4/8/14
It's a bright, sunny day here in Ontario
I'm glad you enjoyed conference. Quoting my district leader,
"Conference is like the Super Bowl out here on your mission." I loved
it. I don't know if I have a favorite talk, BUT....Elder Scott's, Pres.
Uchtdorf's, and Elder Bednar's talks stood out to me. I loved how conference
talked a lot about loving others and
the atonement. I also loved how speakers talked
about standing up for what we believe in, even when it's not the
"popular" thing to do. There are
SO many ways to implement what you learn at conference, it's crazy. I
hope that from conference I can love others more abundantly, appreciate and
utilize the atonement, and be more grateful for my life. After conference...as
I was pondering what was said, I just felt an overwhelming feeling of love from
my Heavenly Father. It was a sweet reminder that despite weaknesses and
imperfections, God still loves me and is willing to help me overcome
them.
That is SO funny about Stephen Layton
meeting Dad's cousin on his mission! Sounds like he's quite the
missionary down south. And congrats to Paige! I'm excited to see her at BYU!
:)
Okay well...last week was another week of miracles.
We found a new investigator. The Elders Quorum President here is
actually a medical professional.
He gave us a call last week and told us to
go visit this former patient of his who was struggling. That very night an appointment fell through so we decided to go
drop by. She let us in and we taught her a very powerful
plan of salvation. She is going through some really tough situations. It broke my heart to see how broken
this woman was. But my comp and I felt God's love for her SO much. As we
testified of God's love and plan for her, she got pretty emotional....and you
could feel the spirit SO strong. I am SO grateful for the plan of salvation.
It, along with the atonement of
Christ, can carry us through our
deepest trials and sorrows. When I meet people that go through things that I
can't even imagine what it would be like, I always remind myself that it's God
who knows her inside and out...and He knows how to help her. She accepted
baptism but because of her circumstances and situation it might
take longer.
(Investigator) came to conference! Yes! He came to all four sessions of
it too. He seemed to enjoy conference...it was hard for him to focus
during the entire thing...but when Pres Monson spoke he was FULLY ENGAGED. And
after he spoke (investigator) said, "I think I connected to Pres Monson more than
the other speakers." YES!
(A different investigator) came to a part of conference...the Sunday morn session...but she is not
doing well physically so she left after Elder Ballard’s talk...but I'm grateful
she saw Elder Uchdorf's talk on gratitude. She's had it HARD. And i mean HARD. So I think she needed
that. We are going to see her today and see how she is.
Last week we decided to pay (name) a visit in the hospital. We were both a little nervous because
we've only met him once. But we
came in and it was really really touching. Here's this guy who told us part of
his life story. His life also hasn't been the best. He's
in this bed..his stomach is completely bloated...and he's practically dying but
we talked to him. He doesn't have friends...and his wife calls him occasionally
but that's it. No one visits him or anything...not even his family. It's sad.
So for us to come and visit with him meant a lot to him I think. He believes in
God and Christ...he's actually read the Book of Mormon before and met with
missionaries before. But I don't know what happened. We just talked to him
about life...We saw him yesterday and he actually seemed to be doing better and
it looks like he will be released hopefully mid week. But they still have to
drain fluid out of his system every week/few days. His liver has completely
failed him so his life is slowly slipping away. We testified of what we learned
at conference...about God's plan and the atonement... and our conversations are
super deep. It's super cool. It meant a lot to me visiting him at the hospital
because it also reminded me of Grandpa...and although I can't visit him
in Utah ...I
can visit those who are suffering here in Canada
(Another investigator) was so set on conference but her health keeps
holding her back from actually coming. It's frustrating. We'll have to see how
we can help get her to church. Other than that everything is good with her. She
loves the gospel and Jesus Christ.
After a week we also saw (investigator)! YAY! And the miracle this week
is that after weeks of telling her to read the Book of Mormon....she read 1 Nephi 2
and 3 on her own! And she marked scriptures and understood the basics and
everything!!!! YAY! She was out of town yesterday but she told us she'd tune in to conference. We'll see how she liked
it!
Well...tomorrow I'll be 21....wow...birthdays on the mission are
WEIRD because it does not feel like it's been a year since I was at Sister (name)'s house in (diff city) having my birthday there. Tomorrow I will be
enjoying dinner at the (member's) house....cafe rio! Yay..I have been craving that for the
longest time!!!! :) (thanks for sending the recipe) Today for preparation
day we are going to bowl! I'm still deciding who
we want to visit and teach tomorrow and
all so next week I'll let you know what else I did.
Well family thanks for being so great! I love you all! I hope
you know that. Every night in my prayers I thank our Heavenly Father for giving
me you guys. I can't go a day without being grateful for you! And I'm grateful
to be serving here in Canada
....so from Elder Ballard's talk he mentioned we should be
talking about Preach My Gospel more. So I'll end with one of my favorite quotes
by Jeffrey R. Holland (pg 185)
"More important than speaking is listening. These people
are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children
of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have. Be genuine. Reach
out sincerely. Ask these friends what matters most to them. What do they
cherish, and what do they hold dear? And then listen. If the setting is right,
you might ask what their fears are, what they yearn for, or what they feel is
missing in their lives. I promise you that something in what they say will
always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and
about which you can then offer more...If we listen with love we won't need to
worry what to say. It will be given to us-by the spirit and by our
friend."
Sometimes...we feel nervous about HOW to bring up the gospel to
family/friends...but if we really listen and prayerfully look for opportunities
to bear our testimony, we will know what to say. I KNOW this is so true...The
times where I've been so worried about WHAT to say were much harder than the
times where I listened to people and didn't worry as much about what I would sound
like...Let's treat people: less actives, non members, ANYONE, as people...not
anything else.
LOVE YOU!
SISTER OGDEN :)
 |
At the Lake |
 |
(Spring... where are you?) |
No comments:
Post a Comment