Mind on the Ministry

Dearest family-

mom thank you for your valentines card and email!! I appreciate the update on our family- they are all getting so big my gosh.It was such a blessing, so needed and so appreciated! and I gave out all the chocolate you gave me to kids we are teaching and they all loved it and i told them it was from  you and one girl asked what your name was and I told her Sue, and she said, "thank you sue bertoldo!" haha :) and dad- your long letter meant the world to me- I received both of your letters/little package right on v-day which you cant know how much that meant to me.

 i cant believe my mission is coming to a close. i realized after this transfer i will have 18 weeks left instead of 18 months. 18 weeks. 18 more sundays. well- i read something in D&C that talks about keeping your, "Mind on your maker and ministry whereunto you have been called" rather than of things of the earth- that pierced my heart with such force- my mantra is now "Keep your mind on your ministry". My ministry is coming to an end. (my formal ministry that is, but i will continue to minister all my life) The magnitude of that is beginning to hit me bc transfers fly by faster and faster and i only have 3 left. I am determined to complete all that my Heavenly Father would have me do on my ministry- for others- and also within myself. I have had to stare some deep rooted weaknesses of mine in the face and root them out but i am willing to do it bc i am determined to leave my mission as the being he wants me to be. I am also determined to find all the people he pre-ordained me to find and to fulfill my purpose with each individual he has entrusted me with. My mission is the most sacred thing to me in the world. so i tell myself, "keep your mind on your ministry."

This week we had 2 exchanges- kind of a lot for one week, and we have another double header this week- but i always have incredible experiences and growth on exchanges! we also had Izola's baptism this weekend! what a beautiful spirit filled baptism it was. It isnt very often an older woman gets baptized, and she was a Messianic Jew before- so it was incredible to see her entering into the waters of baptism and see her glowing like an angel! I sang right before she was baptized her favorite hymn, "Nearer My God to Thee". It was a beautiful experience. our investigator Cierra was there too and she will be getting baptized in 2 weeks :) The Lord has blessed us in our work and ministry. 

also- this week we were able to teach the entire Pleas family!! They are an African American family in a rough neighborhood that when I first met they were having a lot of family trials and conflicts threatening to tear them apart- I suddenly had a vivid vision of what that family could be, and a sense of urgency to share the gospel with them at this critical junction in their life bc i know that that is what will save them!!!! well this week- it happened. it happened. their entire family gathered together- the first time their family has ever been all together on one couch. they have 3 little kids- 2 of the cutest little boys I have ever seen, sahmaj 3, kayden 8, and sanaa 11. we taught them the Plan of Salvation. the whole thing. I cannot express the joy, deep joy and fulfillment i felt in my soul, sitting there teaching that little family being ravaged by the evils of the world. In that moment I knew I was doing exactly what God would me do with my mortal time on this earth. I knew I was exactly doing the Father's will and fulfilling my purpose in life. I will never forget how beautiful that scene was- to see Marlo (the step dad) with his 3 yr old son on his lap, and the mother Ty sitting with her 2 other children around her. and the grandmother Dorothy (who is a less active member) in the center beaming with joy in seeing her family united in faith. Mosiah 18:21 comes to mind "Their hearts knit together in unity and love." Every time we asked a question Kayden would shoot his hand up bless his heart, his little heart wanted to participate. We asked, "how do you talk to God?" he said, "in a soft voice in my imagination." at the end I told them to look around them- I told them how beautiful a sight they were to me- they looked around and saw the scene of their family all gathered together learning of god's plan- and ty the mother teared up and Marlo smiled and kissed his sons face. I will never forget that- I told them i could see God's vision for them. I cried- I just feel really strongly for this family I want to see them make it. I want to see Marlo with the priesthood! they need it! we all do! we committed them to have family prayer like this every night- they agreed then at the end we all put our hands together and cheered, "team family!!" which was really cheesy but it made them all laugh and they all secretly loved it :) Things like that increase the worth of my mission exponentially and eternally. 

This week all the missionary leaders (ZL's, AP's, and STL's) had the opportunity to meet with all the stake Presidents of the Florida panhandle, and parts of Alabama, and the Area Seventy Elder Munns, and Pres. and sis. smith of course. WE discussed mission goals and what Elder Perry talked to us about over satellite- it was a really intense experience to be a part of and see how priesthood leadership and organization works in the church.

well those are some highlights. I love you all very much. I love this gospel very much. I love you all so much. Happy birthday to Kristen, Lindsay, Satcey and Michael!!

Much love,

Sister Bertoldo

"Search Me Oh God and Know My Heart" - Psalm 139:23

Dear family~

wow. another mind blowing week. This week i have been doing an in depth study of Godliness: the quality of living a Godly life, devout holy, sanctified, and essentially in the world BUT NOT OF IT. I have also been doing an in depth study of CHARACTER- and the more I study it, the more i see the complexity and importance of our character, and the more my desire to have the character God would approve of has sky-rocketed. I wrote this this morning- I have learned that character takes:

c-courage

h-hope and honesty

a-ageny CONSISTENTLY used for good. every right choice you make, unseen by all but God, everyday, THAT is what develops character. everyday I get up at 6:30 am with a pounding headache or not- my character grows- everytime you read your scripture or choose to serve or not watch an inappropriate movie, your character solidifies a little more. Every time I kneel to pray instead of stand, or make another phone call or knock another door when I am drained, my character is deepened. that is how the Lord has shaped me on my mission- right choice by right choice- it is the same for all of us.

r- righteousness. pure desires and thirsting after truth and God's will

a-active faith. its not enough to just say it or think it- true faith requires ACTION- action is what biulds character.

c- confidence in the Lord and in yourself. "Search me O God and know my heart". Psalm 139:23 If we can be this open with the Lord, than he can purify and purge us from our fallen natures and all our "secret parts" will be known to Him and purged- THAT is true confidence before the Lord. This is what has increased my confidence within myself- knowing that God knows me bc I evaluate myself with Him each night.

t-true to God and self. this is where peace lies, when our actions are consistent with our beliefs.

e- effort and eternal perspective. when we make decisions based on ETERNAL TRUTHS, rather than circumstance or popular opinion, that builds character. this takes great effort and often requires us to sacrifice our comfort zone or pleasures that others indulge in- but it ALWAYS deepens character.

r- respect. respect for self and respect for others. respect precedes love for self and others- which is one of the greatest commandments- "love one another as I have loved you" so we must respect all men and ourselves first.

I know that suffering precedes sanctification. I know that sounds brutal! but it is worth it! Lorenzo Snow said, "He will try us and continue to try us, in order that he may place us in the highest positions in life and put upon us the most sacred responsibilities." I know this is true. I have learned this on my mission. I see that my whole life has actually been in preparation of my mission- its crazy- and i know that my mission is preparation for my future life, which is ultimately preparation to my eternal life, where I will continue to progress, as we all will. that is God's great and glorious plan!

      Well- this week- I was really taught this. It was amazing. first of all- we had interviews with President- I love him so much. He is truly my father away from home.He knows me so well- I will really miss him. 

      second, big news!! We are meeting with Elder Ballard in 3 weeks!!!! March 8th we will be meeting with him in person, he wants to speak with us, and it will be for 2 hours!!!!!! I cried when we were told the news- I have been quoting that man for years and now I get to meet him in person! what a blessing and privilege. so yes- big news! I was excited to tell you.

         Also, we had trade-offs and I went with a sister for a day who was struggling a lot ( I love her a lot) so I prayed all day that i would be strengthened so that I would know how to help her and so we could have a day of miracles. I prayed all day. Well- we did!! we ended up finding 6 New investigators, placed 3 BOM, and had 3 lessons contacting on campus- it was amazing! and she was so happy, she kept saying "I needed this day so bad- we haven't had a good day like this in forever! I needed this." It was the lord who gave us success and I told her that- I told her that they could have days like these all the time if they wanted and had the faith. I was so happy to see her so happy- I thanked the Lord all day. it was awesome! 

I felt kind of sick on the exchange day but just kind of ignored it- but Then the next day after the exchange I was really sick- i was so nauseous/body achy I couldn't eat all day it was so awful. but we had a busy day so I just prayed all day for strength and we had great lessons. It lasted all day yesterday at church too- total agony- still couldnt eat bc my body aches were making me nauseous. but then i realized- this was God letting me prove and build my character- I think the old me would have curled up in a ball and complained and cried and slept- but I thought- how would I want my husband to handle this situation? what would be the admirable way of handling this? what does God want me to learn? so I just ignored it and we went from lesson to lesson- we got 5 new investigators: Rex (just out of jail, read the Book of Mormon in jail) and taught a man named Marlo the family Proclamation and he loved it so much he said he wanted to share with his whole family! we are going back to teach the family next week :) ! So my point is- i saw that as we worked through fatigue and physical pain, the Lord spiritually blessed our efforts even more and helped us have success. Izola is being baptized this saturday. And Cierra is being baptized next saturday!!!!!! so excited...we thought we were going to lose Izola bc when we taught her the Word of Wisdom she didnt like "no tea and coffee"- but we urged her to pray for understanding, (and we prayed too) and when we went back to see her (the day I was way sick) she announced that she had prayed- and she said that god told her, "you can choose: do you want tea and coffee or do you want MORE. More knowledge, more spiritual understanding, more blessings, closer to God" and she said, "I choose more, so I choose no tea and coffee and I choose to be baptized." me and sis. harris practically cried we were so relieved!!!! haha it was amazing. "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven."

Now mom! I got your chocolate package!! we have been giving out to the kids and they love it!! thank you!  love you all so much.

Much Love sister Bertoldo

Officially a Year!!

Dearest Family-

So wow- a LOT happened this week you cant even begin to imagine!! I do not think I have ever been BUSIER in my life!!! which is saying something....well first off I will tell you we set a date with our investigator Izola I have been telling you about!! she is so prepared- she made us cry with her testimony she bore after we invited her to be baptized she said, "I will- I will because I trust the Lord and He has led me this far,and I will continue until he tell me to stop." then she said, "and I love the Book of Mormon. I KNOW that book is true- and I won't stop until I get to the temple. I want to be in that white castle of the Lord." we showed her a picture of the salt Lake temple and she went silent- she was in complete awe- she just said- "I want to go inside there." She is being baptized to achieve her goal of going to the temple- it will be in 2 weeks. She is amazing!!!! We are so excited, and so blessed by the Lord to have had the privilege of teaching her and being taught by her example of faith. 

    Also- Cierra came to church this sunday and is progressing nicely- she is being baptized the week after Izola. We taught them about prophets and we taught her the "Latter prophets" song and all her siblings haha- it was precious!! they all know all the LDS prophets now!! :) truly- I LOVE being a missionary- i cannot imagine not being a missionary- I am at the point now where I don't even want to go home. I love being a missionary- I love it. I don't want to be in the world again! if it weren't so exhausting/all consuming I would want to be a full time missionary forever. I love it. I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!!!! The Lord has taught me great things- my mission has saved/change my life. it truly is- I know who I am- I know God's plan- and I know what I am to do the rest of my life and how to go to him for support/strength. 

    I also received the incredible and touching news- the hernandez family who i love SO MUCH  just emailed me- they were just SEALED IN THE TEMPLE FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was BAWLING- THEY DID IT!!!!!!! They looked SO HAPPY AND BRIGHT!!! I have never seen them happier. they did it. they are an eternal family. That is why I'm out here. To help people be with their families for eternity. I love it. worth every sacrifice. every one. These people are a part of me forever. 

       

also- we had a lesson with a 13 year boy who we have been trying to teach for FOREVER!!!!!!!! I cannot express how special this young man is- he has a special spirit- his family has been lost to drugs and his older brother to gangs- he lives with his god-mom (adopted mother almost, but not legally, just by love) who is a less active member of the church which is how we found him. and I tell you I would die first before I will see Uvon get swallowed by gangs and drugs! He has such a light about him. we taught him about the BOM- he loved it- we have another appt with him next week. I will do everything in my power to strengthen this young man- I told him all I see in him and all his potential- he was riveted- listening intently- he's special. he wants to be a good person. Also- Harmyni the little 10 yr niece to Cierra who we are teaching? well at our last appointment she came up to me and hugged me and wouldn't let go- I could feel something was wrong so I just hugged her then she looked up at me dead in the eye and said, "Will you be my god-mom?" My heart melted- what came to my mind was the line in my patriarchal blessing that said, "there will be many that will call you mother" and I teared up and she just kept looking at me waiting for a response- so I looked her in the eyes and told her she would be in my heart forever and even after I leave I promised her I would find a way to keep in touch with her the rest of her life. and i meant it. I will. (she is adopted by her grandma bc her mom is a drug addict). 

  so yeah- that is a bit of the missionary work side of things, the most poignant experiences. Now- to tell you about the Missionary Leadership Conference we spoke/taught at- wow. I can't even tell you how amazing/draining that was. I have only been to an MLC meeting once before, so to be speaking at my 2nd one, and not just teaching but teaching all the leaders of the mission, and the AP's was really intense. We were given 30 minutes to teach/speak- which is the longest I have ever been asked to speak/teach. It was an incredible experience that I know I need for future experiences- I still have lots to learn-but the Lord is teaching me. I can tell you- the best part of it was when i was testifying of the hastening of the work and of the importance of this work and the foundation we are laying for future generations- i felt so full of power and peace from God. It was amazing- but i seriously have never prayed harder in my life than before that presentation- I would be useless without the Spirit and I know it! so I prayed and prepared spiritual A LOT for weeks previous- and He came through :) A lot of people came up to me after and said that it addressed a specific thing they were struggling with or concern they had- so the more I hear that from various missionaries who I respect a lot the more humbled I was, and knew that it was truly Spirit led. It was just such a testimony builder to me of how to receive, recognize, record, and share revelation so it can bless the lives of others for it's intended use. and afterwards president stood up and told me, "Well done." I respect President more than anyone (except for you dad and mom) so that is something I will never forget. he is a second father to me. 

  So yeah- it was quite the week! Afterwards I was drained. but we still went out and worked :) God helps us!! Anyways- I love you all so much.  I love this work. It snowed in Florida this week too! It was the first time in 7 years- it was so weird- but now its back to sunshine. Mom- let me know how your teaching went and Jared/dad let me know all about the court of honor! Love you so much.

Sister Bertoldo.