Sister Zerkle

Hello from Oshawa!                                                                                                                        April 28, 2014

This week could have possibly been the happiest, most tiring, busiest week of my mission thus far!! Next week is looking like it's going to be the same :) It's going to be a good transfer! I love my new companion, Sister Zerkle, with all of my heart! She is hilarious! Some of my favorite things about her are: 1. She doesn't like to write in her journal, so she draws comics in her journal of things that happened that day. It's hilarious! 2. She has incredible, fluffy hair that she sometimes ties in a knot of top of her head and it looks fantastic! 3. She LOVES Megamind! She and I try not to quote it all the time, but sometimes it just happens :) 4. She is an INCREDIBLE missionary!! I am very humbled and grateful to be her companion. She works hard and works smart. 5. On transfer day when we became companions, we got in the car, and usually the car ride back to the area consists of "get to know you" questions, but Sister Zerkle and I had been on an exchange just two weeks prior, so we already knew each other and we were able to just get right to work! It's been a blast!

WE FOUND A FAMILY!! We first met the husband in the lobby of their apartment building when we were dropping by a member family. He was wearing a Las Vegas t shirt, and that's where Sister Zerkle is from, so it was a good conversation starter! We talked with him for a little while and gave him a mormon.org card. I didn't think much of it because that is a very normal thing that happens all the time. But a few days later we were there again, and we decided to knock on a few doors on the top floor, so the first door we knock on a lady named Yaima, answered the door and invited us right in! She explained that her husband met us a few days ago and that she wanted to learn more. She only had 10 minutes so we explained about the Book of Mormon and gave her one. They are from Cuba and have only been here for seven months. She knows enough English to carry on a conversation, but since there are so many uncommon terms we use in the Church, teaching her in English would be like someone trying to teach me Chemistry in French! So we need MEMBERS! We taught her the next day with a Latino sister in the ward and it was the most spiritual lesson I've ever taught. Probably because I wasn't teaching. The Spirit was. We basically read the Restoration pamphlet together. She had one in Spanish and we were following along in English. The Spanish speaking Sister would explain if she had questions and Sister Zerkle and I testified very simply so she could understand. It was incredible! When we got to the first vision, I simply said to her, "This is important. Read it slowly and think about it as you read it. I know it is true." Usually we recite the first vision by memory when teaching it, but the Spirit hit me like a brick wall as she read it slowly in her own language. There were a few seconds of silence after she read it and it was so powerful! We helped her recognize the feeling of the Spirit and even though she speaks Spanish and I speak English, we were most definitely on the same page and were understanding each other. When we asked her to pray about Joseph Smith, she looked at us like we were crazy and said, "I know it's true." She was so excited about the Book of Mormon and told us we could meet with her every day if we can! :) We are going to try teaching her husband as well. He came in from work at the end of that lesson and told us, "This home is your home." And Yaima said he likes coming to church so we think he will be just as receptive as she is. Since 10ish months of my mission have been in YSA work, I've never taught a family. So I am really excited about them! They have a five year old son who is adorable!

I went on my first exchange this week as a sister training leader and it was a blast! I went to Ajax and served with Sister Wise for a day. We rode bikes the entire day, and it was my first time riding a bike on my mission!! With the helmet, bike, backpack, and my name tag I felt like a real, live, true, stereotypical missionary! I probably had a goofy smile on my face that whole day just because I was so happy and proud to be a missionary!

We'll be going on two exchanges this week. One tonight, and the other later in the week. We're still trying to figure out how to make it all work out because we have MLC (misionary leadership council) this week and Zone Training, so it will be a puzzle to fit it all in!

I am so happy :) I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. I am so grateful for revelation. Personal revelation and revelation given to our leaders. It all comes from our Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. I know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real. They are just as alive as we are. All we need is to open our heart, ears, and minds to realize it. I love this gospel so much. I know it is true. Have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week:

"Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them."

-Jeffrey R. Holland