Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Unpack & Pass Along Cards

                                                                                                                                 Mon. May 27, 2013
Good Afternoon! 
I finally feel like I'm all settled in and getting into the swing of things :) I unpacked my suitcase for real today. It felt super great because I've basically been living out of a suitcase for the month of May. Hahaha. 

Canada. Is. Awesome. I thought it would be pretty similar to the US, but no. It's so diverse and crazy. I love it :) Here are some reasons why I love it. 1. Milk comes in bags... Crazy eh?! (PS. The correct way to say "bag" in Canada would be bay-g. No joke.) 2. People push around carts with all their stuff in it. Normal people. Not just homeless people. I thought there were TONS of homeless people everywhere until my companion told me that was normal. I'm getting used to it. 3. There is a restaurant called Tim Horton's and they're EVERYWHERE! They are as common as McDonald's in the US, but it is not like McDonald's. At all. It is fast food, but it's fresh. And oh so good! It's like a fast food cafe. It's hard to describe... But they serve bagels, muffins, doughnuts, sandwiches, etc. All of my favorite things. It's pretty much heaven. 4. People really do say "eh" :) I love it! One of my goals is to adopt the Canadian accent. Pretty good goal eh? 

We had a few dinner appointments this week, which is unusual in a singles ward because college students can barely feed themselves :) So it was a really nice way to meet members and teach their non member friends. One of my favorite things is the vast differences in culture!  Therefore, at these dinner appointments, we had some pretty interesting food... It was all super good! I just didn't know what some of it was, and didn't bother asking :) 

We are still teaching Theo and he is actively preparing for his baptism on June 9th! He came to church yesterday and talked more in gospel principles than the teacher! I was amazed at his knowledge of the Bible. We are teaching two other investigators that also have a baptismal date of June 9th. Jason and Brendan. They are all super great guys and I think they will be ready. That will be a big day for us :) Think of Theo, Jason, and Brendan on the 9th. We also started teaching a guy named Adam this week. He told us about how he feels like something is missing in his life and every time he prays a little part of that void is filled for a moment. That's why he agreed to meet with us. We taught him the Restoration and I felt the spirit so strong in that lesson. It was definitely one of the most powerful lessons we've taught. He is so excited about the Book of Mormon and committed to read this week. Our next lesson with him will be on Friday so I'm way excited for that! 

It's incredible how the Lord just fills you with love for the people you serve. My calling before I came on my mission was in the nursery. I sang songs with the nursery kids for the last 15 minutes of church and it was the highlight of my week! I still pray for those kids and love them so much! That same love fills me every time we talk with someone on the street or teach a lesson. I love being a missionary! Yesterday after church we went to visit a recent convert named Conrod, but he wasn't home, so we contacted (walked around and talked to people on the street) around that area. We talked with 3 guys that seemed really interested and prepared to learn about the gospel. Tyler Brown, Damian, and the last guy was a man named Diego. Diego was sitting on the curb with his head in his hands looking really sad. We went over and started talking with him. We found out he was from Guatemala. When we told him we had a message that could bring him peace, he looked at our name tags and was so excited to be talking with us! We gave him a mormon.org card that had our number on it and he called us about five minutes later asking if he could talk to me again :) Hahaha. We wont be able to teach him because we are in a YSA ward, but we will refer him to the Spanish Elders and they will take good care of him. It really strengthened my testimony of the reason I'm here.

We also had another really cool experience on Saturday. We went to an apartment complex to visit a recent convert named Sandra, but she wasn't home. So we just decided to knock doors on our way down the stairs. One of the doors we knocked on was answered by a black lady named Ria and her little girl. I asked the little girl if she wanted a picture of a castle :) (aka- the pass along card of the Salt Lake Temple.)  Then we told her mom that because of that building and the things we do inside that building, we can be with our families forever! We set up an appointment, but once again, we cant teach her because she's not YSA. So we also referred her to some other Elders who will teach her all that she needs to know. I actually really love talking with people on the street and knocking on doors because people are just so different! 

Church was awesome yesterday! I got called out of the audience to bear my testimony because there was a gap in the program that needed to be filled. So naturally, everyone wants to hear from the new kid :) I'm glad I had the opportunity to bear my testimony because it strengthens my testimony every time I share it. And I share it a lot these days :) Wow I'm blessed. 

Thank you for all of your love and support! I love being a missionary and telling people why I am so  happy! I know that God lives and that His Son, Jesus Christ, not only died for us, but lives for us. That knowledge makes me want to live for Him as well. Keep smiling and have a great week :) 

Love and prayers forever, B

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