Hey y'all!
Another great week in Texas! :) I don't know if you get bored out your brains when you read my emails (hope not), but I think I'll just keep doing the miracles of the week.
Another great week in Texas! :) I don't know if you get bored out your brains when you read my emails (hope not), but I think I'll just keep doing the miracles of the week.
Monday: I got to help a less-active in the ward prepare for her College Algebra test this week. That was really fun! (For me at least, I don't know if the girl had as good of a time as I did, but that's okay). Seriously, I know, I love math. But it was great to be able to serve her and help her with something that I love to do! Also, there was a photo contest all about Love, we felt pretty clever.
Tuesday: We helped a ward member, Sister Fairbrother, hang up pictures in her new house. So that was good. We also washed some more blinds, so I got my arm work-out in for the week. Ha. But really. Then Tuesday night we had another lesson with Ja! This kid is so amazing! We went over the baptismal interview questions to help us help him prepare for his baptismal interview. He is going to get baptized this week! The Lord is definitely preparing people! There have been so many miracles in the Jo family, seriously. Ja may not understand everything perfectly, but good heavens, he can feel the Spirit, and we know for sure that the Spirit is the teacher here. What a blessing. Another great part of this lesson was that Ja's less-active mom was there. She had a POWERFUL testimony of tithing and was able to help Ja understand tithing better. Ja and his mom are great support for each other.
Wednesday: We had back to back lessons in the morning, and we were able to be on time to all of them! That was definitely a miracle. Time is not our friend, but we were able to be timely and still have the Spirit present at our lessons. How grateful I am for that! Wednesday night was the Tri-Ward trunk or treat! Such a fun evening! :) I went as Where's Wanda? and Sister Christopherson was a Texas Dorothy. She had red sparkly shoes, a gingham skirt, an armadillo in her basket, and a homemade t-shirt that said, "there's no place like home" with a Texas outline, and the back said, "Sister, i don't think we're in Utah anymore." It was really cute. We got our trunk all decked out and handed out candy. So fun to mix up the routine a little bit.
Thursday: We went up to town to see if there were service opportunities in the community that we could be a part of. We got rejected at a couple places, but then the Upshur County Museum told us they could use us! So that is basically a mega blessing! Then that night we had a wonderful lesson with the Wa family about prayer. We also talked about creating our own personal title of liberty. So, I invite you to do such! A title of liberty that you stand up for and are the basics of your beliefs.
Friday: Had a lesson with Ma, and we really wanted to focus on being grateful and finding joy in the circumstances. So we told her to put on her shoes, and we just started walking down her street. It was an adorable street, by the way. Lined with trees and falling leaves and just cute houses. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing slightly. So we set off walking. We just chatted for a little, then Sister Christopherson said that we were going to take time to have a prayer walk. So we walked down the street in silence and prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for all the blessings that we have! It was a very spiritual and peaceful moment walking down that little road. Then it was time for Ja's baptismal interview! We were all sooo nervous but we knew that he would do alright. Wahooo! So we will be having a baptism this upcoming Saturday (Nov. 8). I am so looking forward to it! :) Seeing as today was Halloween and sketchiness can occur, we had a get together as a zone! It was pretty fun. We had chicken spaghetti for dinner (meh, but it's totally an east texas thing.) then played Laugh Your Head Off. Oh my goodness, it was pretty hilarious.
Saturday: We made a PRO (pray, read, obey) rock for Ja to remind him to be a PRO. It turned out pretty cute. Then we had a great dinner with a less-active family, dutch oven potatoes and all the goods. Then we had a SUPER miracle. There is an investigator that I haven't been able to meet, because she has been super duper busy. But we decided to drop by her house again (this is like the 5th time of trying) and she was home! Woo! So I got to meet her. Saturday night brought some really sad news. A Sister in the ward passed away. She is the aunt of the Millers in the ward, who I love dearly. She's been fighting cancer and other health issues for a while now, and passed away Saturday evening. She has 3 kids ages 19, 16, 13. My heart just hurts for their family. The 19 is preparing to go on a mission, and told Bishop that he will send in his papers next week. What great faith and dedication to the Lord.
Sunday: Fast and Testimony meeting. It was a very somber day, due to the passing of the sweet sister. But those who bore their testimonies did so with love and boldness and truth. A 16 year old bore her testimony and she said, "Be strong for the Savior was strong for us." I loved that. I had a really powerful fast as well, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to fast. In other news, I'm telling y'all, part member families are the low-hanging fruit! We had another family tell us today that they want their 10 year old son to take the lessons, and that he wants to get baptized! Holy cow, I am so grateful and happy! Good stuff. We had another lesson with Ja tonight as well.
Well folks, it's been a busy week, and I have another busy week ahead of me. I am so very grateful to be a missionary. I am so blessed! My heart just bursts with happiness every time that I think how fortunate I am to be serving a mission right now. I miss y'all a bunch, but there is no other place that I'd rather be right now! I love my calling! It's taken me a little while to grow into it, but I feel like my feet are finally growing into the big shoes of being a missionary!
Our zone leaders asked us to come up with our personal vision for our missions. After much study and thought and prayer, I figured mine out. It is: Reflect Love based off 1 John 4:19,21. Basically to me it means that as a missionary (and throughout the rest of my life) I will take the love that I feel from Heavenly Father and that I have for Him, and share it with all those I come in contact with, so that they may feel my love, but more importantly feel of God's love and the Savior's love. So Reflect Love it is.
I love this gospel so much! It truly is the good news! Jesus Christ loves each and every one of us. I love the peace that comes from knowing about the plan of salvation, the plan of happiness.
I love y'all. Thanks for all you do for me! <3
Love,
Sister Gilly Gilbert (nickname courtesy of Sister Christopherson)
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