So much has happened this week... I don't even know where to start. How about with Zone Conference! :) Tuesday was our Zone Conference and it was here in the Guelph chapel, which was really nice! I saw Sister Stoddard there! (She was my MTC companion) She is training a sister from France! So that's pretty awesome! President Scott talked a lot about repentance and we discussed in depth how we repent and how we help others do the same. It was incredible. One thing he said that I really liked was about influences on our thoughts. If our thoughts are directed in the past and looking backward with despair and disappointment, that is Satan influencing you. If your thoughts lead you to want to do better, that is the Holy Ghost. And if your thoughts are directed toward the future with hope and faith, that's the Savior. I loved that. "Know who's influencing you!" he said. Sister Scott talked about the Christmas season and basically compiled scriptures together about the Savior's birth, life, and mission and read them as a power point of pictures of Christ played behind her. It was beautiful! She said, "We hope you have a Christmas that is outward focused, Christ centered, and filled with joy." After Zone Conference, the assistants came and talked with us for a minute and told us that some changes would be happening in our area! 1. We have permission to teach YSA!! (There is a University here and there are TONS of students everywhere!) 2. We would get a car! :) Then we can drive to Kitchener to attend the YSA branch. I have loved riding the buses, but it truly is a blessing to have a car! Especially because it's getting colder and colder! We don't know how everything is going to work out yet, but it will. We already got the car, so now we're teaching families and YSA until the end of the transfer (Which is this week), but then we don't know what is going to happen next transfer. We'll just have to wait and see what transfer calls will bring :)
This week we did some service for a family in our ward named the Parkins. They are an older couple and have a lot of health problems. We called and asked if we could come over on Friday morning and do some service for them for a little while. She responded promptly with a, "Yes please! I'll put you to work decorating my Christmas tree and making ginger cookies!" My kind of service! :) It was so nice to hear the Tabernacle Choir sing Christmas songs while we made cookies and decorated a Christmas tree! It was a highlight of my week! Sister Dyer and I were too cheap to go buy a Christmas tree, so we turned our couch on the side and taped a paper Christmas tree to the bottom of it :) So it was nice to decorate a REAL tree! Hahaha.
Gabby is scheduled to be baptized this week! We're so excited for her! She called us yesterday and told us she couldnt come to church because she was in Cambridge staying at her aunts house. If she didn't come to church, she couldnt get baptized on the fifteenth because she has to come to church a certain number of times. So she was really sad! We told her she could go to church in Cambridge and could still get baptized on the fifteenth. So she went to church in Cambridge with her aunt! What amazing faith that eleven year old girl has!! She has taught me so much. Juliana got confirmed yesterday and it was beautiful! We watched the Restoration video with her this week and she loved it! We gave her a couple other church videos this week and she watches them all the time :)
Another miracle of the week! Remember Laura? We found her a long time ago and taught her a short lesson then scheduled to go back and she wasnt there. She dropped off the face of the earth! So we decided she probably got anti-ed. But we dropped by her this week and we're starting to meet with her again! Both she and her baby have been incredibly sick and there were other complicated reasons why that time wasn't right, but we talked with her about repentance again, and she is so excited! She came to the ward Christmas party last night and the Christmas Devotional and loved it! I feel a really strong connection with Laura. I feel that she is one of the people I was sent to Canada for.
We had a unique experience on Saturday. On Wednesday we got a text saying that Elder Hallstrom from the presidency of the seventy would be in town and that we would have the opportunity to meet with him! Sisters Waldron, Crandall, and Sorensen were all there, so I got to see all of my companions this week! I sat next to Sister Waldron the whole time and realized how much I have missed her! We didn't get to go on exchanges this week because of this last minute meeting, but we're going this week, so don't worry :)
Some of my favorite things from Elder Hallstrom:
"The depth, foundation, and influence [your mission] has on you is up to you." He talked a lot about how this time is a time to build a spiritual foundation for our lives and then all of our other life experiences should build upon that foundation. And that foundation should be built upon Jesus Christ.
"We know the spirit is speaking to us when we have the desire to repent."
"3 elements of change: 1. Gain Vision. (Eternal Perspective) 2. Be willing to make commitments (Covenants) 3. Develop the self discipline (Consistency in vision and covenant keeping)"
As he was closing, I had one of the most powerful spiritual experiences of my life. He bore witness of God our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, the Restoration of the Gospel, the reality of living prophets and priesthood keys, and as he did so, I felt the spirit bear witness of the reality of his calling. To testify of Jesus Christ. I felt the spirit so strongly! It was as if there was another element running with my blood through every vein in my body. Then I had this thought: "You can not deny this feeling." I am accountable for the spirit that I felt that day. I have no doubt of the reality of God, our loving Heavenly Father and His divine Son, Jesus Christ. The fullness of their Gospel is on the earth today and I am so grateful, privileged, and blessed to have the opportunity to share that with others, full time. I love this work. I hope you all have a great week!
Love and Prayers, Sister Felix
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