One More!

Cupcakes after dinner at the Ferris' home.(members)  #spoiled
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Welcome Autumn!

​Morning exercise. 

Anne & The Elders

​Anne is our best friend!! She is a great member and always makes delicious food for us! :) We love her! From left to right: Anne, Elder Rife, and Elder Hare

Testimony Meeting and Chapel Tours

What would missionary work be without the members?!! Ah, we couldn't do it without them! I just love the members here! They are so great!  Of course, they've all been through some challenging times, but they push through and carry on.  They are a great example to me. 

Yesterday was an especially great sacrament meeting.  We had a testimony meeting because next week is General Conference (beyond excited!!!!!!) and there was such a sweet spirit there.  First thing that made it so great was that Christian was confirmed a member of the Church, and he said he felt so great! You really can see a difference in people after they've joined the church and I admire every convert for their faith and devotion.  It takes a lot of love for the Saviour and His gospel to change your whole life around and stick with it for the rest of your life.  I'm grateful that my own conversion is always growing and deepening, especially as I'm able to help others and learn from their examples.  Along the same line, many of the testimonies given yesterday were focused on missionary work.  One of the testimonies was given by a recent convert (baptized in June) named John, that we have built a great friendship with.  He shared a great experience when he recently shared the plan of salvation with a taxi driver and he was able to recognize the Spirit and the truthfulness of the gospel as he taught her about it.

Not only did we have a great testimony meeting this week, but a new returned missionary in our ward invited his friend from university to meet with us on Saturday!  We gave her a chapel tour and the Spirit definitely accompanied us as we took her through the chapel, showed her the baptismal font, and discussed the pictures of Jesus Christ all around the corridors. I absolutely love giving chapel tours because the chapel is a safe, reverent, peaceful place and investigators are able to easily recognize the good feeling there.  

I know that sharing the gospel truly helps us appreciate our own testimonies more fully. The gospel makes me happy and it seems that happiness just doubles when I share it. :) 

 

Scripture of the week: "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name." -Alma 26:35This is basically what every sunny morning looks like here!  We've been spoiled this summer! 

Born Again

I'm sorry I don't have much time this week to write!  We are going to Portsmouth for our 2nd to last P-day of the transfer so we're limited on time. 

The highlight of the week was Christian's baptism!! It was so great! The Spirit was so strong and we were so happy because he was so happy. He asked me to play the violin in his program and so I played "Come Follow Me" and I really enjoyed it and was grateful for the opportunity to do so.  It was really special for him because he kept saying how he'd be "born again" on his birthday.  It'll be a great reminder for the rest of his life of the great commitment and covenant he made on his special day.

It's not a baptism if there isn't a few hiccups along the way. The one we came across was that Christian got sick over the weekend, so wasn't able to come to church for his confirmation! We were shocked and a little alarmed at first when he told us he was sick in bed and wouldn't be at church for his confirmation, but the Bishop said it was no problem for him to receive the Holy Ghost next week.  We look forward to it.  Thanks for all the prayers.  

Scripture of the week: "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow;" -Joel 3:13

​From left to right: Elder Rife, Elder Hafe, Sister Watt, and Christian on the end! :) 

The Colour :)

​Our morning exercise stroll. :) 

Bottle It Up

Another great week has come and gone! The weather has been beautiful and the people have been so sweet.  We have been really blessed to find people who are really willing to meet up with us again.  Usually twice a week, Sister Watt and I go to Bognor, (a city down by the sea) and it is always a good visit. The people are nice, the sea breeze smells so good, I feel so happy to be a missionary and I was telling Sister Watt I wish I could just bottle everything thing up so that it could last forever and I could take it all with me wherever I go... :)

The most amazing story of the week is definitely Pat & his family.  Earlier in the week, on our way to see a less active, we handed a card to a cute couple from Sri Lanka standing at the bus stop.  In a quick moment as the bus stopped to pick them up, Pat told us to stop his home Saturday morning and gave us his address.  He was so happy and excited to learn more about Jesus, so we were excited to go back.  We went on Saturday morning and he invited us right in.  We told him all about church and what our purpose was as missionaries.  He was really interested to come to church and told us he would come. We were so excited and planned to meet him in town to walk the rest of the way to church.  Sunday morning, before meeting him, Pat called us and our heart sank because we assumed he wouldn't be able to make it anymore. To our surprise, he was just calling to tell us he wasn't going to walk, he was going to come in a taxi.  At a quarter to 10, his whole family: mother in law, 2 children, wife and himself all walked through the chapel doors and I couldn't have been happier!! We were so excited to see them all there dressed in their sunday best!  They ended up having an enjoyable time and had to go home a bit early, but we felt so blessed and happy they were able to come.  Since we haven't taught them much at all about the church yet, we are hoping to go back this week and begin teaching them.  We are so grateful for them and the commitment they made and kept.  We will continue to pray for them and their progress!! I'm really grateful for the blessing and privilege it is to be a missionary and see the Lord open doors for His work of salvation.

Scripture of the week:    "If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation." -D&C 6:13

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Exchange this week with these lovely ladies!! :) From left to right: myself, Sister Watt, Sister O'Brien, and Sister Moangare

Nature Walk Back to Town

Hope everyone has a great week! x

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ReNEWed Focus

The mission has had a makeover! We have started a "new era" of focus on our accountability to the Lord and finding through revelation.  We have already been so blessed as we've tried to implement in our work this week.  I know President Millar and our mission leaders have been so inspired to bring about this change in the mission.

Previously, we were very focused on teaching as many people as we could.  It taught us to know the principles in PMG, to work hard, use time wisely, and talk to as many people as we can in order to teach those we came in contact with whether that was on the street or on the doorstep.  We were very focused on teaching 20+ lessons a week.  That was something that helped us improve and grow our faith as we tried to "teach to find, and find to teach."  But we were often worried about teaching "enough" lessons and it was a stress to account with our leaders if we hadn't reached the benchmark we felt we were expected to.  We may still have got great work done that week, but there was definitely a damper if we didn't reach our numeral goals. Now as a mission, we are focused on finding those that will receive us and "street teaches" are no longer counted.  As Sister Watt and I were told this announcement, we were so happy!!!  President Millar said, "We're not changing what we do, just how we do it."  I love that and I'm so grateful for this new challenge and focus to help us be more in tune with the Lord's will for our individual areas.

This week, we saw many miracles, and I don't think it was a conincidence. :) My favorite bit from this week was the last hour of proselyting last night.  We were tired after accounting and we accounted early so we had an awkward spare hour at 8.  We headed out hoping to find someone in the dark and guess what!!! We didn't get 10 steps away from our flat when we stopped this guy and ended up having a 30 minute conversation with him about how he just recently had been divorced and had been praying to God to help him find the path.  How amazing!! We were so happy!! I was so strengthened and encouraged by that experience to know that we were an answer to his prayer.  I don't think there is much greater feeling than that - knowing you've just helped God help another one of His children.  The amazing thing is I don't feel like I do much as a missionary, I just get out of the way for God to fulfill His purposes.  I feel humble to be an imperfect servant but still be able to help build His kingdom in His way.

Scripture of the week: "4 And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation. 5 Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants. 6 Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come." -D&C 68:4-6

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​Dinner with Sing!! Sing is a recent convert from China and makes us the best meals and we always have a picnic. :) 

Bishop's Gardens with Sister Watt

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Chi for Life!

It was another great week in Chichester! They like to call it "Chi" (rhymes with pie) here. :) I love saying it like that so "Chi for life" is my new saying because so many miracles keep happening here.

Christian is doing amazingly! He has been reading, praying, coming to church and he asked us to be baptized - all witin a week!!! How great is that? He's so fantastic. We are really happy and excited to keep teaching him and see him progress.  Not only does he want to be baptized but he wants to be "reborn" on his birthday which is the 18th of September.  We hope all goes according to plan. :)

My testimony of prayer was really strengthened last night before we accounted with our district leader, Elder Hare. We were trying all day to reach our goal of 20 lessons for the week which is the mission standard of excellence.  We only had about 10 minutes before we would account and we were 2 lessons away from our goal.  Before we left the flat, we said a simple prayer to help us reach our goal if it was possible.  We walked out and across the street our neighbor was sweeping her walk.  She had seen the elders before, but she'd never spoken to them.  We introduced ourselves and were able to tell her our purpose and job as missionaries.  We said a prayer with her and she was so sweet. She took our card and wished us well on our way.  Oh my goodness, that counted for one lesson and we only needed one more.  We stopped every person on our way to the cathedral, but it was a quiet Sunday evening so not many people were out.  We came around the corner and stopped a cute family of a single mom named Laura and her kids.  We shared with her a picture of the resurrected Christ and she loved it!! She expressed how she was a Catholic but she was really in need of some help with her son who had special needs.  We were able to pray with her and it brought tears to her eyes.  We just happened to be in the right place at the right time and Heavenly Father was able to answer not only our prayers but we were able to help Laura too!! It was a tender moment and we were so full of gratitude and humbled by the experience. We are hoping to go back and see Laura on Tuesday!! I'm so grateful for the power of prayer and I know Heavenly Father is willing to bless us if we ask in faith and work to achieve His will.

Scripture of the week: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose...What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" -Romans 8:28,31

​Dinner with Christian and the Elders. From left to right: Elder Rife (just transferred here - he used to be in Kingston!!! crazy!!), Christian, Elder Hare, and Sister Watt! :)