am always so thankful for the prayers and beautiful words of wisdom that you send me!
This week, as you already know was transfers and my new companion is Sister Fillmore. Sister Fillmore is crazy but in the best of ways. She has been serving here in the England London Mission for 13 months on the 25 of this month! She knows what she is doing! I have learned so much from her already! Oh and she really loves cows! Like really loves them. Right before she came out to serve her mission, she worked a year on a farm and basically fell in love with the large if rather dumb animals. It is just her thing and I love it.
So last Monday, we received a referral from the mission office. And we got to see him this week. His name is Svetoslov and he is from Bulgaria and he is so prepared. We taught him the first lesson which is the restoration and we also taught him about baptism. We were really excited to teach him, so much that we challenged him to be baptized on the 8th of November. And he accepted! He also promised that he would begin reading the Book of Mormon and and come to church this coming week! He accepted everything we taught him as well! I just feel that he is so prepared for this gospel. At the very end we were able to meet his wife and she is just so lovely!
Oh! And guys! Yesterday was the best Sunday ever! Sunday's have always been great but yesterday sacrament was (as one member, Elijah, would say) fantabulous! More on that later, but then right after church we witnessed three boys getting baptised! It was so sweet!
But wait, there is more. Last night, our district (two sets of elders
and us sisters) taught trainings at a member missionary fireside for
our ward ... And the Stevens were there! Our mission president and his wife were so gracious to come to our ward and support us! And from what we heard from the members, it was really good! I feel so united with the ward now! Right after the meeting ended, we even had some members come to us and say the days that they were free to come out teaching with us! God is so great! I think what made it so great was the fact that we missionaries were able to get across our love for them and our desire to help them bring their friends and family to this gospel that means so much to them! That we are at their disposal.
And that it really is not so hard. It isn't turning your papers in,
slapping on a name badge, and giving a year and a half of your life
away. It really is as simple as explaining simply a part of the gospel that has blessed your life and then inviting them to do something, anything that will help them come closer to Christ. Oh, I just loved it!
So back to sacrament meeting. The passed month and a half I have been feeling like something has been missing in my life, not just as a missionary, but for me as a person. And I have been struggling with it. My testimony was really shaking and I could not pinpoint the problem. I was praying and asking God to help me figure this out. God answered my prayer on Sunday. The entire message of the meeting was on the Saviour! That was it. That was my issue! Let me explain. Ever since preparing for my mission until now, I have been trying to build my faith in the things that people would challenge, the word of wisdom, the history of he church, the restoration, family, etc. I have been missing what they are all centred on, Christ!! The fact that
there is someone who knows every little thing we are going/have gone
through. Someone who has made it possible that we can feel peace in
times of struggle and confusion. Someone, when we have done all we can do and have fought as hard and as long as we could, will take up the fight for us, on right beside us. Never letting us go, never letting us give up even when we want to. There is someone who loves us unconditionally, but perfectly, meaning he will love you no matter what, but still expects you to do right, to continually come closer to him. To purposely become a better person.
I hope you all can come to realise that for yourself. And if you don't
already have this understanding, search for it, because there is
nothing like it. My faith is so very far from perfect. Every day I am
fighting doubts and concerns and trying to overcome them, but this
hope is what I hold onto and it gets me through every single day!
I love you all and hope that you know that EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU WHO READS THIS is a CHILD OF GOD! You are great in the sight of God.
Love,
- Sister Lisa Haynie
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