAHA! Yup, ALL IN ONE WEEK!! They didn't waist any time getting us acquainted with the ward. It was really funny. We got asked to speak in sacrament meeting during stake conference last week, by Brother Mathis, who is now President Mathis. When he asked us it made me laugh because I have now spoken the very FIRST sacrament meeting I have attended of every area I have been in!! HAHA! Just great!! There seems to be lots of patterns in my mission...anyways.... Then a few days later (without knowing we were already speaking) the ward music director called us and asked us to do a musical number, then later on that same day we got a call from the relief society president telling us that the sister who was supposed to teach was sick and she was wondering if we could fill in. HAHAHA!! And, being good Sister Missionaries, we dont say No to doing service! It was quite the surprise to everyone that we were doing so much, but it gave us a wonderful opportunity to get to know the ward quickly and for them to get to know us!! LOVE THEM SO MUCH ALREADY!!
I have felt very inadequate and very unworthy since becoming a trainer....its quite a humbling experience. Its been a struggle, with myself more then anything else, but its been a good struggle. The Lord has taught me a lot as I have been on my knees in prayer, probably more then I have ever been my whole mission, pleading for guidance, understanding, and peace! I was having a particularly hard day and I told the Lord, to help me feel of His love. I told Him I would do whatever he prompted me to do, I just needed to see a miracle. And guess what.....about a half hour later when we went to contact a potential investigator, I had this impression to knock on this house before we went back to our car. I felt the prompting and I remember saying, "Ok Lord, I will do it," as I walked up the driveway of the potential we were trying to see. The potential wasn't home, thank goodness, because we went to the house I felt prompted to knock and TJ walked out. He had been to our church before has a teenager and he said it was different, but no one had ever really explained anything to him. We talked to him about the Book of Mormon and asked if he would read and pray about it. He said YES!! We asked if he would be baptized and he said "You never know." (not exactly a yes, but I'll take it). We were able to set up a return appointment and connect with him on facebook!! It was a miracle. I got in the car and just cried! GOD LOVES US SO MUCH!!! He answers our prayers, if we will just follow His guidance He will lead our feet, our words, and our hearts to where they need to be! :-) Its miraculous!!
Sister Boucher is doing amazing! She just blows me out of the water every single day with the things that come out of her mouth, it is incredible! She is so powerful! She has some amazing things to say. You should have heard her talk this past sunday and her incredible testimony and things she shares at the doors. Its very insightful and is making me think about how i do missionary work a little different. I guess after being out so long, you start doing some of the same things over and over again, I like the "newness" that she brings to every situation that we are in. I turn things over to her and the things that come out of her mouth work, but are just so different from me, but its wonderful! I love it! I love something that she told to me this past week, as we talked about her goals for her mission. She said that her goal for her entire mission is to go from being a Missionary to being a servant to the Lord. To really become that true disciple that can really be a tool in the Lords hands as his servant. That was pretty powerful to me! What an amazing goal to have from the VERY BEGINNING of her mission. She is so far "ahead of the game," so to speak. Its incredible! I am so blessed to have this opportunity to be her companion and learn from her amazing example!!
We had an incredible Golden Hour on Monday. It was wonderful and a great experience for both of us!! We met this lady named Joanne, who had always wondered about the Mormons, she took a Book of Mormon and because of her hectic schedule we couldn't set up a solid return appointment, but she wanted us to come back and answer her questions later on after she has had some time to read from the Book of Mormon. The next lady we came to had also heard of us, she even already had a Book of Mormon, which she got from some Elders when she lived in Virginia. She was very open with us and we are having lunch with her this coming Saturday (it was supposed to be last saturday, but she was sick, so she called and rescheduled). We are so excited for the future we have here in Waycross. We are going to see miracles and baptisms coming out of the woodwork here in Blackshear and Waycross. I love it!!
An amazing Aha Moment that I had this week while reading in Ether 12. In verse 2 it talks about how Coriantumr could "not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in Him." Isn't that incredible. Because of the Spirit that filled Coriantumr, he could not be held back....the Spirit just powered through him to do the work, because he was so FILLED with the spirit. I feel like i have felt this feeling a couple times on my mission thus far, oh what a glorious experience it has been. I want that experience all the time. I then cross referenced Jeremiah 20:9 to that scritpure and it talks about how Jeremiah wasn't going to speak the name of the Lord anymore because of the reproach of others BUT he could not because "His (Gods) word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forebearing, and I could not stay." My "aha" moment came when I read this because I feel like I have been searching with how to be this way, how to be so filled with the Spirit that my physical self cannot stand in the way of what the Spirit desire to do, to share the gospel. Its all in the word of the Lord!! As we truly feast upon the words of Christ, and develop that relationship with Him through reading his word, his words will fill us up. His word will fill our heart as a burning fire shut up and we will be more weary from forebearing then we will by sharing, because of the burning desire that will be within us to drive us forward. That was a wonderful and calming aha moment i had yesterday...just wanted to share! I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!!
I am so grateful to be a missionary right now, at this time. The Lord truly does know exactly what we need and when we need it. I know that i was supposed to be out her back in 2012 and i was supposed to go home when I did and I am supposed to be out here right now! Its been quite the exciting.....almost....TWO AND A HALF YEARS!! How crazy is that?? Time just goes by so fast! But I know that everything happens in the Lords timing and He really does have our best interests at heart. I know that He lives and He loves us so very very much! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for all the scriptures! I know that they speak the word of God. I know that as we read from them we will come to know our Heavenly Father and our Savior more intimately and be able to have their presence more abundantly in our lives. I know that MIRACLES are real, and then happen everyday. I know that by faith ALL things are possible! I know that the Gospel has been restored in its fullness. I am so grateful to not have any missing pieces. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and so is our current prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know that as we follow the council of the brethren we will not be lead a stray. I know that I am a Daughter of God and am of infinite worth. I know that God loves ALL His children and He desires us all to return to Him. I know this and write all these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!
Love ya'll
Have a fantastic Week!
Sister Heckel
No comments:
Post a Comment