Dear Family!
Greetings from the land of Slidell, LA! I am doing wonderful. I learned this week that contrary to popular belief missionaries are not robots and can get sick too.lol I promise this is not a heroic letter of how I was on the verge of death and miraculously recovered.. no nothing like that. It is just amazing to me how real the work is and the lord really does call individuals to the work.
Things are going wonderful here. As I have said in previous letters, the work has been really slow and at times frustrating because we did not have that many people to teach, or anyone that wanted to listen to us. After countless hours of hard work, prayer and much fasting we have families to teach. We have families coming out our ears! It is amazing. So so many families. As a missionary this is what you pray and hope for and it is coming to pass. The Lords timing really is an amazing thing and when people are ready to receive the gospel they are ready..and when they are not..no missionary effort is wasted..but you have to face it..they're just not ready. No amount of trying to listen to the spirit to discern what they need will help them if there heart is not in the right place and there eyes are set upon things of the world.
Yes yes I know you are probably dieing to hear who these wonderful families are that we are teaching and I will tell you!
First we are still working with the Part member family. The one I always tell you about. Last Tuesday we took a couple from the ward over with us to meet and fellowship them. It went wonderful. The head of the home, who is the member, told us before that he had home teachers many years ago that fell asleep on his couch. He fed them, listened to them and then sent them on there way. Going back last night we asked him what he thought of the couple we brought over. He said they were nice and they were really out going. We said yes they are! and They didn't fall asleep. he thought that was funny. We are trying so hard to help them see that they can be a family forever, that the love they have for each other does not have to exist only in this life but the one to come as well. Little by little we are able to see how there hearts are being softened and they are, and desiring to make changes in there lives.
I really feel that one of the main reasons people are so scared to change is because sometimes repentance hurts! Seeing the things that aren't in line with Gods will and then changing is hard and it hurts..but i wonder..why are we so scared to repent and go through that kind of hurt, yet we are not scared of the hurt that comes when we ride a skate board? Repentance is a lot like the scrape that comes when we fall off the skate board. The wound, be it shallow or deep, hurts for a time. This is like the Godly sorrow we feel when we realize what we are doing is wrong. We know that we must put things on the wound to help it heal, sometimes it hurts worse as we do, but it is important that we try to make things right. After all the healing is done we are left with a scar..now the scar does not hurt because the healing has fully taken place..yet it is there for us always to remember so we will not want to do the thing that caused the hurt in the first place. God promises that he will remember these things no more and our hearts are full of such joy and we are able to sing the song of redeeming love. Now why are we so scared of this wonderful process of Repentance? What a gift and a blessing it is.
I tell you these things because I feel this is what the head of the house must be going through..It is going to hurt coming back to church because of decisions made, but if he could just see how happy he would be in the long run..oh the joy he would feel.
and now for the second and last story! drum roll please!!!....
We have a family of 3! yes count them...a dad a mom and their daughter! We received a text about a week ago for a whats called a "media Referral" This is when someone goes to salt lake and they meet with missionaries and want to learn more. They give them there information and then they give it to us and we go talk with them.
So this family..can i just tell you..they are wonderful! They went to salt lake and saw the temple and toured all of temple square for hours with missionaries. This daughter of this family is 16 yrs old and is already starting to look into what college she wants to go to. So naturally they went and toured BYU campus and loved it. The girl is currently home schooled because she does not like the values of her friends and others that go to her school. She told us how impressed she was with the honor code and how she loved the values they had and how everyone was so happy. The mom also told us that they felt so good while they were there, almost as if they were back in the 50s because everyone was so friendly and happy. ( ha..yes this is true) So I am getting ahead of myself..
After we got the text we only had the number for a business and an address..so we called the number and left a message. We waited a few days and They called us back! We set up an appointment to go and see them yesterday. Our visit with them was amazing. We felt like Ammon and his experience teaching king lamoni in the book of mormon. Expounding scriptures unto them and the plan of salvation. It was a wonderful experience. They were very open and had many many questions. I love it when people really want to know more. What we have to offer is to build upon the truth they already know. Words cannot describe how wonderful this family is!
We are going back Tuesday and Thursday night.. and! They are coming on Wednesday to Young Women's and Book of Mormon class. Such a blessing!
(Oh i was going to tell you.. The Dad ( who is 80!) asked some really great questions.. He wanted to know how high up women go in the church. What happens if you don't come to church. How you become a member.. They had some really great questions. I hope we answered them in the way that will help them the most and by the spirit. We sure tried!)
So that is pretty much it..It might sound like a little, but the Lord truly has blessed us. No missionary effort is ever wasted!
Also another cool experience coming up is I am going to play the violin for the daddy daughter night at Chick-fil-a here.. I never thought in a million years I would be playing the violin so much on my mission.. So yes Mom..I should've practiced more. I know now :) I feel so blessed and things are going so well. I hope you are having a great week and may God be with you.
Love, Sister Urie
Southernism: "Stop, Drop and Roll won't work in Hell." - Bumper Sticker.
Tracting Tips: only 10 cents this week.. and yet again i have lost count.
Scripture: Moroni 6:4-6 ( why we go to church on Sunday. I just love these verses!)
Dear mom.. Sorry there are no pictures this week. Hopefully there will be some next week!
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