It has been quite the week... Week six of this transfer is upon us, and for the first time I think I can actually say that I feel like it has been that long.
This week we had some awesome lessons with one of our favorite less actives. He is progressing immensely and has a real desire to change and improve. It makes me so happy to see people that we are teaching benefit from the work we do with them because they choose it. That makes me happy. So he is doing awesome, and I love that! He is actually coming to preparation day with all the missionaries today for a bit to hang out! That will be super good for him.
We also had a FHE in the tarde with a family this Saturday. We showed the Restoration movie. It was great. I think they got a lot out of it and were able to have their testimonies strengthened of the prophet Joseph Smith. We also had two investigators there (through their family) and I think it helped them a lot to better understand the restoration, because they haven't ever really been taught it. Hopefully we cleared up some questions. We will see next time we visit with them this week :)
We also had exchanges 2.0 last week and I got to go to correlation for the STLs for the second time, haha. (I have been there as many times as Sister Bush has been there 😂) We were finishing up and heading next door in our herd of ten or twelve missionaries to grab some food Sister Petersen had made for us when me and Sister Staker got to break up a fight! Long story short, the ex of this lady needs anger management but we broke it up and then sat and talked with her for almost an hour after he left. She just talked for most of the time while we just listened. I know God was in that situation. We found her on Facebook and also set up a time for them to go and visit her later the upcoming week. I think we were able to help her a lot. Tender mercies
Friday we had Zone Training Meeting. We were still on exchanges and Sister Staker brings me not-so-good tidings of anxiousness when she invites me to sing a song with her for the musical number at our meeting...which started in two hours. Some last minute running around resulted in us and Elder Christie singing "Lead Kindly Light" with Elder Thomas at the piano. It actually worked really well for a last minute, one-time practiced hymn.
Another tender mercy for me came in the form of the workshop given by Elder Thomas on goals. He told a story about one of the assistants who had felt one transfer they were (in a companionship pre assistant) to set a transfer baptism goal for seven. They got one that transfer. He addressed a question I've been pondering for quite some time about the same thing. About why we don't always reach our goals. I have had a hard time seeing how if we set goals in faith with the Spirit and then did all we could to work towards them, why they wouldn't be met then. I dunno, I just felt like if we didn't meet the goals we had set something was wrong. We either set them and didn't believe in them enough, or we didn't work hard enough for them, or we didn't set them according to the will of God (or with the Spirit). In telling this story and continuing his workshop, Elder Thomas said (about one of the mission goals that we were talking about specifically, but really I strongly feel this applies to every goal we set in faith with the Lord), "This goal, to have it set is His will. It may not be His will that we meet it each week, but it is His will that we work towards it." Therefore, in working and doing everything in our power to reach them His will for us is further accomplished as we experience and learn along the way as we strive to reach those goals.
Sister Staker shared something with me last night. Why does the Lord call us on missions...? If He just needed someone to go out and convert and teach people about the restored gospel he would send out Elder Hollands and President Monsons. But He send us out, and that is His will far more than just to bring people to the gospel, but to build us in the process. He could lead us directly to everyone that needs the gospel and is ready to receive it and we could just baptize them all and teach them all, but what good would that do us? He could have us set seven baptisms and then reach it but would that bring about the learning He sees fit for us at that time? Maybe not. It makes me feel better that it may not always be "the goal" that is actually the Father's goal for us. After all, as Elder Holland said, we are the Lord's investigators. How great of a blessing is it to see how much He plans for us. I think it's awesome.
This upcoming Saturday the elders have a baptism that we will get to go to for a lady named Yolanda. She is the sweetest thing and we are all very excited for her (side thought, I think they said Elder Stoker taught her when he was serving here). Also, there is a world-wide mission conference apparently the day after transfers. The talk is that there are going to be changes with the missionary schedule but it will be interesting nonetheless to hear what Salt Lake has to say to the missionaries of the world. :)
The Sister Training Leaders came and slept at our house last night and visited with us. We will have a little follow up today I think. I love them. They are just awesome. I am starting to get anxious about transfers coming up. I just never know what is coming and that stresses me out a little at times. I know everything that comes is according to the will of God, so that brings me peace. I trust in that. I still get anxious though as I wait to see what that will is, haha! I think that would probably be considered the opposite of patience...okay, so still working on the patience, but the trust is doing great! 😜 We're trying :) Oh, the eternal nature of this journey. Sometimes it is amusing. Haha.
This week will hopefully be a good one to finish off this transfer. I cannot believe I will hit eleven months next week... That blows my mind. The time, where does it even go? I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve here. I hope this next week is just great. :) Love you!!
Tanto amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley
Ps. Oh, and the subject line is just because we have said maaaany a prayer this week for many different things. So, when in doubt (or when in any other situation that is listed off in that song) pray.
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