Don't forget the Camera!

Baptism

Hello!                                                                                                  October 21, 2013

Kelly's baptism was so good!! She's amazing. She texted us yesterday morning and told us not to forget the camera! Hahaha. She bore her testimony after and it was incredible. She said that when she was saying her prayers that morning she had this thought: "Your family is going to be blessed because you opened the door." She talked about how this decision will not just affect her life, but the life of her family and many others. When she said that, the spirit bore witness to my heart that it was true. I felt that she has ancestors that are waiting for their ordinances to be done and now she can do them :) Amazing. And another really cool thing, the elders had an investigator at church that accepted a baptismal date and is preparing to be baptized in two weeks because of Kelly's testimony!! Miracles are happening I can promise you that. Kelly wanted to wear a dress for her baptism and was just adorable in it!! She was beaming all day. Yesterday was definitely a highlight of my mission this far. Sister Crandall and I were drained when we got home last night! I kind of know how Ammon felt when he talks about losing his strength because of an overwhelming amount of joy and the spirit.

We met with Harriet again, but this time the Robinson's came. SENIOR MISSIONARIES ARE MIRACLE WORKERS! I promise. We've been so worried about how to help Harriet because she is reading, praying, and really anxious to learn more, but she is moving to her sister's house this week and she is super anti and won't let us in her home. The Robinson's offered to pick her up and bring her to their apartment so we could meet with her in their home. Prayers were answered with that act of charity. I'm so grateful for angels. Seen and unseen. You'll notice them everywhere when you're doing the Lord's work.

Sister Crandall and I had a really cool experience during weekly planning this week. Weekly planning can be really long sometimes and my attention span is gone after about two hours! But as we were talking about each of our investigators and planning their lessons for the week, we came to one investigator that we had no idea what he needed. We talked about it and thought about it, but it wasn't until we took it to the Lord that we received the answer. I learned a lot about revelation that day. I learned that One: We must be humble. Two: We need to have ears to hear and eyes to see. Three: The spirit is subtle. SO subtle. Four: The spirit is most delicate, yet most powerful. And that's only the beginning. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that waits for us to come to Him. Because when we come to Him, we show that we are willing to do what we need to do to become like Him.

I hope you all have a fantastic week! Enjoy the wonderful season of fall :)

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Missionary Culture in our Hearts!

Missionary Culture

Hello!                                                                                              Oct. 28, 2013

So much happened this week. I can't believe it's already the last week of October! It's definitely cooling off here... The wind goes right through you. And it's only going to get colder. Bring it on :) As missionaries, we battle the elements. Especially in Canada! Sister Crandall and I bought some warm clothes this week so we'll be ok. Don't worry :) Fleece lined tights are the secret.

I've got to tell you about yesterday. Kelly was confirmed and it was beautiful! And church was just absolutely amazing. A sister missionary came home this week from the Washington DC mission and gave her homecoming talk about the healing of the Atonement. It was one of those talks where nobody moved for the duration of it because everyone was hanging on to every word. The spirit was so strong! Her name is Jacqueline and she called us the second day she was home asking to come teaching with us. She's definitely in missionary mode and we love it! We've been discussing with our Ward Mission Leaders a lot about how to create a "missionary culture" in our ward where everyone's focus is to do missionary work. That is something I've been thinking a lot about. Missionary culture. I think if everyone could create this missionary culture in their hearts God's work would hasten faster than it already is! I think that's what God is trying to do with the members of the church is create a culture of missionary work. If you don't feel like your heart is part of this missionary culture, change that. God will bless you I promise.

We also had a new and progressing investigator at church yesterday named Chris. He's so awesome! Sister Waldron, my trainer, taught him back in February and at that time he wasn't ready to change and make commitments. But he texted us asking if he could come back to church and of course we said YES! So we've been meeting with him and he's reading, praying, and making a lot of changes in his life. It's amazing to see the Atonement take effect and make physical and chemical changes in a person.

After church, every single one of our plans fell through. I had a really bad headache and my stomach wasn't feeling well either. It's really hard to feel the spirit when your head and stomach hurts! So we prayed. Sister Crandall said a beautiful prayer asking Heavenly Father to place us where to need to be to find those who are ready to heed the words of Christ.  The whole time I was praying in my head too. I was asking Heavenly Father to heal me. I knew He could and I knew I couldn't be an effective missionary without the guidance of the spirit. After she closed the prayer, we sat there in silence for a minute. Then I turned on the car and we started driving. I didn't know where, but if there's anything I learned from my mission, it is that inspiration doesn't as we sit and wait for it. It comes when we move, act. As we were driving my head Sister Crandall suggested that we drive to Brampton to visit a potential investigator we met a few days ago. I didn't feel bad about that, so we went for it. We called him, he was available. We called Kashra, she was able to come with us. And we drove the half hour to Brampton. We had a few extra minutes after we picked up Kashra, so we decided to share a message with her. We asked her about how the gospel has blessed her life, and she bore powerful testimony of the reality of our Savior. I felt the spirit so strong. I didn't realize the exact moment when it happened, but my head and stomach didn't hurt anymore. Some might brush that off as a "coincidence" but I know that I had been healed. Physically healed. The spirit heals. We then taught Jamoi a powerful lesson about the Restoration and invited him to be baptized. He said that he would after he reads, prays, and when he feels it's right. After we left that lesson and dropped Kashra off, I was so drained yet energized with the joy of the spirit. I learned a lot last night about myself, faith, the Atonement, revelation, and the importance of the spirit. Last night wasn't simply a blessing, it was a miracle.

We tried to meet with Harriet with the Robinson's this week, but she moved and some other complications came up and we lost contact with her :( I am so sad about that! She is moving back to her house in December though, so we'll make a note so the missionaries in the area at that time can go teach her. Because she is such a sweetie!

We also went on exchanges this week. Sister Training Leaders are so amazing. They go on exchanges twice a week, every week! On top of all the other responsibilities normal missionaries have. I went to their area for the exchange, and the sister I was with was kind of stressed that day because of baptismal interviews and other things going on with their investigators. I felt bad because I didn't know any of their investigators and didn't know their area, so I felt kind of helpless most of the day. But I learned a lot, one of those being the importance of service. We cleaned one of their investigator's homes, and it was incredible. He is a single father. His wife was deported about a year ago. They have two daughters (ages three and one and a half). He is out of work because of some medical issues. As we cleaned, I just thought of how blessed I am to be a member of the church. We had a member with us, so with all of us cleaning, his home was beautiful after the 45 minutes we were there. We shared a message with him in his freshly cleaned home and the spirit was so strong. We are so blessed. So blessed.

We also had interviews with President Scott this week. While we're on deck waiting for our interview with President Scott we get to talk with Sister Scott, and she is my hero. Seriously. All she had to do was ask me how my understanding and appreciation for the Atonement has changed since I've been a missionary, and I started crying. I couldn't put it into words. She talked about how we turn over our hurt to our Savior through the Atonement when others say or do things that hurt us. She talked about how we need to let it go. But that doesn't mean just throwing that hurt into the wind! It's taking that brick of weight, or hurt, anger, or whatever is holding us back and handing it to the Savior. He will deal justly with it so we can let it go and not hold anything against that person. I have thought a lot about that this week... It makes sense, but is really hard to do. But it's possible.

I hope you all have a great week! This church is true. I know it with all my heart. I am so grateful that God gives us hard things to go through so that we can learn to rely on Him. I know that when we hand him our hurt, that is when we begin to heal. Love you all!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Fall Photos

Happy Fall!

Happy Fall!                                                                                        Oct. 16, 2013

Wow it's beautiful in Toronto in the Fall! Here's a picture of some of the fall leaves in the city :)

Kelly is getting baptized on Sunday! We're so excited!! She loved fast and testimony meeting on Sunday and is looking forward to her "Born new day" :) She asked Bishop to baptize her, and he asked her to bear her testimony at her baptism! She's really nervous, but she'll do amazing. She's been writing down what she wants to say because she's so scared. But she knows this is right. It's been amazing to watch the miracle of the Atonement work in her. What a beautiful thing it is to have the opportunity to change and become more like our Father!

We met a girl named Harriet a few weeks ago when we were dropping by former investigators. She's from Ghana and is studying to be a nurse. There just so happens to be a member in our ward named Gretchen from Ghana who is a nurse! PERFECT! So we took Gretchen with us to meet with Harriet last week. Harriet's mother was not so sure about her meeting with us, but when she started talking with Gretchen in their language and she started to see that members of the church are normal people. Just happier :) Then you could really see her heart soften. Because missionaries are weird. It's true. But when we take members teaching with us, it makes the biggest difference! It was amazing to see Harriet's mother talk with Gretchen and see the Holy Ghost working within her. Miracles are happening. I promise.

This week while Sister Crandall and I were studying, I realized that we have three C's that we need to keep. Keep Commitments. Keep Commandments. Keep Covenants. This is how we return to live with God and how we can be happiest in our mortal life. In testimony meeting on Sunday, a member of the stake presidency stood up and said, "The adversary would have you put off commitments and shy away from responsibility." God does the opposite. He wants us to make and keep covenants because He wants to bless us. And  He can only bless us when we're being obedient. The counselor in the stake presidency also challenged us to deeply think about what we are grateful for. Because it was Thanksgiving in Canada on Monday, so I took the challenge. I made a huge list of things in my study journal that I am grateful for, and I think it all comes down to one thing. I am grateful for my Father in Heaven who loves me. He loves me so much that He sent His Son. And because He sent His Son, I can repent. I can change. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to repent. Preach My Gospel says, "As we repent daily, we will find that our lives will change and improve. Our hearts and our behavior will become more Christ like. We will come to feel great joy in repenting daily." I know that we truly can be forgiven of anything we have done. It's never too late to come unto Christ. I am grateful for this knowledge and for the privilege I have to be a missionary.

I hope you all have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

PRAY to Him & listen to Him EVERYDAY

Hello!                                                                                                                                                    Oct. 7, 2013

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AWESOME!! Loved it. Oh my goodness :) We watched the Saturday sessions in the Weston Chapel because it's about 5 minutes away from our apartment. Some of the highlights from Saturday were, "Look ahead and believe." Edward Dube. Elder Bednar's WHOLE talk. That's one I'm stoked to study. And of course, President Uchtdorf. We had an investigator at the morning session, so I loved it every time he said, "Come. Join with us!" S. Gifford Nielson's talk was super enthusiastic! Exclamation point! :) (The hermanas in the spanish ward kept saying that the whole day! Hahaha.) Jeffrey R. Holland's talk was really touching especially because we are teaching a guy that isn't all the way there mentally, and later that night after we got off the phone with that investigator Sister Crandall just looked at me and said, "One day he (the investigator) will stand before us with a perfectly sound mind..." And that's all she said before we both started crying because we knew it was true. M. Russell Ballard... THANK YOU! His talk was phenomenal! I loved when he said, "Make the decision to do what Jesus Christ has asked us to do." I did not understand the importance for missionary work until I came on my mission to Canada. I promise you don't have to leave the country to experience the blessings of being a missionary. 

The Sunday morning session we watched in the Brampton Stake Center. I would have to agree with President Monson that it was one of the most powerful and spiritual conference sessions I've ever seen. I loved in Elder Eyring's talk when he talked about the grandmother with the wayward grandson and when she was praying on the way to visit him in prison she had the thought, "I gave him to you because I knew you could and would love him no matter what he does." I thought that was powerful. I loved when Elder Oaks talked about ultimate priorities. And that was the first time I heard Bonnie Oscarson speak! Man she's awesome!! I love the doctrine and concept of conversion, so I loved her talk a whole lot. I liked when Richard G. Scott talked about fortifying our weaknesses. When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang "O Divine Redeemer" I thought of my Grandma Robinson. That was one of her favorite hymns. It was sung at her funeral and ever since then it's become one of my favorites as well. I loved President Monson's counsel "Pray to Him and listen to Him EVERYDAY." What a perfect way to end such an amazing session! We went back to Toronto to watch the afternoon session because we had a less active coming, Skye. She loved that Kevin Hamilton and Adrian Ochoa's talks! She looked up Ether 12:27 and highlighted it. She texted us later that night thanking us for inviting her to conference. It was really sweet :) I think David M. McConkie's talk was one of my favorites from the afternoon. It was extremely applicable to us as missionaries because what we mainly do is teach! Conference was just uplifting and exactly what I needed. I received so many answers to prayers and questions that I had. I know every one of those messages was inspired. I'm excited to get the Ensign with all the conference addresses so I can study them further.

One of the answers to my prayers came Saturday afternoon. I know President Monson is a prophet called by God Himself, but that morning I prayed to have that witness reconfirmed. At the end of the afternoon session the camera was on President Monson as he was walking our shaking the apostles hands. He was close to the entrance when he leaned over the ledge where he was standing and shook the hand of a small, blonde boy. He spoke with him briefly then waved and left. I cried a little bit while watching this tender scene because I knew this was an answer to my prayer. Thomas S. Monson cares about the individual. He is the President of Christ's Church. A prophet, seer, and revelator of our day. I know he is.

Kelly was able to watch all four sessions of conference in a members home with a group of people from the ward. I was so grateful to that good member!! Kelly is doing amazing! We met with her twice this week and she is so excited about her baptism on the 20th!

One of the questions I took to conference was about my purpose as a missionary. Our purpose is to "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." When I was in the MTC, I had a realization that a missionaries purpose is not to invite others to go to Christ. We're inviting them to come. Implying we stand with Him, walk with Him, and strive to become like Him. I studied this a bit further on Sunday morning and found this quote from David A. Bednar that pretty much sums it up. "Coming unto Christ is not a single event with a fixed point of beginning or ending; rather, it is a process that develops and deepens during a lifetime. As an initial step in the process, we certainly must obtain knowledge and learn about Jesus and His life, teachings, and ministry. But truly coming unto Him also requires consistent obedience and striving to become like Jesus in our thoughts, motives, communications, and actions. As we 'press forward' on the pathway of discipleship, we can draw near unto the Savior with the expectation that He will draw near to us; we can seek Him diligently with teh hope that we shall find Him; we can ask with confidence that we shall receive; and we can knock anticipating that the door shall be opened unto us." I learned that coming unto Christ involves learning and becoming. I'm glad we have a lifetime to learn heaven and become worthy to go there.

I hope you all have a great week! The Church is True! :)

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

PS. P Day next week will be on Wednesday because of Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving is this Monday but everyone celebrates it on Sunday... I think that's how it works. Not really sure :) But you'll be getting an email next Wednesday.

RS Broadcast

Hello!                                                                                                        Sept. 30, 2013

The last day in September already?! That's crazy! But it's okay :) Because that means GENERAL CONFERENCE IS THIS WEEKEND! I'm so beyond excited! It was this time one year ago that my life took an unexpected, but very inspired turn. As we were watching the Relief Society General Broadcast on Saturday night I was thinking about watching the broadcast last year with my Grandma Felix in the Hyde Park Stake Center. If you would have told me that night that I would watch the next one in Toronto, I probably would have thought you were crazy! Yet here I am :) And what a blessing it is to be where I am.

Speaking of the Relief Society Broadcast, miracles happened that night! We met with a new investigator this week named Kelly. She was investigating the church about a year ago but for one reason or another she decided not to be baptized. She called up Bishop a few weeks ago telling him she wanted to come to church. He made arrangements and we were able to meet her at church last week. We met with her during the week and taught her the first half of the first lesson and then invited her to be baptized. She wasn't quite sure and said she needed some time to read, pray, and think about it. She was able to go to the broadcast on Saturday and wow! We weren't with her because she attended a different building that was closer to her, but we talked with her about it yesterday at church. She said that when the speakers were speaking she felt as if she was the only person in the room and they were talking directly to her! For those of you who weren't able to see the broadcast, 1. go watch it right now on lds.org! and 2. It was all about making and keeping covenants!! It was incredible! The whole time Sister Crandall and I were watching it we were thinking of Kelly and praying for her in our hearts! Kelly saw that as a direct answer from the Lord and is now scheduled to be baptized on October 20th! We're so excited for her :) I know that God answers prayers! I know it. I know it. I know it.

We were also able to go to the temple this week!!! What a blessing it is to have temples. I have a testimony of covenants! I have a testimony of the strength, power, and security they can bring into our lives. I left the temple Saturday morning feeling strengthened like never before! Every single appointment fell through that day, but nothing could bring my spirits down! :) Hahaha. The Toronto temple is absolutely gorgeous! Here's a picture of it :) I am so grateful for parents who helped me prepare to make and keep the sacred covenants in the Lord's house. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who always keeps his promises. Always. I know He lives. I know He loves us. I know it. I know it. I know it. If you don't know this, or if you have forgotten this truth, kneel down and ask God. He will show you that He is there. Because He is. And always will be.

Have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix