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
No comments:
Post a Comment