This has been a great week! Well, it has been a great weekend! The work is slow with us right now; we're still trying to figure out the best way to do missionary work in our area. But I've been learning a lot as I have recommitted myself to reading "Preach My Gospel" (focusing on prayer), and improving my scripture study (focusing on "heart" and "goodness"). Our numbers this week have been the best since we began our companionship together, so that shows our improvement, and I'm noticing a better focus on missionary work as I change my perspective and focus. I've still gotten discouraged this week, but this weekend really brought me up again. For the Broadcast, we had been invited a few months ago to attend the Orlando South RS Meeting to be able to meet more of the leadership. Their meeting started at 5:30pm, with the broadcast at 8pm. We came early because we knew they were preparing dinner so we decided to offer some helping hands. The Stake Relief Society President wanted me to tell you, Mom, that she is grateful for everything you've taught me. We were such a great help, they called us their "two angels". It was just simple things like putting food on the tables, serving drinks, cleaning up, etc. It was a lot of fun! Also, they had an amazing program as a member had written a script about the stories of Book of Mormon women. It was beautiful! I love scriptural adaptations! It brings the stories alive! I also really enjoyed the broadcast. It gave me a lot of great ideas (which I've also been learning on my mission) about how to become a better visiting teacher. In college, I was awful at it. I was always busy, anti-social, and didn't fully understand the meaning of it; but as a missionary working with members, I began to understand the importance of visiting teaching and I can't wait for the opportunity to become a visiting teacher.
Sunday was amazing! It was our Fast and Testimony meeting and we had committed our members who attend ASL class to try and interpret a testimony. So, we did "musical chairs" switching interpreters for each testimony. Instead of me typically being the only person interpreting, we had seven people changing in and out. It was so much fun! They did so well! They may have felt nervous, but it was great! I even learned from their way of interpreting.
This week was really good for me. I had my ups, I had my downs, but I have learned more about what areas the Lord has helped me grow in. I have great church leaders and missionary leaders teaching me a lot and also helping me grow. So, we are ever onward and upward!
‘Make no small plans: They have no magic to stir man’s souls.’ This is the vision I have for the South. I believe that one day the South will baptize more people into the church than all other English speaking missions in the world together. There are great hosts of marvelous Baptists, and members of the church of Christ, Methodists and Catholics who are honorable people, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and love him. As they see their church veering off to the right or to the left of these basic teachings, they will begin to search for the truth. And as pivotal teachers come into the church and have influence, we will see the time when we baptize hundreds and thousands, tens of thousands. In your day you will see a million members of the church in the South. There will be Temples plural in the Southern States. What a great call you have to serve with these marvelous people. ~Spencer W Kimball (1974)
