Sunday, June 8, 2014
Miracles!!
6/2/14
Guess
who is staying in (area) with (comp) for 6 more weeks? I AM!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
WOW!
What a crazy crazy week! I don't even know if words can tell you all that's
happened. I guess the only way to describe it is it's been super super busy but
super super awesome!
Dad: Can't wait to see the office when you are all moved in! I
love hearing about all the missionary opportunities you have. I'm getting a
little nervous because I know I'm not going to have as many opportunities in Utah as here in Canada Utah
Morg: I'm so proud of you and for your decision and desire
to serve a mission. That is so amazing that you received the Melchezidek
Priesthood yesterday. I'm SO grateful for the priesthood....it just makes me
think of all the times district leaders have given me or my companions priesthood
blessings...or just blessed & helped people in the church in general. You
are going to bless many people my brother...before, during, and after your
mission! I'll be keeping you in my prayers as you submit your papers and wait
for your call!!!! Yay!!!!!
Okay this week was crazy!!! Exchanges went well! I was stressed out of my
mind but it went good. It was fun to be with the STL. She made it fun!
And I told her the rap story and she just laughed for like five min straight.
Since she's my leader she does follow ups with the zone leaders after the
exchange and she told me "Ohhh I want to just scare them so bad in
follow-up calls and be like, 'those sisters are listening to apostate music!!!'" Man I don't think I'll ever live
this down. haha.
But..we had an amazing miracle happen!!!! This is THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE ENTIRE WEEK SO GET
READY!!!! Once upon a time we were on exchanges and we had both of our
appointments bomb! So we were outside talking to people when the phone rings. I
look down and it's...(name) (NOTE: This is the investigator that backed out two days before her baptism. It
broke Aerin's heart when it happened.) I look at the STL and tell her I have to get this. So I
do...(Investigator) said, "Hey sisters..I had a few questions and I
was wondering if you could come
over!" I told her, "well we actually have free time right now can we
come now?" She said yes so we booked it to her house. We sat and talked about
the concerns that she had and then I asked her..."are you
thinking about being baptized?" She said yes. She said that especially the
past few days she feels that God is PUSHING and PUSHING her into this
direction. And she knows it's where she needs to go...
SO GUESS WHO IS PREPARING TO BE BAPTIZED????
MIRACLES!!!! I was so shocked I didn't even know what to say!!!!
But I am so happy.
Interviews went very well. Awww I love my mission president and his wife so
much! I'm going to miss them so much! :( I think these last interviews were the
best I've ever had. And I don't know exactly what to share other than I just
felt loved. I always wonder how I can feel so much love when I don't see them
on a consistent basis but I do. It's so weird. It was awesome because I went
in to President's interview and it wasn't what I expected at all. I brought up
a question on something and it just turned into this discussion about the plan
of salvation and about our pre-earth life. It was deep and SO COOL! It
answered some questions I've had my entire mission so I just loved it!
Well everyone else is doing pretty good. (Investigator) though isn't doing so hot. He bombed the two
appointments we had with him last week and didn't go to church. :'( So a little
sad about that.
Then (investigators) dropped some crazy news....They are
moving to another city in a month....and because things are crazy with the move and the new
job...they can't have a set wedding date. So they are a little bit in a limbo
right now. But we love going over there and helping them continue to read the Book of Mormon and such. She wants to continue going to church in the new home and still wants to be baptized. So that's really good! (I'm a little jealous
for whoever is there when they move! They're awesome!)
Yesterday we had a way cool meeting. It was district
conference/stake conference for all of Canada Salt Lake City to all the churches in Canada Holland Canada
Anyways I love you all very much! Thanks for being so amazing! Keep the faith and keep perspective!
I'll end with a quote I LOVED from Elder Bednar's talk from last
conference. I read it this morning and it was just so good.
"Thus, the Savior has suffered not just
for our sins and iniquities—but also for our physical pains and anguish, our
weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments
and discouragement, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the
injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that
beset us.
There is no physical
pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or
weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience
first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like.
No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly
knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And
because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can
extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and
strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we
could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and
His burden is light."
Sister Ogden
 |
LOVE THESE PEEPS! |
Rapping Things Up
5/26/14
Hola!
So...I didn't get a lot of emails this week so I'm writing a big long one for
you..lucky you!
You started reading Preach My Gospel? YAY! That's so awesome!
Preach My Gospel is really cool. You first see it as a book "just for
missionaries" but it totally applies to us as members of the Church. We've
been sharing tidbits of Preach my Gospel with members and it has been so cool
to see the unique spirit that it brings into homes. Can't wait to hear what you
learn and your experiences with it!
Morgan...have I told you how excited I am? Can I ever tell you
enough? AHHHHHHHHH! Your papers are almost in. I'm so excited for you. I'm
going to be praying and thinking of you these next few weeks. Yesterday was
fast and testimony meeting because we have district conference this coming
Sunday. A sister who is preparing to go on a mission and is almost done with
her papers bore her testimony. And I just got so emotional because I was just
so excited for her. And then I thought about all those who are going on
missions soon. I just really wanted
to stand up and yell, "I am SO pumped for you!!" My mission has
changed my life...and it continues to do so. I don't know even how to describe
it. The experiences you have out here really do impact you and impact others.
It's hard work...but it's so rewarding
all the same. Okay I'll stop going off on my missionary soap box here. I'm
just SO EXCITED!
Mom...your funny "foggy" experience at the hospital reminds me
of when I'm with my comp and I'm trying to drive or do something and talk
to her at the same time...I struggle. I'll be like, "I think.....I
think....that....we...we need to do...." And I can't EVER finish my
sentences. She's like, "Nevermind Sister, I'll talk to you when
you're not preoccupied." haha. I CAN'T MULTITASK! Working on it.
Annie....Congrats on
the awards...I feel like you have gotten many the last few months. That's
awesome! That's so WEIRD you are almost ready to get your
permit. Ew. Ick. Uck. Why are you so old? And what is this I hear that you want
me to take the train so you can have the car? Actually...that might be fun...I
could still contact people I guess. haha.
Speaking of cars...well I'm glad I don't have to worry about
driving in the snow in Canada
So this is gonna be a crazy week here because a)
it's the last week of the transfer b) tonight we are going on an exchange with
the sister training leaders. I get to stay here with a sister
that came out with me and c) it's interviews with the mission pres & wife this Thurs. So I haven't been able to relax the last few days :) I'm so excited for everything that's going on...it's just CRAZY.
So like I said I have interviews with Pres and Sis this
Thurs and I'm excited. I feel like I haven't talked to them in FOREVER. I love them
so much...and it's a little bittersweet because it's my last interview with
them. So I want to make it a good one! That would be cool if you went to their
homecoming. They are awesome!
This week was crazy. Just sayin. But it was AWESOME!
(Investigators) are doing well for the most part. We met them
last week and we hadn't seen them for a while. First they told us due to financial stress and their situation the wedding is called
off for the time being (but we are confused because they told us they want to
still be married in our church???) At first I was just crushed inside. But then
we watched Pres Monson's talk "I Will Not Forsake
Thee" with them because she hadn't ever heard the prophet. She got all teary at the end and told us
how she knew he was a man of God. He was "different" from other
leaders. He had a very amazing love. It was so cool. Then she just went on
this monologue of how much she's changed since she met with us. She has changed
so much...she has no desire to do a lot of the things she was doing before. She WANTS to obey the commandments. As she was
just going on about this I just got so teary and happy. The gospel changes
lives...and it is changing this family. So she recognizes this is the
right path for her. We just need to resolve her wedding concerns. They
are so awesome!
(Investigator) is doing better. Baby steps with him. We had an awesome
lesson with him the other night. We were talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how you need
ALL the steps to make it to the celestial kingdom (faith, repentance,
baptism,Holy Ghost, endure to the end) So as a little object lesson we made
cookies...and while the cookies were baking we gave him some cookies we already
made...but we put a lot of salt in them...heheheh. We talked about how even if
a few "steps" or "ingredients" are left out...it changes
the outcome. I think he got the point. We can't pick and choose what we follow
in the gospel...we have to follow ALL of it. It was fun!
(Investigator) is doing awesome! Came to church for the second time
yesterday. He's reading and he seems to like what he is learning. Tomorrow for
exchanges we are going to be talking to him about the word of wisdom. And it's just been fun teaching him because he really listens.
(Investigators) are still here. We don't see them as much. They
still have quite a lot of challenges they are overcoming. But we help out as
much as we can.
We had a cool miracle happen too. So Sister T baptized
this couple six months ago or so. But they haven't been to church. We had a lesson with them last Saturday and we talked about
sacrifice. ...and how the Lord will make up for the sacrifices we make
to keep our covenants... and they came to church yesterday! YAY! They are a
wonderful family! I was super happy for them to be there! For the last few
months that I've been here we've visited but they
didn't make it out a lot...but this week they did! YES!
Anyways, I'm grateful for the gospel. I'm grateful to be here. I
think it's really funny how God works. He knows what we need and WHEN we need
it. Hope you have a good week!
Love you all!
P.S.
So Aerin had a really funny thing
happen this week. The reason it is funny is that as those of you who know Aerin
recognize, she is a Rule Follower. Some people are; some people aren't, and
Aerin most definitely is. Big time. She is very obedient. It
actually caused her problems occasionally in basketball, because she would
follow exactly to the letter what the coach told her to do, when at times she
maybe should have improvised according to the situation. So that is why
this situation is so ironic. You also need to know that in Aerin's mission, they are allowed to listen to "uplifting"
music. So EFY songs, instrumental, etc. are okay.
She sent me what her companion had written home about it
(below):
COMP: My week went
alright i had a few embarrassing situations and we now think our zone leaders
think we are apostate. We had an investigator show us this amazing
freestytle rap by this man who spent some time in jail. Thing is he didn't have
any beats or anything.. he was just rhyming, but the rap was incredible. I
wouldn't even call it a rap... It was all about the Savior and God and his
decision to follow Christ.How we cant let satan have any power over us and i
cant quote very well, the best
part about it was that as i was listening i could feel the
spirit testifying of the truths that were in his rap. I want to name it to his
testimonial rap because that's exactly what it was, anyways he showed us this
rap and we got to another investigator's home and we thought how awesome would it be for him to hear
this to know that there is better type of music to listen to than just a bunch
of songs with swearing in it, so i have my comp text our other investigator to find out what the
name of the rap and rapper was, but she accidentally sent it to the Zone
leaders (so the message was: "Hey we were wondering could you text us
name of that rapper that we listened to yesterday?")..
She freaked (that's an understatement)
out when they texted us back and said "i don't know i'm not well versed in
rap sisters"... We almost peed our pants, and of course i got to clean up
the mess when they called us 2 seconds later and all of this is happening
during our lesson mind you, so not only are we embarrassed because the whole
situation could have been avoided but we are also getting into "trouble"
in front of our investigator and member. We assured them that we felt the
spirit from it and it didn't draw our thoughts away from our purpose but in
fact added on to it and if i had the chance i would recommend it to the mission
president to listen to. They hung up and then sent us another reminder via text. so it
kind of was resolved but we still aren't comfortable to see them during skills
and interviews this thursday.
AERIN:(So...yeah...I'm like super embarrassed about it because
they might think we are listening to inappropriate rap music...which we weren't
at all....sigh...way to go Sister Ogden...one of my brighter moments on my
mission)
We told her
that she & her comp should wear bandanas, snapbacks, etc. to their next zone
meeting. Or flash gang signs to one another. Hope she won't kill me for sharing it, but we have been laughing about it all week.
 |
District |
Gratitude
5/20/14
Hello!
Hope you all had an amazing, terrific, uplifting, exciting week! I'm excited to
write to you today!
So
as you know yesterday was Victoria Day...a holiday to celebrate Queen Victoria
Yesterday
was a Day of Service for us. Lately we've been serving a lot of people..We've
been especially helping a less active family with their yard, as well as a few
members’yards who aren't physically well. We've been seeing good things from
service here and it makes me happy!
Like...the
one less active family we've been serving has become really close to us. It's a
part member family, and the wife is a member.
It was awesome because a few weeks before, her
husband's parents were there and they were asking
questions about our church. We gave them a Book of Mormon (actually Annie it
was one that had YOUR testimony on it) and the dad accepted. We thought we
wouldn't see them again. WRONG! Last week we saw them AGAIN. And we felt really
strongly impressed to watch The
Restoration Video....so we asked and they said we could and we watched it! It
was really good! You COULD NOT DENY the Spirit. Both of them said
they liked it. And they want another movie night this week. So we'll
see....Seeds are being planted!
THEN...yesterday we were serving a member who has fibromyalgia
(can’t sp?) and so we were helping her out and her brother-in-law was there.
He wanted to "talk religion" with us. He was
pretty brutal with this member when she first joined the church. He was pretty respectful to us. But we had a good talk. He
mentioned a few things but we were able to be led to know what to say. You
know, I don't know EVERYTHING in the world...but I'm so grateful God
gave us the Book of Mormon to be that witness that His Gospel is restored.
Everything we believe about the Restoration lies on the Book of Mormon; it's true or it isn't. And
many, including myself have come to know that it is TRUE. And we can't deny it!
It's amazing how any concern can be resolved through that book.(And that guy hasn't
read it yet) I'm so grateful for it. I hope that he remembers our conversation
and he takes it to heart one day.
Updates on people!
So on a sad note...(investigator) is struggling. Didn't come to church
without even telling us! Yesterday we had a really intense lesson because he
just isn't progressing...he told us some struggles he's
having. So that's
good he is being honest with us now. But we reset some expectations and we're
going to try to help him out. We'll see what happens. It's breaking our hearts
though...I'm mean my comp has known him since January and so it's really
hard.
But...moving on to better things...we are teaching someone new! He was found downtown. We had a first lesson with him last
weekend. It was probably one of the weirdest lessons ever. We were teaching him
in this kitchen that he shares with other tenants. And all of a sudden there's
this guy that comes in who has a long beard...is tall....and he's white but he
sounds Jamaican. In the middle of our lesson he was like, "Are you
spiritual?" Then he started mumbling about "women power" and then
he starts SINGING! We just sit there for like five min so awkwardly and didn't
know what to do. Then he left...then he came back like two more times and then
he did the same thing. Oh man. But anyways...it was an interesting lesson. haha.
BUT despite the weird lesson he came to church! This guy has made a
bunch of changes in his life. He used to be pretty wild...got in a lot of
trouble...but a car accident really changed everything. He said that the last
ten years he's been getting his life back in order. He's a sweet guy. He
read from the Book of Mormon a little which we were so happy about! So we'll
see what happens.
My favorite part with him was in church. After sacrament
meeting we were talking to him outside in the hall and all of a sudden a branch member comes up. "Hey there! How are you?"
"I'm Good..."
"Do You remember me?"
"hmmmm....no?"
"I'm a police officer"
Then our investigator's face changed. "Oh. Oh oh yeah...." he
starts getting all embarrassed.
Apparently he had gotten in trouble with the member in the past.
Small world. It was pretty ironic....and it was just really funny. But the member was nice to him and said it was good that he was there. So yeah...
Anyways last thing I'll share is we were on our way walking to
the hospital to see (investigator). There was this woman gardening...and we are supposed
to talk to EVERYONE. We offer service to people but they usually reject us.
Well...I was just like, "I'll just ask and then we'll be on our
way..." I wasn't expecting anything. But when we did she said, "How
much do you pay?" And we said FREE! So we ended up gardening for this poor
woman who just found out her husband has three months to live. She's not in
good health either...she got in a car wreck that has left her with a really bad
back. So we were so happy to help! It was one of those moments I felt that God
had placed us in a path of someone who needed us. We helped her out big time
and her neighbors came and talked to us. Afterwards we wanted to invite her to learn about the gospel. But before we
could do that she told us she wasn't religious at all....we felt we needed to
not push it on her. I hope that in the future months missionaries can
help her and come back and try again though. But
hopefully our service has softened her heart a little more.
Well I best be going but I love you all. I'm so grateful to be
here. And although there are stressful moments, there are moments that I
wouldn't give up for the world here! I love the little miracles that happen
every day. I am so grateful for prayer...and I felt like a lot of my prayers
have been answered as of recent. Lately it's been hitting me how indebted I am
to my God for all that He's given me. I'm trying to finish the Book of Mormon again
before I end my mission and I'm in Mosiah now and I love King Benjamin's words
about gratitude. Even if we were righteous all of our lives....we still couldn't
repay God for all that He has given and done for us. What are we doing to show
that appreciation?
Anyways have a good week!
With love,
Sister Ogden
 |
Viva Las Hermanas! |
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Rough Happens. Note to Self: This Isn't MY Work; It's God's.
May 12, 2014
Hello family! (as a precaution this is going to be
a mushy gushy letter. So sorry!)
Well it was so great to see your beautiful faces
yesterday! Thanks for the chat! Some things never change (like Scout barking at
the door) But it was great to hear from you all! I'm glad
I could see Dad's muscles. I'm glad I could answer all of Mom's questions. I'm
glad I could tell Morg to go to institute. And I'm glad (but a little weirded
out) that Annie's looking all grown up. So crazy! I can never ever ever thank you
enough for being the greatest family in the world. I'm SO grateful for you all
and your love and support. I hope you know I couldn't do what I do without
you.
And thanks for being such a loyal emailer! Not
every missionary can say they have parents that support them and
love them for what they are doing. Sometimes I don't know what I ever did to
deserve this. :) But I love you and sorry again for the mushiness.
I don't know what to write about because I kinda
told you everything that happened this week. But I guess for those who weren't
able to skype with us, I'll just briefly give
the low down.
We went over the baptism interview questions for (investigator) last week. The next day we came over and she just told us straight up that her beliefs are
different from ours and that she cannot be baptized anymore. We did NOT see that coming. We didn't even know what to say. We asked her what
beliefs were giving her a hard time and she gave a few...but we quickly
testified and resolved them. Still she doesn't want to be baptized...and we
feel there's another reason she's not telling us about. It literally broke my
heart in a bizillion pieces. It's so sad when you think someone is ready to
take that covenant of baptism....and you are so happy for all the changes they
are making...and you work so hard....and then all of a sudden it crashes and
burns. I love her so much and it was so hard to not cry during our last
meeting. But you just have to have faith that in the future missionaries may
help her again....you can never say never. I know Heavenly Father loves her and I know that I was supposed to cross paths with her for a reason.
I'll always be grateful for knowing her.
On a brighter note...(investigator) is getting MARRIED at
OUR CHURCH now! Super super super stoked! I'm so happy that she still wants to be
baptized in our church. Oh I love her so much! It was her birthday last week so my comp and I pitched in and bought her a shirt. haha. Hopefully she
liked it. She came to church ON HER OWN on MOTHER'S DAY yesterday. Oh she is amazing! I love her so much!
And after a drought of finding investigators...we
finally found a few more on Saturday! We found them through kajiji (it's Canada
This week was a little on the rough side...but I
know that the hard days that we go through make us stronger. And hard days also
are some of God's greatest teaching moments. I've learned A LOT this week.
Lessons about how we are only in control of SO MUCH and how we have to leave
things to the Lord...as everything was happening I kept reminding myself,
"This isn't MY work...it's HIS...and I have to trust in Him that
everything will work out according to HIS will and not MINE..." I also
learned the importance of celebrating the small victories...even if they are
small. I've learned that in times of trial or need we can learn a lot about who
the Savior and our Heavenly Father are and what they had to go through for
me.
Although the week was rough it ended in an awesome
way! Loved talking and seeing the family! I'm excited for the new week and what
it will bring. It's going to be awesome!
I love you all so much! Hope you have an awesome week as well!
Sister Ogden
God's In This... I Know He Is.
5/5/14
Happy May! That's awesome you got to hear Elder Ballard! Canada
Speaking of which I forgot to mention a really cool
thing here.
Some members here can recall talking to and meeting with Pres Monson when he
was mission president here! Last week we were at a member's home and they
showed this picture. And it was the two of them getting married....and guess
who was right by their side who performed their marriage? President Monson! It
is so cool to meet people who knew the prophet as a mission president! You get
to hear all these stories and it's awesome!
Well this week was pretty good! It was crazy
busy!
(Investigator) is looking to baptism this Sunday! We gave
her the stop smoking workshop last week and so now she is trying to be smoke
free this week so she can be baptized this Sunday. (talk about cutting it
close!) So I'm pretty much biting my fingernails off because it's going to be a
close call. If she even lays a finger on a cigarette
and smokes once we'll push it back another week. Sigh...but I know God is going
to help her. We've been fasting and praying and trying so hard....She came to
church yesterday again and she's just so amazing! We downloaded the scriptures
on her phone and she was just so excited to have them on her phone! But
whatever happens, it's going to be okay. God's in this. I know He is. We're
going over for dinner tonight so I'm excited about that.
This week we helped (name) move (she
moved a few doors down the street) which was EXHAUSTING because it was just us
and her. Luckily some ward members came and helped with the heavier stuff later
on that evening. Unfortunately, (name) is just not doing well at all - for the time being so
he's pretty much dropped out just due to his sickness and not being able to meet with us. So Saturday
we did a do or drop with (name). We taught about the doctrine of baptism and
either she was going to accept or we were going to have to take a break. IT WAS
AMAZING! We read the scriptures to her and she believed us. Concerns were being resolved. The Holy Ghost
was THERE. It was really really cool. It taught me the importance of the
scriptures. The scriptures really are powerful tools and teachers. There is
power behind them! Anyways by the end of the lesson she agreed to be baptized
AND stop smoking. We were doing a happy dance all the way home!!! ...then...we went over yesterday. And then she
threw a tantrum because she was never ever ever ever going to stop drinking
tea. She just kept going on and on about how the word of
wisdom is not a commandment and how God loves her no
matter what she does, so why change. It was really heart wrenching. So...she's
going to pray about it...and in three days she's going to tell us if she's
going to do it or not. So we'll see what happens I guess.
(Investigator) is doing great! We had dinner with them
yesterday and they came to church for the second time in a row! YAY!
Anyways other than that things are going alright
here!
We are still struggling with finding new investigators. But we know that as
long as we do all we can...God will lead us to those who are ready! This area has definitely taught
me a lot about patience but I'm grateful for it.
I'm so grateful for prayer, the scriptures, and the
priesthood. I know that this is the restored church of Christ
I love you all so much! May God bless and protect
you this week!
 |
New dress (Thanks Gma!) |
"God Hath Not Given Us The Spirit of Fear..."
April 28, 2014
Wow what a crazy week! Hope you all had a good week
and all! It's so warm here finally:
I am LOVIN it! Yay! No more snow!!!!
I've been reading this talk about being a Preach My
Gospel Missionary that is AMAZING! I love it! It's "Becoming a Preach my
Gospel Missionary" by Elder Bednar from June 2011. You should read it just
saying.
Still keeping Grandpa and Grandma in my
prayers. I LOVE Grandma's grad pics...they are so awesome! I'm proud of ya
Grandma!
Okay so for the week...(investigator)...I love that woman! She is so wonderful!
She received a priesthood blessing earlier this week and it was AWESOME! Really
amazing promises and blessings. I just love the priesthood because you feel the
spirit so strongly....and you just know your investigators are feeling it too.
BUT...on Friday we visited her and asked how the smoking was going...and
she said it was really really hard. It's harder than it was when she first
quit. (Darn it Satan!) We told her why it's so hard...and so we are moving to
plan B which is to do a Stop Smoking Workshop this Wednesday and move her
baptism date back. She came to church yesterday
for the second time and she had a good time.
(Investigator)...is amazing as always. (I think everyone
is amazing haha) She's brought up a lot of concerns...how she doesn't feel
ready and feels like she has a far way to go. But we love her and she is so
sincere. She's been reading and praying but hasn't had "The Answer"
come yet....but we know it will in God's way and time. But they CAME
TO CHURCH yesterday. YAY! We
were so happy to see them. And the Branch President introduced himself to them. (Name) has been reading the Book of Mormon with the concerns that are on his
mind and last time we met he shared with us a scripture that answered a part of
his concern. It was so cool to see how the Book of Mormon works in answering
prayers and concerns. The power of the Book of Mormon is SO REAL.
(Investigator) is doing great...but he's been having a hard
time reading and praying every day. He isn't an "avid
reader" so sometimes he loses focus and pretty much is disinterested in
reading so much. BUT we are going to keep trying. We've been trying to break
down chapters for him to read and trying to "liken" more scriptures
to him but it's a process.
(Investigators): Oh man. I don't know what to say.
So pretty much he is just so down and is giving up...which is understandable
because he's dying...but he's going through a hard time. But it's hard because you see someone
suffering and you just don't know how to help them. I know the gospel will help him...but he's losing faith/hope. It's hard to see him go through that. He
told us he was reading/praying which shows that he hasn't COMPLETELY give up
but we'll see what happens. (Investigator) came to church
yesterday! If there's one word to describe her it's a "fireball."
She was excited to be at church and to learn.
This last weekend we went and served a less active sister whose husband is not a member. From serving her and helping her
clean up and do yard work for her, we've really gotten to know her and her husband. They've come out and told us they might make it to church
sometime. From serving them I've learned the power that comes from service.
When we serve and let someone know that they are loved, it opens many many
doors. We still need to address concerns, but we'll see what happens.
I'm so grateful for this gospel. It means so much
to me. In a study this last week I was reminded how "God hath not given us
the spirit of fear..." Especially at the start of the week I read about
how there are so many references in the scriptures where the Lord tells us to
"fear not." I know that feelings of fear do not come from God.
He loves us so much! One of my favorite scriptures that has meant a lot to me
is D & C: 6:33-37. I hope that you can continue to feel the Lord's love and
care for you and are reminded to "Be not afraid"
Anyways family...I'm curious: have you been reading
Preach my Gospel? We're inviting other families in the branch to study it...so
I’m wondering if you are too?
Hope you have a good week!
Sister Ogden
Here's the
Doctrine & Covenants scripture:
33 aFear not to do bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye
sow dgood ye shall also reap good for
your ereward.
34 Therefore, fear not, little aflock; do good; let earth and hell combine against
you, for if ye are bbuilt upon my rock, they cannot prevail.
35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways
and asin no more; perform with soberness the
work which I have commanded you.
37 aBehold the wounds which pierced my side,
and also the prints of the bnails in my hands and feet; be faithful,
keep my commandments, and ye shall cinherit the dkingdom of heaven. Amen.
The Miracle of the Atonement
April 22, 2014
Well hiya! It's funny because every week when email day comes I
am reminded: "I have a family who loves me!!!!" Thanks for all your
love and support. You do all make me feel loved!
This week was so crazy. No surprise
there. It's funny because you really don't know what to expect in a week on a
mission. All you know is that there are bound to be really good things that
happen...and some not-so-good things happen. Take this last week for instance:
Bad things: First (investigator)...she didn't
really like church. She and the recent convert who became less active found
church boring. (Keep in mind they are 15/16 yrs old....Annie I wish you were
here to be their friend!) So they told us when we came that they want to go to a different Christian church because they had friends that went there. :( We
testified of the restoration and told them to ask God which church they should
go to like Joseph Smith did. It's sad because the
people at our church really did reach out to them...but I don't know what will
happen. Crossing my fingers they give it another chance.
Then earlier that day...we called (investigator). We asked him when we could meet with him and he told
us he didn't want to meet anymore. Told us he was going to another church
Good things: (Investigator) is out of the
hospital! YAY! He still is in a lot of pain. But he is happy to be out. But our first lesson with he and his wife together was a bit of a trainwreck. It was intense.
After that lesson we dropped by to
see them a few days later. AND IT WAS A MIRACLE because he was home and we
had a member with us and so we were able to teach him alone. It was crazy. First
we were teaching him about the priesthood...but to be honest I just wasn't
feeling that it was something he needed at the moment. So after we taught him a
little bit we just started asking questions about his life...about his
fears...And it was really really cool because then the Spirit became
really strong. He is dying. And he is so scared because it is painful and it
is dragging on. We testified that what we would be sharing with him could help
him feel peace though he was dying. He even started to shed a few tears. It
was pretty emotional. He really wanted to come to church...but Sunday he wasn't
in good shape so he couldn't come. We invited him to read Alma
His wife is not convinced that the
priesthood is a man's responsibility. She thinks women and men should have it
and it can be passed on via ways other than laying
on of hands. I'm
learning a lot about the Bible because of her.
(Investigator) is AMAZING!!!! She's getting
baptized! So excited! Her big hill to climb now is
quitting smoking...she started when she was 11 and has been doing it her whole
life. But she told us she's willing to give up smoking in order to be baptized. Isn't that amazing that someone is so willing to give up a big part
of her life? I love that woman so much! Like really! She's going to be getting
a priesthood blessing tomorrow.
(Investigators) are doing alright.
One of the highlights of
last week is that she told us how much she LOVES reading the Book of Mormon.
She said, "I just feel so much better when I read it!" AHHH! SHE'S
BECOMING CONVERTED! She's on 1 Nephi 16. I'm so proud of her! But...her husband is going through a hard time. Last week he kinda broke down and told
us how heavy a burden he feels. We invited him to go talk to our branch
president and he told us he would. It's so
hard to see people like that go through pain. I KNOW the Atonement can heal him
but he needs to take that leap of faith.
He's carried these burdens for years now and it's gotten to the
point where he is tired. I really hope that he can hand those burdens to the
Lord. I love this family so much!
Everything else is going well here. We are now trying to find more
people to teach as well as to continue helping the people we are teaching progress.
By the way we went to the island last Saturday. That was so crazy. Man the more
I'm here the more I realize that I am in the COUNTRY. On the Island there
are farms everywhere and I saw my first "crop duster" planes. It's so
funny thinking about how a year ago I was in Toronto
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
Every day I feel like I come to love the Savior more and more and more. Before
my mission I thought I knew about Christ and the Atonement. WRONG! I don't
think I'll ever understand it completely but it's so amazing to see the
Atonement work and change people. I'm so grateful for His Resurrection. How
amazing is it to KNOW that we will live again. I'm so grateful for this.... During Easter I thought about Grandma R,
Grandpa F, Great Grandma R, Grandpa L, and all those who I
have known who have passed on. I remembered what they looked like at their
viewings...and it was amazing to think about what they will look like when I
see them when we are all resurrected beings. Our bodies will not look like
hollow shells but they will be PERFECTED! Isn't that amazing?!
I'm so grateful for each and every
one of you. I love you so much! Thanks for being amazing! I'm excited to be here with my comp for another 6 weeks. Good things are happening and hopefully they will
continue to happen! :)
With love,
Sister Ogden
Walking and Walking and Walking the Walk
4/14/14
HELLLLLLO FAMILY! Wow this is going to be a long email...I can feel it.
Man so much is happening. I'm so pumped! First of
all...thanks for the birthday posts and shoutouts and stuff! Means a lot to me!
(I'm glad I still have people that haven't forgotten me) haha. No but really!
Thanks again....
AND THANKS FAMILY FOR THE PACKAGES!!!! I opened my birthday package and
I wish you could have seen my face. I have not been so happy to receive CLOTHES
in my entire life! I tried all of them on and they fit well so don't worry
about exchanging cause they all worked! YAY! So thanks a million!
My birthday was great! Last Monday we went to Dairy Queen and then went
bowling. And guess who won both games? That's right! That was pretty fun...we were like the only people in the bowling alley. Then on Tuesday (my real birthday), we went and had
lunch at the Elders Quorum President's house. It was very nice of them! Then we
went and saw (investigator) at the hospital. That was something that was good...but at
the same time it's really depressing. He is pretty much giving up and he's
just in a lot of physical pain and it's really sad when you know that he's
probably not going to live for much longer. We did some dropbys that day and
then we went to the (member family's) for dinner. Oh man oh man they had decorations
and everything! The CAFE RIO SALAD SHE MADE
WAS AMAZING!!!!! I looooooooooved it. My craving has been satisfied! It was a few members and (investigator). After dinner and cake...we got to watch the Testaments
with everybody. So it was great! I forgot to mention my sweet comp gave me a cake too! So all in all it was a good day!
  Cakes! |
 |
Party! |
 |
Gifts! |
 |
Bday Fun! |
This past week I've learned two important lessons: One is that I'm so
grateful for cars. And two, I'm so grateful for the missionaries who served
long ago who didn't have cars and I respect them. Like really though. So...long
story short the sisters that served here previous to us ran into a sign and ruined the bumper. BUT...the car place couldn't get the car in
until 2 months later...So WE have to pay
the price! It's been FIVE DAYS! It was going to be two days but because we
drove in the car for a few extra months more damage took place and so they had
to order even more parts! This city is not like
Toronto where you can just hop on a bus...We have two
options: hitch a ride from a member or walk. It's been quite the experience
walking...like we keep feeling like those old time missionaries who just walked
everywhere. On the upside...the weather has been GORGEOUS! Like I love
it...it's PERFECT and SUNNY and AWESOME so no complaints. I can't believe
spring is here and the snow is finally gone! It's sometimes too good to be
true! Anyways then we get to talk to more people than ever before...and it's always
fun to do that! We've met some good people and it's been fun! Last Saturday we
couldn't get a ride from anyone so we walked 1 1/2 hrs from our home to
downtown which was pretty exciting. So you weren't the only ones hiking this weekend
family! I have a nice big blister on my heel that's pretty nasty. My comp's pretty grossed out about it but I don't care. I need to duct tape it!
haha.
BUT...despite the fact we didn't have a car....we had MIRACLES!!!!! We
had THREE investigators at church this past Sunday! YAY! The first two were two new investigators..... One was a teenage girl. It may take some time but that's okay! She is so cool! I love teaching her because it
reminds me of young women's and how much I loved it! We need to help these teenagers receive testimonies of
their own! I'm excited! Three teenage girls came to
church yesterday and they seemed to like it.
Then...(investigator) came to church. So on my birthday we had appointments fall
through so we were doing dropbys. We decided to drop by formers...My comp asked me what name stood out and his did. So we went and saw him. He
opens the door...tells us he's considering coming back to the Church and
learning again and told us to come back on Friday. SO...we did...He is awesome! He really wants to
find the "true church" He's visited a lot of different churches and
he wants to find truth. He does have a smoking problem so that's going to be
fun. But he has intent...and I LOVE it when we meet people who are searching! He used to be an alcoholic but he's overcome that. But he is such a nice guy! Has a baptism date!
Then....(wait for it...) (investigator) CAME TO CHURCH!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
We have tried so hard to get her to church...and she came yesterday! WE WERE SO
HAPPY! And she was too! She's so excited for her baptism...she's
starting to invite friends and everything! Ah I'm so excited for her! Now for
the hard part...helping her quit smoking... She knows already she needs to
stop...so now we need to help her. But God's going to help her I know He is.
I had a really cool experience yesterday. All week we hadn't been able
to get a hold of (investigator). We were nervous that we would have to drop her. But
we finally reached her last Saturday and we saw her on Sunday.
Since it was SUPPOSED to be a short visit we planned on just sharing an Easter
Message. At the end...I bore testimony that one day we all would see the
resurrected Lord...and then I started to get a little emotional... then she was starting to get emotional. Then she opened up to us about problems she was
having...fears she was feeling...and just how hopeless everything seemed. When
you see people struggling, it just breaks your heart! But my comp and I
talked to her and related to her that there IS hope. It was cool because
although I can't compare it to her experiences...I was reminded of on the first
part of my mission where - I am going to be honest here - I felt despair and
hopelessness. I felt unworthy...ugly and unloved...BUT I was able to get over
it.. .and I remember words that my mission president and his wife said to me to help
me get over it. And two days before we saw (this investigator), I was looking at my old
journal AND FOUND notes that I had taken about overcoming the negative thoughts
that the adversary wants us to think and believe. It was cool because I could
give her words of comfort and advice that I learned when I felt hopeless...
That answered one of the questions I have had my entire mission of why it was
SO hard in the beginning of my mission for me? Why did I have to struggle so
much? One of the reasons might be because I could help people like her have
hope and I would understand at least a little bit where they were coming from.
It was so amazing...and it was a great lesson to me that the hard times are
necessary for they shape us into people that can influence and help others.
I'm so excited for Easter this Sunday! My thoughts and prayers are that you will focus
on Christ and your personal relationship with Him. I know that He lives. I've
come to know Him more on my mission and I hope I can continue to get to know
Him more. I'm so grateful for the miracle of His sacrifice and Resurrection. I
love the atonement....I know it's real and everlasting.
AHHH! I don't have time to write you what I wanted to about what I
learned in PMG (Preach My Gospel) but I'll direct you to a quote... It's on pg
156 it's under "Talk with Everyone" and the sentences start with
"As" and then it ends with "recognize opportunities." I
know that if we LOOK and PRAY for opportunities to serve and teach gospel
truths those opportunities will be given to us. It's easy to get frazzled
running everywhere from day to day life. But if we stop and prayerfully look
for missionary moments and service opportunities they WILL be given to us. It
all starts with prayer my friends! Well I love you! And I love it here! I love
this gospel so much and I am so grateful for it! Have a good week!
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