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
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