Miracles happen on Sisters Exchange!

Hello Houston!

 

Such a strange week, I don't even know how to begin. We had my very first Sisters exchange this week! I went and spent 2 days in Peterborough with Sister Sutton from my district, it was an awesome experience. I love how much you learn from different people, especially since she's a newer missionary than me and yet I still learned so so much. There were alot of cool experiences too. We talking to this guy who was on his way to go fishing and he said he was spiritual but didn't follow any specif religion. Sister Sutton asked if he was take 3 minutes and listen to our message, and if he wasn't interested we'd leave and go our seperate ways. So he said yes and we ended up having an awesome talk about the plan of salvation and how God has a purpose for all of our lives. He wasn't interested afterwards, but he did take a pamphlet and said "normally I'd say this would be better used in someone else's hands, but I guess I can at least look at it." We then went to a park and talked to a woman on a bench. We started talking about different Bible stories and she ended up talling us about a nephew of hers who died a few months after he was born. So once again, we talked about how God has a purpose for all of our lives, and she took a Book of Mormon and set up a time to meet again. Afterwards Sister Sutton told me she'd never taught someone on the spot like that before before, let alone 2, and I told her I'd only done it once before. So we were both thinking it was the other person driving it but we were both being blown away by what was happening, it was pretty funny. But miracles happen on Sisters exchange! I came back to Bowmanville and Sister Casner had had basically the exact same experience with a man at a bus stop, so hopefully we'll be able to teach him regularly soon.

 

I had one of my most powerful teaching experiences this week. I love when you're speaking with someone who is sincerely seeking answers, the Spirit is so different. We dropped by the couple we're teaching and they let us in, and we just spent 45 minutes talking about how the Book of Mormon teaches of Christ and how we can know if it's true. They had amazing questions about what the Holy Ghost feels like and how to get answers, and the Spirit was so so strong because of the real intent in what they were saying. We invited them both to be baptized and they both said yes, but when we challenged them to set a date they said it was too soon because they wanted to come to church and do some reading first. I'm pretty sure she would have set a date if he would have, because she said "It might be too soon but who knows. I could get that feeling by then." But once they're able to come to church I think they'll want to set a date, because they are genuinely listening for answers so they're going to recognize it when it comes! And, upside, they're ADORABLE kids colored us pictures and wrote us notes asking us to "come bake", "bring a game to", thak you" (translation: come back, bring a game too, thank you. I just about died I was so happy.)

 

So I need to finalize it still, but we'll probably have dinner on Mother's Day at 5 here, so I'll probably call at 3 or 4, so 2 or 3 your time. I'll let you know exactly next week!

 

Sounds like everyone's having a pretty happening week! Good luck to everyone in school/job interviews. Mom thank you so much for your comments about kneeling prayers and obedience, I love it. Tell Becky it's awesome she has that reverence for God and that love and commitment where she wants to show that through even her body language- it's definitely taken me a long time to develop that, and I admire people who feel that way. I hope you keep on feeling better Mom. Also, I don't know if I've told you this, but the quote on the bottom of all your emails is like the theme of my mission president right now. He's asked us all to work towards 65 baptisms in our mission in the month of June and raising the bar in our mission to acheieve it. He sent out an awesome email this week, he said "We recognize and appreciate the focus that many of you are directing toward the 65 baptisms in June and the steps that have been suggested to improve our faith, unity, planning, and teaching.  I hope you recognize that, more important than the 65 baptisms, will be the things you learn about yourself during this time of focus and unity. Will you participate or watch from the sidelines? Will you give up old habits that have been holding you back in order to achieve something you have never achieved before? Will you be even more diligent in all aspects of the work so that you might expand the vision of what we can achieve as a mission? When we do what is required, we will see miracles.  It will be important for us to do our part. The Lord will only bless us with “that which (we) are willing to receive”. (DC 88:32)  “Someday” a group of missionaries will achieve 65 baptisms per month in the Canada Toronto Mission. We need to decide if it will be us or someone else." I LOVE that! So yeah, all of your emals make me grin now.

 

Well, that's just about everything. Have a great week! Have a missionary opportunity for me :) Love to all!

 

Sister Casner quote of the week: "You know what they say- it's easier for a rich man to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a camel to be baptized." (We were not talking about camels, rich people, or baptism.)