This week has been AMAZING!! I seriously can't believe the miracles we
have seen this week!! We literally have like doubled our investigator
pool and we are doing really great, especially considering I was told
that I could not leave my bed for a few days and so we didn't work til
Wednesday and we still had a ton of lessons.
1) We got a member referral this week of a couple named Sharon and
Rick Rios. It was really cool because it said on our text to go talk
about families are forever ASAP. We figured it was pretty important so
we got over there. When we got there it was awesome because his
daughter from SLC was there and is a member and we got to watch
Together Forever with them. Sharon is on Hospice and just from working
in that field a lot she doesn't have very long...she is choking on
everything and her lungs sound terrible. Rick is awesome and is from
Mexico and was really attentive. He said he felt a lot of peace and
had had a blessing many years ago when he was sick and was healed from
the blessing and so he asked if Sharon could have one. We came back
the next day with Elders Emery and Anthony and they gave both of them
good blessings. Rick said he would call us if he needed anything but
that he wanted us to teach the Plan of Salvation...that's awesome!
2) Shalaun is doing really great, came to church, the Relief Society
activity, AND the ward party. She couldn't come to church yesterday
because she wa sick but she loves the church. I think we are going to
challenge her next week. She is SO funny and has the THICKEST southern
accent, is really loud, and is very opinionated. She is making friends
just fine in the ward and is one of those investigators we don't have
to worry about taking around and introducing at all...she just talks
to anyone and everyone and is acclamating just fine.
3) We have a baptism this week of a 9 year old named Aileena. She is
such a special little girl and knows so much about the gospel. She has
wanted to be baptized for a while but her mom has been really funny
about all of it. She is really intelligent and was going to Relief
Society every week because primary to her was too easy and she was
answering questions even in Relief Society. We eventually had to tell
her that she needs to be in primary and so she has been going and
enjoying it. Her kitty died this week and she was beyond distraught
and said she wasn't happy enough to be baptized this week....oh dear.
So we got her a blessing and hopefully all things will go
smoothly....saturday at 1 is the baptism so hopefully we can keep it!
4) We have found so many people lately and contacting has gone really,
really well. I am pretty surprised at this area that people for the
most part are super nice. We have only had one guy who was really
angry. We found a girl named Sabrina who talked to us for a while and
also a few more. Good times!
5) Yesterday we went to dinner at a member's house who just got
engaged and ate with her and her finance. She has been inviting her
soon to be sister in law to a lot of activities and she showed up
right as we were going to share our message with the family. We asked
her what she thought and she just started crying and saying that she
really wanted to get back into church because she misses her church in
Virginia. It was so awesome, we got to talk about the Boook of Mormon
and she said she wanted to take the lessons! Her name is Kayla and we
are so excited to meet with her.
6) I read a TON this week and could give a million insights, but I
will tell you my favorite. I read about the Garden of Gethsemane in
Jesus the Christ and it was amazing. Also I read the parable of the
talents in Matt 25 and I loved applying it to the mission actually. It
was really powerful.
Talmage says these things:
"In that of entrusted talents, the servants receive different amounts,
'every man according to his serveral ability' and equal in diligence
though shown in one instance by great gain and in another by small but
proportionate increase is equally rewarded. Unfaithfulness and
negligence are condemned and punished in both..."
"The men were servants, literally bondsman; they as well as those
possessions held by them in trust were his. Those servants had no
actual ownership, nor title of permanent proprietorship in the
treasure committed to their care; all they had, the time and
opportunity to use their talents and they themselves belonged to the
Lord..."
"....they were conscious as they were of having at least given it
their best...the honest, diligent, faithful servants saw and
reveranced their Lord the perfection of the good qualities which they
possessed in measured degree; the lazy unprofitable serf, afflicted by
distorted vision, professed to see in the master his own base
defects...relating to human acts and tendancies, is physioloically
true; in a peculiar sense men are prone to conceive of the attributes
of God as comprizing in augmented degree the dominant traits of their
own nature. Both the servant who had been entrusted wuth 5 talents and
he who had received but 2 were equally commended, and as far as we are
told, were equally recompensed. The talents bestowed upon each were
the gift of his Lod, who knew well whether that servant was capable of
using better advantage one, two, or five. Let no one conclude that
good work of a relatively smller scope is less necessary or acceptable
than like service in a wider range."
I just thought it was so good in relating to missionary work.
Sometimes we don't see outward results, but all we have we owe to the
Lord. He has entrusted us with the people in this area, and as long as
we are working hard we are good servants.
Well, everyone I just love all of you and hope everyone is doing
great! I will find out on friday for sure or not if I am getting
transferred. I doubt it, but we will see.
I love the gospel so much and I am loving my mission more everyday.
Don't get me wrong, it is not easy, and there are many discouraging
and trying days...but I have grown so much! I can't believe the growth
that occurs so quickly in such a short time on a mission.
This gospel is true and I love it so much! It is the BEST news EVER!
Love Sister Sheltz
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