Week 7

Family Dearest

 

   Well well well...how are you all doing? Mom and dad - I know you're on your anniversary vacay and I can't tell you how much i'm sincerely excited for you and hope you both enjoy yourselves to the max :) you deserve it. And I loved hearing about your trip Haley!! Russia sounds awesome...wow. I'm happy for your experiences, let's just say I can relate to what you were saying!!

   This week was awesome, crazy busy, but next week is going to be even busier!! Tom and Cynthia's baptism is this saturday and they are being confirmed this sunday which is Cynthia's birthday!! How cool is that?! She's receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost on her birthday...she's so excited she said she can barely wait until sunday haha oh how I love them both. They are taking us to Panama City Beach next P-Day for sight seeeing and shopping and all that good stuff, at the dolphin peer where you can feed dolphins and sharks!! I'm excited :) General Conference was amazing. I don't know if you heard, but leadership resonsibilities are now being open to sisters!!!! They are going to call sister missionary trainers to lead and work alongside the zone leaders....very exciting. President is in the process of calling these sisters in our mission right now so we will know by next week. How amazibng it is to see how the work is progressing, hastening, and changing.

   I found conference to be a different experience this time because I was listening not just for myself, but all of our investigators. I was praying, "Oh I hope they're all watching!!" So many of their unique questions and struggles were answered I was truly moved, but not surprised, because that's how the Spirit works!!

A cool thing happened this Friday- I am amazed at the frequency at which miracles occur as a missionary. We had just finished volunteer work at the local library, and we suddenly felt overcome with fatigue. Both of us. We really felt that we needed rest before we went on to our next appointment so we could think straight, but then an address stood out to me on my GPS, so we concluded that we should just stop by that house before our next appointment. Because of our fatigue, we both felt sure nothing would come of it, but we tried anyways. Sure enough- we get there and no one is home. Just as we were turning to leave- a car pulls up..uh oh...AWKWARD!! haha that was my initial thought, but we just smiled and explained to her why we were there, and that we were missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Everytime I saw that to someone I feel my testimony burn and grow within me...I have come  to love introducing ourselves to others just so we can utter the name of the church!! She told us she belonged to another faith and was very active in it, we simply said that we thought that was great that she was doing her part and had the Savior in her life. This stunned her, I think she thought we would be offended or dismissive of her faith, which of course is not the case! She invited us back and she began pouring out her life story, and explaining how she was in prison but found Christ and it had changed her life. We rejoiced with her and explained how we too have Christ at the foundation of our faith and know that it is through Him that we are saved, elevated and changed. This led to a beautiful discussion on faith and Christ, we were all united in glorifying Christ. Then I shared a scripture with her that i had studued that morning. Tears filled her eyes and she was silent. I was filled with joy because even though I had not thought this scripture would have impacted her so much, I knew that the Spirit did, and that was why I was prompted to share it. I cannot express how VITAL the spirit is to missionary work. Without it, I would be nothing. She looked at me and said, "Where was that from? I know my Bible but i don't know that verse." I told her it was from the Book of Mormon, Alma 37:37. She started crying and said, that's exactly what i needed to hear! Then I gave her a hug and she hugged us both and she said, "Oh I love you sisters, you changed my day! I feel so good!" we told her that was the Spirit, and we left her our card, number, and a BOM and then with joy and peace and the spirit in all of our hearts, we parted ways. We went on to our next appoinment and the whole way over I couldnt stop thinking how glad and grateful I was that we hadn't gone home and slept, we would have missed that choice opportunity.

I love these people here. I love this work!!! I hope you all are doing well, I love your letters they make my day!! Keep being faith ful and obedient, "fan your fires of faith!" -Jeffrey R. Holland

 

Love,

Sister Bertoldo