This week has been a really trying one...but my Heavenly Father loves me and lines my days with tender mercies.
I have been more sick this week than I have in a long time, and in all honesty I really was missing Sister Pousima...
I love Sister Stinnett, but it is just different dynamics. We went along with our week, trecking through the days until we reached friday. Zone Conference. We have Zone Conference with 3-4 zones at a time, and guess who one of the other ones was...SANDY ZONE! It was a great opportunity to be with Sister Pousima, Elder Crowther, Edler Aleman, and Elder Reid again!
Sister Pousima wrote me a letter and inside put a big sheet of bubble wrap with a note on it that says, "I know you're rock hard, but just in case. ;)" She goes on to say, "Whatever you're facing right now, easy as 1,2,3. You are TUNDRA, 'Like a Rock!'...then quotes 'My people must be tried in all things...to receive the glory that I have for them.'...He has great confidence in you & with good reason! Just know and remember that these things shall give theee experience."...see. Best trainer EVER!
Anwywho, at Zone Conference Elder and Sister Ellis (he is of the 70) came and spoke to us and it was such an uplifting day! (Until Elder Brimhalla gave his farewell testimony and we all lost it..I can't believe he is already leaving!)
Other than that, we got a new hold on our vision for our missions, the vision of the missonary we want to be.
This is what President Miller sent as a recap of the Conference:
Be Who You Are, But Be a Pig
It seemed appropriate to review what we learned in our mission tour with Elder and Sister Ellis. You will recall that Sister Miller urged all of us to be like the pig and sacrifice our all for the work so we could receive all the blessings the Lord has promised. These two years are the years of your full consecration.
I shared with you that we should be like Samuel and not let any of the words of the Lord drop to the ground. We are having great success in our mission but I am confident we can even do better. Just one more door, one more call, one more visit, one more OYM before the day is done will make the difference. Even Moses got discouraged at times with the children of Israel when he asked the Lord to take him as they complained about eating manna each day. With somewhat of a sense of humor the Lord promised quail until it came out of their nostrils. Elias showed his servant that as great as the Syrian army was, “they that are with us are more than they that are with them” as he opened the eyes of his servant to see all the hosts of heaven surrounding the enemy. These blessings can only come to us as we follow the sons of Helaman with strict obedience. We show our love to the Lord by our obedience and He, in turn, promises us blessings. D&C 31:5
Sister Ellis spoke about Faith in Every Footstep. That as we have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can do anything we put our mind to. Even the apostles needed to ask the Savior for more faith.Luke17:5
Elder Ellis taught us that if we have done it before, we can do it again. If we have baptized a family we can baptize another family. We must expect miracles if we are going to increase our faith. He quoted Elder Packer as saying that “Preach My Gospel was designed beyond the veil and put together here”. Don’t let Satan bind your tongue as he did Joseph’s. Open your mouth.
Lastly, don’t forget Elder Stephen Allen and the Spudnuts. Have vision, set goals (which show the faith you have in your vision), plan, act, and evaluate. If we plan for the conversion of an investigator we must plan everything that needs to happen for that investigator to embrace the gospel. Once done, you can decide in your weekly planning what you will do each day for that investigator.
It seemed appropriate to review what we learned in our mission tour with Elder and Sister Ellis. You will recall that Sister Miller urged all of us to be like the pig and sacrifice our all for the work so we could receive all the blessings the Lord has promised. These two years are the years of your full consecration.
I shared with you that we should be like Samuel and not let any of the words of the Lord drop to the ground. We are having great success in our mission but I am confident we can even do better. Just one more door, one more call, one more visit, one more OYM before the day is done will make the difference. Even Moses got discouraged at times with the children of Israel when he asked the Lord to take him as they complained about eating manna each day. With somewhat of a sense of humor the Lord promised quail until it came out of their nostrils. Elias showed his servant that as great as the Syrian army was, “they that are with us are more than they that are with them” as he opened the eyes of his servant to see all the hosts of heaven surrounding the enemy. These blessings can only come to us as we follow the sons of Helaman with strict obedience. We show our love to the Lord by our obedience and He, in turn, promises us blessings. D&C 31:5
Sister Ellis spoke about Faith in Every Footstep. That as we have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can do anything we put our mind to. Even the apostles needed to ask the Savior for more faith.Luke17:5
Elder Ellis taught us that if we have done it before, we can do it again. If we have baptized a family we can baptize another family. We must expect miracles if we are going to increase our faith. He quoted Elder Packer as saying that “Preach My Gospel was designed beyond the veil and put together here”. Don’t let Satan bind your tongue as he did Joseph’s. Open your mouth.
Lastly, don’t forget Elder Stephen Allen and the Spudnuts. Have vision, set goals (which show the faith you have in your vision), plan, act, and evaluate. If we plan for the conversion of an investigator we must plan everything that needs to happen for that investigator to embrace the gospel. Once done, you can decide in your weekly planning what you will do each day for that investigator.
Anyway, I do not have time to go over everything that was said, but I LOVED what Sister Miller told us.
She talked about ham & eggs/pigs & chickens.
She said chickens donate eggs, but pigs sacrifice all they have. They give it their ALL, their WHOLE effort.
Be a pig.
Give this mission your ALL.
And that is exactly what I am doing, giving it my absolute all, because that is what my Savior gave for me.
(And yes, AL & Anni..this was in a grey's episode ;) haha)
Anyway, it was such an uplifiting day in these last few weeks of trial, but mt head is still head high and I am trying my hardest!
Glad to hear your talk went well!
I had our family on my mind all day yesterday...we went to dinner with the Robb family. He is the YM President in one of the wards we are over (ps we have dinner with members everyday from tuesday-sunday) anyway, we were asked to come teach the teachers & priests yesterday & he was standing out in the hallway waiting for us to arrive & honestly, I thought it was Uncle Todd. They look SO MUCH ALIKE! & the dinner we had, aunt licia would LOVE...anyway, he talks/acts/everything reminded me of Uncle Todd-so, let him know I love him and am thinking about him.
As for Thanksgiving, we are able to go anywhere in the mission if we are invited. Sister Pousima called me yesterday and is asking if I can go on an exchange with her in my old area so I can spend some part of Thanksgiving out in Sandy, and mayyybe with our whole old district which i would LOVE. I will have to let you know.
Otherwise we will make the rounds out here in West Jordan.
Hmm...not much else going on, we are trying to find people but it has been really difficult to, BUT we are not giving up!
Good to hear from you, give the family my love.
Things will pick up
:)
Love you so so so much!
Love,
Sister Givens
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