Come as You are but
don’t plan on staying as you are
Happy Tuesday!!
I hope you all were
able to have an AMAZING conference week, and that you were able to receive
answers to your prayers as you listened to the Prophet and Apostles, I know I
sure did!
This week was a
blur..... lots of people came into the Jail so there were constant spirit
filled tours!, lots of people to see and lessons to teach, and miracles!! But I
better just skip to the best part..
General Conference was
soo amazing!
Saturday morning we
planned to watch with our investigator Micah and his wife Chrisma. We even went
over early and made crepes with them!! We were so excited to watch with Micah
because he basically is really skeptical of the whole "God" thing. He
didnt grow up religious, and never truly bought into the whole idea of diety.
Chrisma on the other hand has such a strong testimony and is a convert of the
church. We promised Micah as he watched conference, he would receive answers to
his questions he had, and that he would come to know God as he listened to the
speakers. He seemed to really enjoy it and was excited to watch more!!
Between sessions, we
were able to stop by a few people, mainly our friend Frank -dont know if I
mentioned Frank last week, but he is a very kind old man who lives in a nursing
home and is dating a member. He has been investigating the church for a long
time (3 years) and is actually on date for baptism! However, that date for
baptism is January 8, 2018. Elvis's birthday. Yep, in a year. Good old Frank. -
so we stopped by so we could make sure he was coming to watch conference with
us the next day. He was pretty weary of it, because his girlfriend wouldnt be
with him, but we showed him the new #PRINCEofPEACE Video. And he was so touched!!!
(If you haven't seen the new video, you NEED to check it out!!) By the
end his heart had softened and he said okay, yeah maybe ill see you tomorrow
for conference.
For the afternoon
session on saturday, we were going to watch it with another one of our
investigators, Laura, at a member's house. Laura had to cancel, but asked if
she could join us for the sunday afternoon session instead. So we went anyway
to the Magnussons and it was so fun! The Magnussons are the CUTEST little
family!! Sister Magnusson is the primary president and she is the sweetest.
They have 3 cute kids all under the age of 6. Every year for conference, Sister
Magnusson puts up this make-shift tent over their couch and tv to be like King
Benjamin in the Book of Mormon (who faced their tents to the prophet as they
listened to him) So cute!! They also gave us our own little baggies of the
special conference mix... (we could have a marshmellow for everytime they said
faith, and a chocolate chip for everytime one of them mentioned the atonement..
etc. :)
Saturday night, we had
dinner at a members house and then went to go track down a part member
family.
Also quick side note -
to my delight, Liberty 1st ward actually covers some countryside!!! So we get
to drive a little bit out into the boons to see some people and I love it :)
Its like the perfect mix of civilization and beautiful green rolling hills of
Missouri. And especially this time of year with all the rain and going into
springtime, its GORGEOUS!! Reminds me of New Zealand countryside. --
ANYWAY so we actually
drove almost out by my old area, to Excelsior Springs and met the Penningtons!
Sister Pennington and her two kids grew up in Utah and have been members of the
church, but 4 years ago, she married Brad, who isnt a member. In the
past, he had been pressured a little too much by missionaries and so he backed
off. So we wanted to just go and be friends with them. So we got to know Brad
and quickly learned of this crazy bear story he has. (The story goes along with
the two stuffed black bears in his house) Basically to summarize, he was in the
middle of a male black bear trying to court this momma bear who was protecting
her cubs. He shot the male, and then after a few hours the momma finally left
him alone, after her cubs had all pooped and peed on his head. Epic
story.
Haha, but we are going
back with the elders on Saturday hopefully to do some service and help around
their farm!
Sunday was AMAZING!!
We watched the sunday morning session with Sister Edwards and her father and
our recent convert Patricia was supposed to come, but didnt make it :( But
Sister Edwards is so awesome. She is a single spunky mom and I love her. Also
they had great food. After, we rushed over to be on shift for a little before
heading to the Macdonalds for the afternoon session. The Macdonalds are an
awesome family and Ill probably talk about them a lot because Bro and Sis
Macdonald are ward missionaries and theyre just the best. So laura was able to
come to that session with us, and listened as Elder Coaquin talked about his
Joaquin story, and his investigation with the church. And I was just like YES
YES YES. She took notes the whole time and said she really loved everything
that was said about the Holy Ghost. So spiritual!! We ate dinner with them
afterwards and then headed over to the Burch's.
Brother Burch and his
wife are converts and they really love missionaries and asked if we could come
over so we thought we would go over and share a quick message and then go meet
up with our Bishop (who had just texted us and asked if we could meet)
But when we got to
there, Brother Burch answers the door and hes like, are you ready to teach a
first lesson? And I mean as missionaries we are always ready, so I said of
course! But mostly thought he was joking because thats how he is. HOWEVER,
The Millers (another
active family) was over playing games along with their son Brett and his
girlfriend Arielle! They said Arielle had actually been wanting to learn more
from missionaries so it was PERFECT!! We all gathered in their living room to
have a lesson. (We literally had no plan, so we just trusted in the spirit ..
and it was AMAZING!!) We started by showing the #PRINCEofPEACE video, followed
by the video on the principle of peace, Faith. Arielle was so touched by it and
just opened up to us about losing her Dad a year ago.
She had struggled to
find peace and hope, and the only thing that got her through was Brett (whos a
return missionary) and his family. She had attended church with him and felt
such peace there and wanted to feel more of it! And HOLY COW the spirit was so
strong the whole time. It was literally just swirling around us the whole time.
Brother Miller and Sister Burch also shared about how they lost their parents
at a young age, but how it was the gospel that got them through. We testified
of Jesus Christ and His role in our lives, and the true blessings of the
Restored gospel, and Sister Udall, feeling the spirit and the same prompting as
I, invited her to be baptized!... and she said yes!!!! We are praying about a
date and going to set one the next time we come. It was such a miracle
lesson!!!
All in all, it was a
phenomenal week!!!
And the spirit taught
me so much.
So many times not just
in conference, but all leading up to it, there was such an emphasis of true
discipleship. Whether that was in district meeting, in our Thursday Jail
trainings, or in my personal studies.
I had a lot of
questions about how I could more fully consecrate myself and do the Lord's
will.
Sister Peterson, the
Visitor Center director's wife, gave a training about giving up all the extra
"stuff" we carry around. To be fully consecrated, true disciples of
Christ, we need to be willing to change. We need to accept our weaknesses, and
give up the pieces of ourselves that are keeping us from grabbing hold of the
iron rod with both hands. Steadfastly pressing forward.
I have a lot I still
need to work on and improve upon, but I found such hope and strength in Christ,
and felt such love from my Father in Heaven, as I was able to write multiple
answers to the many questions I had.
I am especially
grateful for the prophets and seers who lead our church. They are so
inspired!!!
I loved so many talks,
but I would have to say that Elder Holland, Elder Rasband, Nelson, and Ballard
were all my favorite. I loved what Elder Holland spoke about how we each have a
part to sing in the Choir.
Sometimes Satan will
have us believe that we need to have a voice like everyone else's. That
individuality isn't divine. It is sometimes hard to go to a new area, because
you don't always feel a part of the ward right off the bat, or the members
still miss the old missionary, and so you can feel a little out of place. I was
able to find a lot of comfort and peace knowing that I could be as Mary and
just trust God and not demand specifics. I trust that He puts me where Im
supposed to be, and put the people that I need to help in my path. Sometimes
you cant see why, or how immediately, but that knowledge always comes.
I love my Savior. He
is my best friend. It is such a privaledge to listen to the Prophet's words as
he cried out in prayer to Heavenly Father in the Liberty Jail. I know that no
matter what, we are NEVER alone.
I am grateful for the
Restoration, and for the examples of the past and the counsel of leaders.
The church is true
friends! Never doubt that.
Love you all!!
Set goals for what you
want to work on after conference and trust that God will help you!
Make this week
amazing!
Sister Bleak
Pics:
1. & 2. This week on the district
3. Sister Dawson surprised us at the jail! lol it's sister Udall and
both her moms :)
4. Micah and chrisma and crepes!
5. The magnussons!
6. Update on my arm lol
7. RAIN RAIN RAIN
8. lol April fools pranking. - stormed into the other sisters room and
started screaming and gave sister Anderson a heart attack.
In retaliation they hid all of our food.
Also we are headed to the temple today so more pics to come!! 🤗✨
1. & 2. This week on the district
3. Sister Dawson surprised us at the jail! lol it's sister Udall and
both her moms :)
4. Micah and chrisma and crepes!
5. The magnussons!
6. Update on my arm lol
7. RAIN RAIN RAIN
8. lol April fools pranking. - stormed into the other sisters room and
started screaming and gave sister Anderson a heart attack.
In retaliation they hid all of our food.
Also we are headed to the temple today so more pics to come!! 🤗✨
Temple today!!!
I am sooo grateful for the ability to go to a place where I can feel
so close to my Father in Heaven and find such peace.
I am sooo grateful for the ability to go to a place where I can feel
so close to my Father in Heaven and find such peace.
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