St. Patricks Day!

Happy St. Patricks Day!                                                                               Mar. 17, 2014

I love Kingston YSA! It's the best. It was about a 4 or 5 hour drive from where my last area was. But it's okay, because we drive a BRAND new 2014 Chevy Trax... And I'm the designated driver :) Oh yeah. Sister Taylor is my companion. She is from British Columbia. She has been in the field 6 weeks longer than me and she knows her stuff! She is an actress and musician and is an INCREDIBLE missionary! I'm so excited to work with her. We live with two other Sisters, Sister Harris and SISTER DYER! :) It's a party. I promise :) It's kind of like being Sister Dyer's companion again because we see them everyday. It's wonderful! We were so excited when we realized we were not only serving in the same area, but we live in the same apartment! 

We are teaching SO MUCH! We pretty much go from appointment to appointment all day. It's incredible! We are teaching a girl named Jaiimee and her friend Jackie. They are the sweetest girls! They're both 18 and they have both had really, really hard lives. We read Elder Uchtdorf's talk "Happily Ever After" with Jaiimee, and she loved it! She recognizes the Spirit when we are there, when she reads and prays. It's the best feeling when investigators can feel and recognize the Spirit and it's even better when they ACT ON IT! :) It love it. We are also teaching a girl named Shelby, and I only met her once, but she's really sweet too. She is really close to being baptized, she just need to come to church two more times. Lucas is another one of our investigators that the Zone Leaders passed off to us this week and he's sweet! He's totally getting baptized! He loves reading the Book of Mormon! He wasn't really religious before, and the first time he prayed was when the Elders taught him the first lesson. He said a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson. Every lesson we've had with him since he's prayed, and it's so powerful! He's had a pretty hard life too. I realized that I really did grow up in the ideal situation. IDEAL. I am so grateful for the blessed life my Father in Heaven has blessed me with. Sometimes I wonder why I was born into such an ideal situation while these sweet spirits are born into hard, hard environments... I am so grateful that God is perfectly just and merciful. Because I know it will be alright in the end.

I know God lives and that He loves us. I know Jesus is the Christ and the Book of Mormon truly testifies of Him. I am so grateful for this knowledge and for the privilege I have to help others understand this and make it personal. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the week:

"Prayer is a privilege and the soul's sincere desire." -David A. Bednar (Apr 2008 Conf)

Lazy One!!!

Visit from Elder Bednar!

Hello!                                                                                                                                                   March 24, 2014

This week was incredible. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to our mission this week!! Instead of speaking to us, he did more of a question and answer session. Here are some highlights:

• First of all, our mission is HUGE! And President Scott had to pull a few strings so all the missionaries could come together. All 280+ of us in one place was pretty remarkable. Sister Scott was so sweet when she got to see all of us together! It was incredible. 
• Along with Elder Bednar and his wife, there was also Bishop Dean Davies from the Presideing Bishopbric and his wife and two members from the quorum of the seventy. It was a once in a lifetime experience to have them all in a setting like that!
• Elder Bednar's wife spoke first and gave us three pieces of motherly advice: 1. Every person who serves a mission deserves a good companion. You be that companion! 2. You be the kind of missionary your mother thinks you are. 3. You be the kind of missionary the Lord expects you to be. LOVE THIS!
• Then Elder Bednar spoke and used a very interactive format. He gave us three talks to study at least a month ago and so we've all been studying those talks. They were all by him and they are called "Seek Learning by Faith" "Ask in Faith" and "Converted unto the Lord." He asked us what we learned from those talks and we were able to stand up share what we learned. 
• Two things he said really stuck out to me as a teacher of the Gospel and a student of the Holy Ghost: 1. Don't play the "Guess what's in my head" game. Ask INSPIRED questions, When you play the "guess what's in my head" game and you try to have people guess a specific answer when you ask a question, you are treating them as an object that doesnt act, but is rather acted upon. He really helped me understand that people are AGENTS. We have agency, therefore we need to act and not be acted upon. 2. When taking notes, don't write down word for word what the speaker says! I've heard General Authorities explain this before, but I'm a quote person and I like to have quotes to look back on. But I found quotes from the Holy Ghost are just as good and probably even better :)
• He talked about observing, listening, discerning, and responding when teaching. It's the Lord's pattern for teaching and it's the teaching pattern that has been implemented from Preach My Gospel and the new youth program, "Come Follow Me." It's incredible if you really think about it. 
• We talked a lot about covenants and the nature of the Godhead. Both things I want to study more in depth.
• There was a pretty new missionary that stood to ask a question and he's from the Philippines. I couldn't understand what he was saying because he was far from me, and he was speaking with an accent and crying, but Elder Bednar understood perfectly. He walked off the stand grabbed that young elder in a hug. He pulled back and looked directly into his eyes and said, "You can do this. The Lord has sent me to Toronto to tell you that you can do this." He hugged him again, and everyone was in tears. It was a sweet testimony to me of the reality of his call as a representative of Jesus Christ. He cared for the one.
• My favorite part of the whole conference was Elder Bednar's testimony at the end. He bore a simple, but powerful witness of the reality and nature of each member of the Godhead, the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and other truths of the Gospel. At the end he said, " I am a witness that all of these things are true." I felt so strongly that he truly is a witness. 

It was a three hour drive back to Kingston, but it was okay because we just talked the whole ride home about how blown our minds were! And we sang hymns. I love living with these three sisters! It's so much fun! 

Another miracle from this week: Last monday Sister Taylor got an email from her mom saying that one of her friends from back home is going to school at Queens university in Kingston and gave her the girl's cell phone number. She is not a member, but has been going to church with all of her mormon friends since she was 6 or 7 years old. We texted her and asked if she would be interested in having the missionary lessons, and she said YES! :) We met up with her this week and gave her another Book of Mormon (because she has one, but it's at home in BC) and committed her to read it. It was incredible to see that hand of the Lord in this situation! I am a firm believer that God's hand is in the details of our lives. The smallest details. No coincidences. 

I am so happy. I am happy because I am living the Gospel. I am even happier because I am sharing it  though. It truly is a miracle that we have the ability to change, progress, and find true joy in this life through the Atonement. I know it is real. I know it applies to all of us. I love my Father in Heaven; my Savior, Jesus Christ; and my comforter, the Holy Ghost. They are the source of all that is good in our lives and if we live in appreciation, our happiness expands. I love the Gospel. I hope you all have a great week and do a little better tomorrow that you did today!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week: 

"The office of the Holy Ghost is His ministrations among men is described in scripture. He is a teacher sent from the Father; and unto those who are entitled to His tuition He will reveal all things necessary for the soul's advancement." -James E. Talmage

We ate at this place called "The Big Apple" on the way to Brampton. It seems like it was a pretty big deal! If you want to google it, I'm sure you could find something about it. But they had LAZY ONE PAJAMAS there!!! I was so excited!! So excited. I don't think anyone really understood, but I was super happy about it.

The other picture is of Sister Taylor and I eating lemon candies that an investigator gave to us that are SO GOOD! I don't know if they sell them in the states, but they're fabulous!

Saying Goodbye to Guelph

KINGSTON YSA Transfer!

I'm shipping out in the morning! I'm going to KINGSTON YSA! Kingston is really east. I think it is the farthest east our mission goes. And it's a little farther north, so I'm glad spring will come soon... Hopefully :) When President Scott called last night, he called me the "YSA Queen" :) Sister Sites is staying in Guelph YSA to train a new missionary! I think that is so perfect for her and just what she needs. I'm a little jealous, because training is so much fun! She'll be a fantastic trainer.

I don't have a ton of time today, so I apologize that this is brief. But I'll make a bullet point list of the exciting events of the week!

• We found 5 new investigators that are all Brazilian! It was crazy! 
• Sister Sites sprained her ankle
• IT WAS ABOVE FREEZING!! For a few days this week :) That is a heat wave... Let me tell you.
• Church was PHENOMENAL yesterday! In relief society we talked about faith and repentance and I felt the spirit so strongly confirm the reality and safety in the basic principles of the gospel.
• As part of my study of the Atonement I studied the "Day of Atonement" and I am developing a LOVE for the Old Testament.
• This morning I studied sacrifice to go along with the "Day of Atonement" study, and I found out that there were three different kinds of sacrifices offered. Sin, burnt, and peace offerings. I read it in the Bible Dictionary under Sacrifices. It's really interesting if you want to look it up :) I found some cool parallels.

I hope you all have a fantastic week! In times of trial, REMEMBER HIM! I love you all :)

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week:

"We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation." -Dallin H Oaks (Oct 1994 Ensign)

The first picture is of me wearing Sister Sites coon skin hat :) Haha. 

The next is of the district

And the last one with the 8 missionaries are all the missionaries that were serving in the Kitchener YSA Branch! There were two companionship's of English (us in Guelph and the elders in Kitchener) and two companionship's of Chinese.

Guelph

Lord, I Would Follow Thee

March 3, 2014   Well folks. It's week six of my 7th transfer... So that means transfer calls will be on Sunday night. I've been in Guelph for four months, but I've only been with Sister Sites for a transfer, so we'll just have to wait and see. Anything can happen with transfer calls!

Last night Sister Sites and I sang "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" at a musical fireside in the Guelph chapel. The Guelph ward sisters, Sister Wanlass and Sister Puruganan, arranged the whole thing and they did a fabulous job! It was called, "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?" and it was all about service! They had scriptures read, songs sung, and played a Mormon message. It was really powerful! They had an investigator family there which was really exciting! I think it got the ward excited about sharing the Gospel! Our song went really well considering the amount of practice time we had :) Miracles happen ladies and gentlemen! 

Dennis came to church yesterday and it was incredible! He has been hesitant to come to church because he attends his church in the morning and coming to an extra 3 hours of church would be too long when he has so much to study! But he slept in and missed his church, so he came :) Tender mercy! In gospel principles we talked about prophets and he said that was his favorite part! The teacher of that class is an incredible teacher and used examples, analogies, and object lessons that really made sense to Dennis! Sacrament meeting is last in this branch, so right after testimony meeting Sister Sites and I taught him a quick follow up lesson to see if he had any questions about church. Our branch mission leader and his fiance came as well. It was a short lesson, but the spirit was SO STRONG! Our branch mission leader bore a powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. He then told Dennis that when we, the missionaries, ask him to do something, it really isn't us, it's Jesus Christ inviting him to change. Then I looked Dennis straight in the eyes and said, "So Dennis, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God?" He was nodding the entire time I asked the question! Then Sister Sites invited him to work towards being baptized on the 16th of this month, and he said he would work for it! It was such an incredible lesson. Dennis's concern was that he wanted another confirmation from God to know this is right. His first confirmation came when he prayed about the Book of Mormon. He had a dream as an answer to his prayer! He said it wasn't all the way clear though, so he wanted another confirmation. I asked him what his second confirmation was, and he said, "It was my decision. My second confirmation was that I just decided to do it." I learned a valuable lesson about revelation from Dennis's experience, and response to that experience.

We found another new investigator named Abraham this week. He doesn't have a belief in God right now, but he hopes God is there. We read in Alma 22 with him when Aaron is teaching Lamoni's father, and he said that the phrase, "There is a God" kept catching his attention. He prayed at the end of the lesson and the Spirit was so strong. It was a highlight lesson for sure. He has a baptismal date for March 30th. He's got a lot of changes to make, but he's got the power to make them through the Atonement.

Zone conference was incredible... Absolutely incredible! Here are some highlights:

·  I got to see Sister Dyer :)

·  Through prayer individuals can know each member of the Godhead. In order for us to know the Father, we must first know His Son, Jesus Christ. In order to know Jesus Christ, we must feel the Spirit and recognize the Holy Ghost. All are involved in prayer.

·  Apostles keep the doctrine pure and protect ordinances. That is why apostasy happened. There were no apostles. No priesthood.

·  We talked about different councils that occurred during the apostasy where they decided on what the doctrine of the church would be. President Scott gave a great analogy about this. He talked about hiking huge mountains in Colorado and when one gets up so high into the mountain then you're in the clouds and one could get disoriented. He said it would be like a group of people lost in this fog trying to find north without any help, so they vote on it. They vote which way is north. It doesn't matter what the majority says. North is north. Truth is truth. God is constant.

·  Sister Scott's talk was about warriors. "There was a war in Heaven, which means there were warriors in Heaven. WE ARE WARRIORS STILL." She talked about Moroni "preparing the minds of the people" and how we have to fight that battle on two sides. Without and within. She said that warriors for God: 1. Have faith in and reverence for Christ. 2.Are repentant and obedient. 3. Know purpose and diligently work to achieve it. 4. Follows leaders. In closing, she said, "There is power in one. There is power in you." "Believe God. Trust Him. He knows you." Her talks are always so powerful! So powerful.

I know God is real. I have embarked on an intense study of the Atonement in preparation for a special meeting that is coming up at the end of March, and this morning I felt so powerfully of the reality of the Presidency of Heaven. God is our Father. Christ is our Savior. We can only know Them through the Holy Ghost. I love my Father, my Savior, and my Comforter. I am eternally grateful for each of Their roles in the glorious plan to return to live with Them. To receive answers, we just need to ask the right questions. Have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week: "We show our faith by studying, believing, and obeying God's revealed word." -Preach My Gospel, pg.73

SMILE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

Tired.....With a SMILE!

February 24, 2014     This week has been crazy... I don't ever remember being as tired as I have been this week. But somehow I still keep going! With a smile on my face :) Hahaha. 

This week we watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" with Austin, and it was so powerful! SO POWERFUL!! We haven't been able to meet with him since then because he's had a really really trying week. It's crazy to watch Satan give his best effort to tear one down, when that person is trying so hard to be good! It's quite frustrating... But those trials are what refine us. I just have to remember that.

We've been working with a less active for a while that is finally softening! He isn't "less active" on paper, because he attends church every week, but he is less active in the gospel. He's not living it. Therefore, no matter how often he goes to church, it's not going to do much for him. He resents leadership and would rather die than conform to anything. I guess you could say he likes to be and is proud of being a "free spirit." So we went over the baptismal interview questions with him, even though he was baptized seven years ago, and brought him back to the basics. Lately that's been a theme for me. "Refinement is in the basics." It's when we return to studying the scriptures and praying everyday and attending church weekly and the temple regularly that we are able to best cope with whatever life throws at us. And we won't only be given the power to cope, but to overcome. This less active is YSA age, but attends the Guelph ward, and yesterday was ward conference for the Guelph ward. He texted us after church yesterday and told us about the incredible spiritual experience that he had! The spirit confirmed to him that returning to the basics is what will ultimately bring him the peace and joy that he is yearning for. He's realizing that he must conform to God's will to be truly happy. It's a lesson we all have to learn. And we can learn that lesson the easy way: doing God's will (humbling ourself) or the hard way: fighting against God in our heart (then God will compel us to be humble). One way or another we're going to be humbled. That's something I've definitely learned as a missionary :) And I'll probably continue to learn that same principle as I go through life.

Zone Conference is coming up this week and I am SO EXCITED! We'll be going to London on Thursday to attend the conference. In preparation, President Scott has asked us to study each member of the Godhead and organize our learning into their unique roles and characteristics. He has also asked that we study the Apostasy and Restoration in greater depth. I've never really thought about studying the Apostasy in great depth, but man. I have a testimony of the Apostasy! It happened. And we're living in a world affected by it and the only thing that can overcome it is the truth. That truth was Restored. Now we have to help individuals restore the truth in themselves. The truth they knew in the Pre Earth life. I look forward to reading "The Great Apostasy" by James E. Talmage someday because I love chapter 40 in "Jesus the Christ." He throws down! I'm excited to see the discussions and insights that will be brought up at Zone Conference on Thursday.

I have such a testimony of the gospel. I feel that testimony deepening and refining and my conversion continuing to take root as well. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who knows me perfectly and loves me enough to let me overcome hard things with His divine help. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives.

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix