Dear Family-
first off this transfer....nothing changed! I am actually going to be staying with my companion for longer than 1 transfer for the first time ever!! that also means I get to be here in Gulf Breeze with the people I love so dearly for Thanksgiving :) slightly stoked for that. several families have already "claimed us" for thanksgiving dinner haha what an honor! Both our elders are staying too.
second-
Jared I have to talk to you- you have been on my mind I felt really prompted to tell you 1) I love you and 2) the best thing you can do to prepare for your mission is learn to trust in the Lord. Rely on Him. Turn to Him in every decision you make- that is the best thing you can do to prepare for a mission because that trust is kind of what everything else hinges on- Trust that He knows what He is doing with your life and seek Him out and every important decision. Learn how He responds or "talks back" to you- if you can learn how to recognize, receive, and follow revelation, even when it isn't what you are thinking or desiring in the moment- you will be SO BLESSED as a missionary. Trust in God. Put your life in His hands and obey and be who He wants you to be. no matter what. 3) you are going to be the best husband, dad and missionary ever. I mean that. I have been thinking about you in all those roles and thinking to myself- "how loving and well suited he is- he will fulfill all those roles with such love." How do i know that? because you are the greatest brother- so loving you have always been so loving to me and just really made me feel loved- so i really love you for that.
Good men are really important and needed in this world Jared. i am glad and I know that you will be the kind of man this world so needs. Just love everyone. everyone. everyone needs kindness especially coming from young men. It is so rare. Dad is a great example of this to us. Dad- I love you so much. Man I just think the world of you.
This Sunday was the Primary Program and WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I have felt the Spirit in my life that strongly but rarely- truly- it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my entire 21 years of life. First off- our investigator Jessica came to church and had an incredible experience- she was so receptive and so many members in the ward just walked right up to her and enveloped her in love she told me, "I feel like I belong here." it really put a lump in my throat to see the members i love so dearly reaching out to our investigator and being such great saints, missionaries, and disciples of christ- that was a sweet moment for me because I know that is the direction of this church now- member missionary work. That is what the prophet has revealed so to be a part of that work and witness it- its moving! after church she said she wanted to know how she could get the "gift of the Holy ghost" and we were beaming! we have an appointment with her tomorrow to talk about that :)
Then our investigator Autumn who is 10 years old- she had a part in the primary program- and her dad came to church to watch! We also had 3 less actives come to church- what a blessing that was. so already before the meeting even began i was feeling "tender hearted". then when all the kids went up there and started singing I felt the spirit so strong and was so touched because I realized just how many little faces and little kids up there were ones that I have taught, and loved for the past 6 months now- I watched the faces of all their families watching their kids- my heart felt too big for my chest i have never felt such a burning and such deep love! I thought of chase and Max- and how much I love them. I thought of my siblings and when they were all little and how much I love them and the people they are growing up to be. I counted every little face up there I know and have taught. I counted 25. I felt so overwhelmed.
One little boy we have been teaching Ari- his mom isnt a member and she wasn't there. We have been trying to teach her for the past 6 months and she is softening but still not there- well seeing his dad sitting there alone in the pew watching him with so much joy just broke my heart! I wanted her to be there! I wanted them to be there together as a family!
I just looked at that boy and cried and cried- i really get it now- this life is all about families. eternal families. Being together forever. I cant wait to have a family of my own- but looking at all those kids i love them like they are my own! I COULD NOT STOP CRYING. I have never in my life felt that before to that degree- it was downright overwhelming- glorious- but overwhelming. I know my time will come. But for now I have to be focused with helping other families be together forever. I can do that. Doing so will make my own joy more complete when I know I have done all that Heavenly Father wants me to do now while i am an independent unit. For the first time though- I felt homesick. That is the only time I have felt very much far away in Florida- far away from my family. I just wish you could have experienced that with me and been there with me to share what i was feeling. That was the best primary program ever. In that meeting I felt God's love- through the voices of little children that I have taught the gospel too singing about eternal families. I felt Gods love that day and it floored me. Then after tons of the kids came running to me and hugged me, giving me pictures and notes and seashells. haha i just cried and cried and none of them knew why! i barely knew why! one little girl was hugging my skirt (6 years old, kenzie is her name) and then she just looked up at me for like 5 min clinging to me and smiling. and said, "I love you sister b" haha i just cried and cried and felt so much love. God has blessed me. I am very grateful for the people in my life because of my mission. God has blessed me. Little children are sacred. fathers are sacred. mothers are sacred. families are sacred. I hope every one of those kids stays true and faithful, and protected, and marries in the temple like they were singing about. I hope the world doesn't hurt them but rather they light up and uplift the world.
This week we had a powerful lesson with our investigator Steve on the power of the priesthood. we had prayed and pondered many days over what we needed to teach him about that would motivate him to want to learn more- and understand that this gospel is in fact true and can bless him! the answer came to me while studying one morning- the priesthood! he needs to understand the priesthood, I spent many mornings devoting my studies to him. I feel lacking in my knowledge of the priesthood- i felt inadaquate to teach it- but then i thought- i am the lord's missionary- He can instruct me and lead me to know how to teach this principle because Steve is His son and I know this is what He wants him to know! SO individually i studied and as a companionship we studied- and finally yesterday- we had the lesson. We had his son in law join us too to add the power of his testimony. we prayed before the lesson. I still felt so nervous, so nervous, intimadated- but i trusted that god would provide and I knew we had prepared to the utmost degree! so i knew we could now rely on the Lord to do the rest- well family guess what- the lesson went GREAT. man i am tearing up recalling what we all experienced in that lesson- at the end- the spirit whispered to me JUST WHAT TO SAY. I said it- I told him how the Lord trusts him with this authority- he desires him to hold this authority- so he can use it to bless his family's life and anyone else close to him in his life- I told him again how god trusts and desires him to hold this power. "Bro. T" I said, "This is what the restored gospel of Jesus Christ holds for you." silence. we all just sat and felt the power and bounty of the spirit there. tears filled Steve's eyes and trickled down his face. (a very big deal- he is an older man, rarely shows emotion- but oh how good he is! how we love him!) His wife took his hand and she just cried but they didnt say a word. Oh god answered our prayers!!! he felt it. it was undeniable. afterwards we testified that what he just experienced was the spirit- testifying to him that it was true. Pray for him family- pray his heart will be softened and he will know, get his answer, that this church is true.
Many other things happened this week- it started off very hard- day after day many things did not go as planned and it was very difficult- but through it me and sis. scmidt kept saying- we have faith! there is no such thing as wasted effort! it will all come through! but i confess it was hard and i experienced some trying lows. Jared- on your mission you will have moments when you look in the mirror and think- I cant do this- i am exhausted. I want to go home.- even the best missionary feels that- but Jared in those moments that is when you pray with everything you have! You tell god you in your own strength are spent and depleted- but TRUST IN HIM ANYWAY and EVERY TIME He will sustain you and increase your "spiritual stamina resilience and resolve." I know this because i have lived this- i have been there many times but every time i ask God- make me more than i am- give me strength beyond my own so i can rise to the responsibilities and meet the needs of everyone- and EVERY TIME somehow- he strengthens me- and that is the miracle and power of faith and trust. it gives us the power to ENDURE. well- saturday the blessings came! every person was home that we planned to see and tried to see all week and all the lessons went well. Perseverance! that is what is needed! you cant ever give up! and then if you prove faithful even without results- god ALWAYS pulls through and answers prayer in His time. Dion came to a baptism but we have to move his baptismal date back to the 30th- he is not ready just yet. pray for him. we did some tracting and found 2 new people interested :) tracting is hard- rejection is hard- but its worth it when you find the one!
Family i love you. Mom- thank you so much for the skirt i really do love it! and I got your package- thank you :) you are all in my prayers thoughts and heart. the weather here is AMAZING - october is the time to visit Florida! I want to end with this scripture, Heleman 10:4-5,
"aBlessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with bunwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine cown life, but hast sought my dwill, and to keep my commandments.5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that aall things shall be bdone unto thee according to thy cword, for thou shalt dnot ask that which is contrary to my will."
Bishop clark sent us this scripture in a text except he substituted our names for Nephi's- I cannot tell you how much that meant to me and how much i needed that in the throws of the initially very trying week. but in the end miracles ensued- how amazing a mission is!! I have a testimony of this gospel. I glory in it and i testify of the temporary nature of this life and our circumstances- and the eternal nature of our spirits, families, and potential.
All my love
Sister Bertoldo
Bishop clark sent us this scripture in a text except he substituted our names for Nephi's- I cannot tell you how much that meant to me and how much i needed that in the throws of the initially very trying week. but in the end miracles ensued- how amazing a mission is!! I have a testimony of this gospel. I glory in it and i testify of the temporary nature of this life and our circumstances- and the eternal nature of our spirits, families, and potential.
All my love
Sister Bertoldo
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