Blessings, blessings and more blessings

Nov. 12, 2013

Hello from Toronto. Man it is COLD. And there isn't even snow yet. My winter coat saves me so that is good. All I can do now is say "Bring it on Winter!" It's going to be fun. But I'm grateful I'm in the city....winter won't be too bad if I stay here. We'll see. And I'm grateful for the fireplace in our apartment.

(Name) is doing well. He is still super super busy but he came to church last Sunday. And he stayed to watch ANOTHER baptism. We were supposed to meet with him yesterday to discuss his baptism but he couldn't make it because of school. So we are meeting him tomorrow and then hopefully he will be baptized this Sunday. My concern is just he's busy. But he really wants to be baptized so I hope that will work out for him. He is so cool though. Every time we meet with him he is just so prepared. So far he has accepted EVERYTHING. And when his cousin comes to our lessons he throws down on him pretty good. haha. I'm excited for him.

(Name) WE MET HER FINALLY last week. She's doing okay. We had a really good Book of Mormon lesson with her so I'm hoping that she'll start reading it. Out of her family her daughter is the most solid. She came to church last Sunday and now she has a part in the primary program. She loves the children's Book of Mormon that we gave her.

(Names) are doing great. We took a member with us last week and it was awesome. The member gave some great ideas for FHE and teaching the gospel in the home. She should be getting a priesthood blessing by her husband this week. I know she will come back to church...it's just a manner of time. But her son loves us. He loves looking at lds.org/mormon.org and mormon messages. We gave him a children’s Book of Mormon too and he is browsing through it. It is awesome!

This last Sunday was crazy. Our mission has been focusing on church attendance as of late. So we've been inviting everyone to church. This last Sunday...God blessed us big time. Our companionship had 8 PEOPLE at church. I've never seen anything like it. (Names) came and then...two people came that we talked to on the street.

The first guy we talked to at a bus stop and invited him to church 2 weeks ago. Said "he'd think about it." Never came to church. Then last week I saw him on the bus and talked to him again. And the funny thing is...I failed as a missionary. I didn't say anything that was super spiritual. I just invited him to church again and told him to come and he wouldn't regret it. I went on with the week thinking that he wouldn't come because he didn't make any promises. Sunday two hours earlier he shows up and he starts watching the Spanish sacrament meeting. THEN...we were at a meeting but when we came back he was practicing WITH THE CHOIR. Oh boy. He stayed for the English sacrament meeting then had to leave. But still...that came out of NOWHERE.

Then I talked to the other guy on the bus on Friday. Invited him to church and got his number. He told me on the bus "he was busy" and that he wasn't sure he could make it. I texted him Sunday morning. And HE CAME. (well he actually went to the wrong church during the first hour but then we got him to our church for sunday school and priesthood. He liked it.) It is awesome!

And then...I forgot one last thing... Saturday I visited our Filipino friends. And I got my hair cut.

And I realized she cut a lot more than I expected. So my hair is chopped.
and it is AWESOME.

So I got my first missionary haircut. haha. But it is fun. I haven't had this short of hair for awhile. But it is nice for a little change. I actually like it a lot.  And they came to church too. :) :) :)

Blessings, blessings, and more blessings. It kinda scares me because I know a mission isn't supposed to be this easy and awesome all the time. So I'm nervous when things may not be rolling as they are now. But I am just so grateful for all that God has done here. He is hastening the work like crazy here. But honestly I can't say this is all because of me because it's not. I don't know why this is happening but I feel super blessed and super grateful. What a great few months it has been!

Anyways hope you have a good week. Love your letters. Love you. Love this work.

Sister Ogden

P.S. This quote was so so so great. I read it last week and it hit me so hard. I am so grateful for the Atonement. I don't know what my life would be like without it. This is from Pres Faust Oct 2001:

"We long for the ultimate blessing of the Atonement—to become one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love. ³⁶ How gloriously sublime this experience will be if we can feel worthy enough to be in His presence! The free gift of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us is the only way we can be exalted enough to stand before Him and see Him face-to-face. The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the perfect love the Savior has for each and all of us. It is a love which is full of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long-suffering, and, above all, forgiving.

The evil influence of Satan would destroy any hope we have in overcoming our mistakes. He would have us feel that we are lost and that there is no hope. In contrast, Jesus reaches down to us to lift us up. Through our repentance and the gift of the Atonement, we can prepare to be worthy to stand in His presence. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Satan wants us to not feel good enough. Christ wants us to feel worthy in His presence. It is up to us to decide where we want to be and how we want to feel. It is possible to feel worthy but only through the Atonement. This can't come any other way.