Sister Kerr and I in our apartment.
Beautiful fall leaves in Oregon.
Wednesday was my first real day in the mission field. I'll start out with my first experience tracting. It was THE scariest moment of my life. haha Tracting is SO terrifying for me!!! We went to the first door and the guy took the Book of Mormon and said we could come back Saturday! Unfortunately, he didn't answer on Saturday. But we will try again. On that first tracting experience we also ran into an inactive member who we are going to go see today and gave out one other Book of Mormon. After we stopped tracting that day I was seriously craving to keep tracting more. Which is so weird. I think I just really wanted to keep going so that I could get used to it. But, I don't feel like that after tracting anymore. haha
On Saturday we went tracting and we were having no success at all. One lady opened her door and immediately yelled, "I'm not interested, I practice witchcraft!" Ummm... We also had a guy who had been given anti literature and was extremely not welcoming.
As we were walking back to the car we stopped and talked to a man and woman who were unloading flowers out of the back of their car to see if they needed help. The man gave Sister Kerr and I each a bouquet of flowers and said that they sold flowers at the farmers market and didn't sell a lot today and that maybe those would brighten our day a little. I needed it! We then gave them a Book of Mormon and they weren't interested at all in us after that but we left them with it anyway. It was so nice of him to give us flowers though. We gave one to Sister Levinseller, who came with us to an appointment later that day, and another bouquet to Sister Kavenaugh, who fed us dinner that night.
Whenever we go tracting I have to take it one door at a time or else I feel as if I might collapse. haha it is so hard for me. I sing a hymn in my head and picture angels walking beside me and focus on how these peoples lives could change with this knock on the door. Help the missionaries in your area!!!! Tracting is wonderful and could potentially be successful, but it is so much better to receive referrals. ALWAYS be looking for people you can refer to the missionaries. That will bring the most success.
We got a referral the day after we got here from Mormon.org. It was from a lady in Washington referring her friend in our ward. The lady said only the sister missionaries could come by, so what a blessing it is that we got here the day before! Her name is Heidi and she has had a hard life, and called her member friend in Washington saying that she was missing something important in her life. So her friend referred her to us. Heidi said that she has investigated almost every church there is and is still missing something and she decided maybe it was time to try our church. We went and saw her and she told us how lately she has felt "spiritually hungry". She uses phrases like that a lot that are so familiar to us, but she always says, "I know this sounds so so weird..." and then she will describe how she is "spiritually hungry" or how she felt her prayer was answered or how she recognizes a spirit in us, etc... The Lord has been preparing her. We just visited with her that first day and then we went back on Saturday to teach her the Restoration. When we talked about how the gospel blesses families she cried so much. The Spirit was so strong. She has had a lot of hard experiences with men, but she loves her kids so much and wants to help them be happy so much. At the end of the lesson I asked her, "As you come to know for yourself these things are true, will you be baptized by someone holding the authority from God?" and she VERY enthusiastically said, "Yeah! Heck Yeah!!!" haha It was one of the best moments of my life. haha Tonight we are going to try to set a specific date for her baptism, so hopefully it goes just as well.
Heidi and her 11 year old son came to church with us yesterday and they both loved it a lot. It was the primary program in our ward which was so cute and good for her too because she wants a good religion for her two little baby granddaughters. Also, because it was the kids sharing everything, the doctrines taught were in such simple terms that it was just so good for her. After Sacrament Meeting I introduced her to Brother Wheeler. He and his wife just got baptized a year ago and went to the temple to be sealed this past Saturday. He asked her about what she was thinking as she is investigating and she said, "This is it. It just feels so good." Sunday school was amazing as well. The brother teaching taught about the Plan of Salvation and it was an amazing lesson! Heidi had her Book of Mormon out on her lap the whole time and even felt comfortable enough to ask questions. It was a perfect preview for our lesson with her tonight. Relief Society was on forgiveness which Heidi has been telling us that is something she and her daughter are struggling with so that was good for her as well. It was all just a really good Sunday for her. After it was done she said, "Church isn't long enough! There is still so much to talk about!" haha It was really cute. I really pray that she will continue to pay careful attention to her feelings. I know that this gospel will bless her and her children's lives so much. She is so special and I feel so blessed to know her! We are going to see if Noah, her 11 year old son who went to church yesterday, wants to take the lessons. And we are also going to ask her 17 year old daughter and her two baby girls to sit in with us too.
We also taught a girl named Claudia who has been investigating. She already has a baptismal date for a month from now. She has to wait because she doesn't turn 18 for another month and her dad doesn't want her to be baptized. She is so amazing! We already love her so much too, and have another lesson with her tomorrow.
We have been trying to go see a lot of inactives, but can't get in many houses. We have already had a lot of appointments set up and then cancelled or not there when we show up. That happens so much. I am so grateful for the members help. Please help the missionaries. Have your friends come to your house and do lessons there with them. It is such a huge help and way more successful than leaving everything to the full-time missionaries.
We have been eating dinner at members houses every night. I like our ward so much! The people are so kind. It was fun to go to church yesterday so we could meet everyone. Sister Kerr and I passed out programs so we could meet everyone and it is so cute to see how excited everyone is that sister missionaries are in the ward now too.
This week I have prayed a lot, and this morning I realized that every day I have received answers to my prayers in a similar way to Enos, when he said, "...and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart..." This has very literally happened to me this past week. Many of my prayers regarding questions that have been troubling me have been answered in the form of hearing what Mommy and Daddy have taught me in the past. I am SO grateful for loving parents who have raised me in the gospel. It is their words who come to my mind when I am struggling with something. "Families are ordained of God, they are the most important social unit in time and in eternity... The home is the best place to teach, learn, and apply principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ." I am so grateful I was raised in a home that was centered on these principles, and by loving parents who taught me truth and whose words come to my mind as I strive to help others and strengthen my own testimony.
I miss you all and love you. I feel so blessed to have all of you. THANK YOU for so many emails!!! It feels like months pass between each P-day, so write write write please.
I know my Savior lives. I am so grateful for His guidance. I am so thankful for the angels I feel around me bearing me up and giving me courage and strength. I am so extremely grateful for the Book of Mormon. The scriptures can provide us with so much strength as we follow its teachings. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the power of prayer and of the power of the atonement. What a special thing to know that we don't have to carry the load of our burdens. Mosiah 24:13-15.
I love you all and miss you. You are all a part of me wherever I go. :)
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