Sushi & Scriptures....Eh?

June 30, 2014 PEACE

Happy Canada Day! It's actually tomorrow, but I can wish you a happy Canada day anyway!

President and Sister Clayton are here! I'm excited to meet them on Wednesday at Mission Leadership Council. They arrived on Saturday. I don't know a lot about them, but I do know that they are called of God to be here at this time.

On Tuesday I got to go on exchanges this week with a sister that was in my district in the MTC. Her name is Sister Anderson and it was so much fun! It was an incredible time to reflect and see how we've both changed and improved in the past year.

District Meeting was incredible this week! Elder Pitre (pronounced Pete) is our district leader and he's great. He texted us these questions to ponder on and study in preparation for the meeting: What encourages you to set goal? Why? And what does the phrase 'I am a Child of God' mean to you? They seemed kind of random and unrelated, but I studied them anyway. On the drive to Woodstock that morning I read "Our Identity and Our Destiny" and this line stood out to me, "...which relationships can now continue beyond the grave and allow us, like God, to have eternal increase." The words eternal increase triggered an epiphany that connected the two seemingly unrelated questions our District Leader asked us to ponder! As missionaries we are taught to set goals and then make plans to achieve those goals. Heavenly Father is the ultimate example of setting goals and making plans to achieve goals. Moses 1:39 "For behold, this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." That is Heavenly Father's goal. Then He made plans to achieve that goal. The Plan of Salvation. This instruction from the Holy Ghost increased my desire to set righteous goals and make plans to achieve them, because everytime I do, I am learning to live a little more by this celestial law.

I can't remember if I told you about Racquel and Paul, but they are two of my favorite people on planet earth! Paul is a returning member and Racquel is his girlfriend. She is from the Philippines and she's adorable! We are currently teaching her about the church and helping her prepare for baptism. They have been to church five weeks in a row and they love it! We taught them the first half of the Plan of Salvation a few lessons ago, and finished it this week. We focused a lot on the temple in this lesson because Racquel loves the temple and has a lot of questions about it. There was a combined meeting for ward conference last week and it was all about temples, and for the closing song we sang, "Families can be together Forever" and Racquel cried. It was the sweetest thing. The thing I love most about Racquel is that she understands that the goal is not baptism, the goal is the celestial kingdom and baptism is just the gate. The first step. She and Paul are just hesitant to take that step. So pray for them. They are wonderful!

Peace was a topic of pondering for me this week. There were a few experiences we had this week that rocked the boat of peace in my heart, so it was something I was seeking. I came across John 14:27 in my studies which says,"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." One of my favorites! I made two lists: how the world offers peace and how the Savior offers peace. I found that the common theme was that the world offers peace through material things. That peace has an expiration date. Peace offered by Christ is durable and lasts as long as we are willing to nurture our faith. Peace from Christ comes through two main ways in my mind: 1) The Holy Ghost. 2) Covenants. Both things are dependent upon our self discipline to do the small things that make a big difference in our lives. Daily study & prayer and weekly church attendance. In order for Christ to give us peace we must receive it by small, deliberate actions of faith. I know this to be true because I experienced it this week.

On Saturday in Downtown Brantford there was quite an event going on! Free baptisms! We got a call from the other Brantford Sisters saying that there were pools set up, people lined up, hot dogs roasting, a guy on a microphone talking about "letting Jesus into their heart," and a band playing and it was quite a show. Initially, we thought it was kind of funny, but when Sister Balderson talked about a family that all got baptized and they were just crying tears of gratitude, it made me so sad to watch these people literally starving for the Spirit in their lives and only scratching the surface. It also made me sad that when baptism is an easy thing, people line up! But when we mention keeping the commandments and making a covenant people shy away. Why is that? I think Elder Holland nailed it when he said people want to believe in a "smooth god" that will let us live with Him with no real effort on our part. Here's the crazy part of the story, later that day we dropped by a potential investigator who wasn't there, but found a man named Dustin outside pulling three kids in a wagon. We told him we were missionaries, and he asked what that meant. We explained that we are teachers and guides to help people come unto Jesus Christ. He said, "Perfect! I just got baptized today!" He was one that had lined up and got baptized downtown earlier that afternoon. He explained that he wasn't really religious, but feels like he should get into it, so he got baptized today. We explained that we help people to prepare to be baptized by the Priesthood authority and he was intrigued. He admitted he had no idea who baptized him and what church he was baptized into, he just felt like he needed to be baptized. He likes the idea of being baptized formally, in a church, by the correct authority! So we set up a time to meet with his whole family! Stepping stones. Heavenly Father works line upon line. I've found that prepared people usually get baptized or attend other churches in preparation for them to receive the fullness of the truth. Perhaps getting baptized downtown at Harmony Square was a line Dustin needed to cross to realize he needs something more in his life.

The Church is true. I know it is. I know God lives and loves us. Have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. 

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

-Mother Theresa

*Sister Hansen's scriptures are HUGE! My scriptures are the blue ones, and that's just a normal size quad. She has quotes and sticky notes and so many glue-ins that it's almost doubled the size of them :) Isn't that awesome?!

*Sushi 8 is our favorite sushi place in town. Best ever!

*I saw this license plate and about died of laughter! I love Canada!

June 23, 2014 ZONE CONFERENCE

Zone conference was incredible. Absolutely incredible. It started off with our discussion on light and dark and here are some thoughts I had and things I learned:

• We made a list of characteristics of Satan and darkness and contrasted it with a list of characteristics of Heavenly Father and Christ and light. The contrast is SO black and white. The world truly is simpler than we think it is. There are only two influences. Each choice we make or don't make either takes us closer to Heavenly Father or Satan.
• We talked about light and dark in relation to the kingdoms of glory. Those who go to the Terrestrial Kingdom (the middle one) are those who were deceived by the craftiness of men, lived honorable lives, and weren't valiant in their testimony of Christ. I think sometimes as members of the church we think we're good and we're saved just because we have a knowledge of the truth, but if we don't consistently act on that knowledge and change because of it, we'll end up somewhere in the middle. We won't be able to live with God or our families forever simply because we weren't valiant. This description of those going to the Terrestrial Kingdom could definitely include members of the church.
• "light and darkness cannot occupy the same space at the same time" That is a physical and a spiritual law. Check out this talk for more infomation. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/04/out-of-darkness-into-his-marvelous-light?lang=eng&query=out+of+the+darkness+and+into+His+marvelous+light
• Imagine one side of a hallway being completely pitch, black, dark and the other side being the most brilliant, bright light possible. If I am standing in the middle of the hallway, each decision I make will take me either closer to the light or dark. Just because we make one bad decision, it doesn't mean we're going to hell. But it does mean we just allowed a little bit more darkness into our life. And on the other hand, when we make a right decision it doesn't mean we're automatically saved. But it does mean we chose to let more light into our life.
• The light of the body is the eye. When we turn off the lights in a room, we can't see anything and it's uncomfortable-when we sin, the first time we do something wrong we feel bad about it. But just like in the room when the lights are turned off, eventually our eyes adjust and we can become comfortable in the dark. Comfortable in sin. But on the other side, when we turn on the light in a room, it's also hard to see things, and our eyes have to adjust. When we are making changes and repenting in our lives, adding light, it can be uncomfortable for a little while, but it makes for a brighter life. That's for sure. I know this to be a true principle.
• Confidence comes in the light. When someone is walking in a dark room, they take small steps and walk with their hands out in front of them and are cautious. They are reaching for things to give them guidance, but can't have full confidence until the light is on. When someone is walking in the light, one can progress and stride with confidence in themselves and in the Lord.
• "We become like who we enlist to follow"
• To close the discussion, President Scott said, "Whenever you don't feel good enough, remember who your Father is." I loved that. Oh so much. Here is another talk that I've been listening to, reading, and pondering on lately.http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2060 It's called "Our Identity and Our Destiny" from Tad R. Callister.

Sister Scott then gave a talk called, "O Remember, Remember." And it was INCREDIBLE as usual! She talked about remembering lessons and principles she had given talks on over the past few years. Here are a few. Remember: Truth and inspiration learned in the past; God exists and we are His children; We are in the Lord's vineyard; Do everything you can to be a dedicated, powerful servant of the Lord; to be grateful; No neutral ground; to stand in holy places (make mind a holy place); and finally, to use His name, the name of Jesus Christ, in a gentle, respectful manner. Especially at the end of prayers or testimonies. She's incredible. I hope I can be like Sister Scott when I grow up! The musical number went splendidly! It was powerful. Especially in the context of all that we discussed that day and has been happening in this great mission. Sister Scott even gave us a call a few nights later to thank us for it. I'm so grateful for good music!!

 

I think my favorite part of the conference was President and Sister Scott's departing instructions. On days when missionaries leave to go home, they would have a departing meeting and instruction where the missionaries could ask President and Sister Scott questions and the Scott's would share the wisdom they've gathered over their lifetime. That's what they did at this conference, minus the asking questions part. President Scott just divided up life advice into different categories like work, education, career; financial; service in the church; and general things. Everyone was on the edge of their seat with a pen and paper in hand soaking up every word they he was saying. I love President and Sister Scott with my whole heart. Because our mission is so huge geographically, most missionaries don't get to spend a lot of time around the Scott's, so I'm extrememly grateful I was able to interact with them as much as I did. They have forever influenced my life and will always be a blessing.

 

I could go on forever about Zone Conference and how incredible it was and what a pivitol moment it was for me, but I don't have that much time :) Yesterday was a Sabbath day of miracles. We had three investigators at church and they all loved it! It was ward conference. We found two new investigators yesterday that are pretty solid. Peggylynn and Crystal. Crystal is Jade's friend, Jade is 8 years old and loves the Book of Mormon and coming to church. She reads the Book of Mormon everyday by herself. Speaking of light, Jade is a light. Peggylynn is a miracle. Notice the small and simple details that led to an incredible experience. We had a member with us and we dropped by a potential investigator from about a year ago and she wasn't home. So we talked to her neighbor who was outside. He wasn't interested, but was impressed with our conversation skills! He works for a sales company and said he would hire us if we weren't missionaries! Hahaha. Contrary to a thought (we found out later) that Sister Hansen and I both had, we started walking back to our car to take the member home, but the man pointed the other direction and told us the housing complex was like a horseshoe so we could walk all the way around and talk to other people outside. We turned around and followed his advice. Which was actually the Spirit giving us a second chance to follow a prompting. After talking with a few uninterested people, I saw the back of a woman retreat into her garage when we came closer. We almost kept walking, but I turned around and practically followed her into her garage. We introduced ourselves and started talking with her. We came to find out that she had met with missionaries a year prior. She said she wasn't ready at that point, but a lot of things had happened in that year that had softened her heart. She invited us into the garage to sit down on some chairs. She later told us that she went back into the garage to set up some chairs because she saw us coming and knew we would talk to her! She was very up front and told us that she is never going to quit smoking and she'll never come to church, but she also said she knows something is missing in her life and she's searching. I testified that this is exactly what she's missing and that God sent us to her. She nodded and I watched the Spirit fill up her eyes. After we prayed with her and walked away from her garage, I was speechless. It was a testimony to me that 1. God works through small and simple ways and 2. God knows us, loves us, and is aware of us each individually. I know that's true.

 

I love being a missionary. The work is rolling forth and filling the earth. I am so grateful I made the choice to participate in the Lord's work. The Lord will not force us to live the Gospel or to share it. He invites us gently, and then lets us choose and then reap the rewards of whatever choice we make. It brings joy. The Gospel brings joy. Thank you for your prayers and support. I know God lives. I know Christ is our Savior.

 

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

"Participation in the saving ordinances unlocks and unleashes certain powers of godliness in our lives that are not available in any other way. These powers help refine us and perfect us." -Tad R. Callister

Choose an Attribute & work on it

                                                                                                                                               

June 16, 2014

I went on two of the best exchanges this week! I went to a Spanish speaking area with Hermana DeLong and she is incredible! Two highlights: She taught me the basics of Spanish (including how to bear my testimony) and we taught an incredible lady named Brunhilda from Santiago, Chile. Brunhilda fed us an impeccable homemade lunch and then we taught her the first part of the Plan of Salvation. She and her husband spoke enough English that we just taught them in English so I could be part of the lesson. The other exchange was in London and we saw so many miracles! On one street we tracted we found two families to teach and everyone was ridiculously nice! That's pretty unusual to have that much success on just one street. We also taught an adorable Cuban family! The fourteen year old boy is a recent convert and the mother is a returning member.

Tomorrow is Zone Conference and I'm so excited! Sister Hansen and I are part of a musical number for it and we'll be singing a song called "Fear Not." I know it and have the music because we sang it when I was a youth, and Sister Hansen knows it because she went to Jordan High School and the seminary teachers there wrote the song! Crazy! There are two other sisters and three elders that will be singing with us. I have a testimony of the music inviting the Spirit. We've all been studying for this Zone Conference for weeks now. We'll be having a discussion on light vs dark. President Scott asked us to study the influences of good/light and evil/dark in the scriptures and it's been a journey. This morning I was organizing all the material and thoughts I've had over the past few weeks and I felt the Spirit so strong! Here are some of the things I've learned over the course of this study:

·  "Every decision we make, no matter how small, moves us one step closer to light or one step closer to darkness."

·  Satan wants us crippled and trapped in darkness, because when we are in darkness we are confused, frustrated, lack understanding, prideful, lose agency and have a distorted vision of self and surroundings.

·  Heavenly Father and Christ want us to become like them and receive a fullness of joy. We receive a fullness grace for grace,  line upon line. When we are choosing to live in the light we have a quickened understanding, enlightened comprehension, and a correct view of our self and surroundings.

·  We take a step into the light by making an obedient decision to God's commandments and standards. We take a step into the dark by making a disobedient decision.

·  L. Tom Perry's talk from this past conference is one of my favorites! He said, "Obedience is a choice. It is a choice between our own limited knowledge and power and God's unlimited wisdom and omnipotence." This statement makes disobedience sound foolish. It is truth. It is light. Satan tries to make disobedience sound attractive and desirable.

·  "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Romans13:12

·  The foundation of all behavior and character is the choices we make between obedience and disobedience.

·  There is every degree of devotion to Christ, but there are no neutrals in the conflict between good and evil.

The stake president is from the Brantford ward and he spoke for a few minutes at the end of sacrament meeting yesterday. He had no notes, and didn't even plan on speaking, but he said exactly what I needed to hear. He read D&C 4:5-6 and said these are Godly attributes that qualify us for the work. He invited everyone to choose one of those attributes and work on it. Heavenly Father definitely told me which one I need to work on :) I extend this same invitation to all of you. One of his closing statements was this, "The Plan of Salvation is one, big rescue mission driven by the love our Heavenly Father has for us." I love that. So true. We get to use our agency to choose how involved we want to be in that mission.

Pray hard. Study daily. Share the gospel. And smile. Because it's true :) Every part of the gospel is true.

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week:

"The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light.

Each will have to be guided by the light within himself."

-Heber C. Kimball

Mission Leadership Council

                                                                                                                                                                   

         June 9, 2014

We saw so many miracles in Brantford this week! It was incredible. I arrived in Brantford on Tuesday and that day we taught a couple named Danna and Austin. The Ward Mission Leader came with us and later that evening we dropped by the Bishop so I could introduce myself. It was nice to meet several members of the Ward Council on my first day. That is something we want to focus on this transfer is working with members, and the ward council is the place to start to establish a good relationship with the ward. 

Wednesday was Mission Leadership Council in Brampton. MLC is probably one of my favorite things about being a sister training leader. There was a point in the meeting where I just looked around at the 22 Zone Leaders, 8 sister training leaders, 3 assistants (they are in a trio this transfer), and President and Sister Scott and was just humbled to be sitting and discussing with all of those incredible people! Here are some of the quotes and highlights from MLC:

·  "Do things you NEED to do while you're here. You've got the next 70 years to do things you "want" to do. Give the Lord your heart."

·  During lunch all of the sister training leaders usually sit at the same table, and this time President and Sister Scott came and sat with us! We talked about covenants as we ate sandwiches and chips :) Sister Scott said this and I've reallly been pondering on it. "We are all bearers. Men bear the priesthood and women bear children. But we need each other in order to bear these roles."

·  The assistants gave an instruction on teaching people that repentance and baptism is for a remission of sins. SO GOOD! We had a really powerful role play.

·  The new leadership always bear their testimonies, and there was a new sister training leader who bore a powerful testimony! She is from Fiji and is a convert. She said, "Since I joined the church I've never looked back, and I've never been happier." I love the fire and humility new converts bring to the Work of Salvation. 

·  President Scott is famous for his yellow ties :) He always wears them! Since it was President and Sister Scott's last MLC, all the Elders wore yellow ties as a tribute to him. In his testimony at the end he told us the reason he loves yellow ties so much is because Sister Scott gave him his first yellow tie! It was the sweetest thing!!

·  One of the coolest parts was the musical number!! Sister Hansen, Sister De Groot, Elder Romrell and I all sang "Homeward Bound" but with different words. I dont know if I already told you about it, but Elder Williams and Elder Smith, the Zone Leaders in my last area started writing words to the tune of homeward bound, and on the way back from MLC last month Sister Zerkle and I helped them finish it and it turned out AMAZING! It was so inspired. We sang it in four part harmony and the Spirit was so strong!

·  At the very end, the assistants put together a surprise slideshow for the Scott's! They had sent all of us a picture of President and Sister Scott that said "WE LOVE YOU!" on it and we held up this picture and took a picture with it. The cool part is, they sent it to all of the missionary leadership from the three years the Scott's have served here! I love them a whole lot. We sang "God be with you til we meet again" and everybody was crying. President and Sister Scott have made such a huge influence not only on my mission, but on my life. I'm ever grateful for them.

On Saturday I was on an exchange in Waterloo and we met two ladies in a bus stop. One was named Rachel and the other was an old lady, I don't remember her name. But we got talking with them and we came to find out that the old lady was very set in her ways and her church, but Rachel was homeless and trying to get back on her feet. As we talked about what we do as missionaries she was very engaged and responsive. She said she would come to church! So I hope she did! That's the crazy thing about exchanges. You go into an area for a day, and most likely won't see any of those people again. Before we left the bus stop, the old lady announced that she sings in the choir at her church and even though she's in her 80's she still has a beautiful singing voice! So we asked her to treat us with a hymn, and she gladly obliged :) She sang "Amazing Grace." It was one of those moments I wanted to just put in a jar and save forever! I love people :)

Yesterday was one of the coolest miracles I've seen on my mission. We received a lot of referrals this week from people that we either tracted into or just talked to on the street. One was named Tristin. We went over to Tristin's last night to see if she was there, and she was! She answered the door, we explained who we were and what we did and asked if she'd like to hear our message. She responded in the affirmative. We taught her the Restoration on her doorstep, and at the beginning she seemed a little unsure, but as we kept talking she became more and more engaged! By the end of our conversation she was so excited to read the Book of Mormon and agreed to be baptized on July 13 if she knew it was true! She' going out of town for three weeks, so I hope she reads the Book of Mormon and prays about it soon, because she's going to hear anti and people are going to tell her not to, but she felt the Spirit and she needs this in her life. She is the sweetest most receptive 15 year old girl I've ever met!

In preparation for Zone Conference next week President has asked that we study the fruits of light and fruits of darkness. It's really simple if you think about it. There are only two influences in the world, good and evil. And every choice we make, no matter how small is either a step towards light or dark. I know that choosing to step toward the light brings the greatest happiness. I know that is true. I watch people take those steps of light and I watch people step into the dark and it breaks my heart to see the effects of Satan enter one's life simply because of the seemingly small decisions they make. I pray I can keep my perspective straight and continue to take steps into the light. Because that is where I choose to dwell.

Have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week:

"The most important of all the commandments of God is the one that you're having the most difficulty keeping...Today is the day for you to work...until you've been able to conquer that weakness. Then you start on the next one that's most difficult for you to keep. That's the way to sanctify yourselves by keeping the commandments of God."

-President Harold B. Lee

Brantford Transfer

                                                                                            June 2, 2014

I forgot to tell you last week that it was a transfer calls last night... And I got a call! I'm going to Brantford in the morning! My new companion will be Sister Hansen. Sister Zerkle and I are so sad to leave each other and Oshawa. A part of our heart is in this place. She is going to Brampton and will be companions with Sister Sorensen! They are going to do be great companions.

I don't have a ton of time today, because there is a lot to do to prepare the area since we're both leaving and two other sisters are coming in, but it was a great week. So many miracles. We had Skills and Interviews this week. For the "skills" part there were four different 30 min workshops. Sister Zerkle and I each taught one of them. The Zone Leaders asked me to instruct on resolving concerns so I studied about that a lot this week. It really comes down to the Book of Mormon. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It heals wounds, answers questions, invites peace, brings the Spirit, and testifies of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I focused on using the Book of Mormon to help people resolve their own concerns. It went pretty well. My interview with President Scott was incredible. He's inspired. For sure. I love that man. He's going home in July and we're getting a new mission president named President Clayton. So it was my last interview with President Scott. Sister Scott asked me to mark my favorite scripture in her Book of Mormon. I marked Helaman 3:35. Best ever

Here are some other fun facts about the week:

·  Sister Zerkle spoke at the evening session of Stake Conference on Saturday night about the role of full time missionaries in the Work of Salvation. She did so amazing!

·  Dominique and Tunde came to church! It was Stake Conference, and it was a broadcast from Salt Lake to lots of the Stakes in Canada. It was incredible! Elder Holland, Sister Burton, and President Eyring all spoke. Loved it!

·  Dominique just called us because we told her we're both leaving and she told us that she and her boyfriend have been reading the Book of Mormon together!!! We're super happy right now :) :)

·  I love being a missionary. The end.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

"I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." -Marion G. Romney

May Photos

Miracles

                                                                                                                                    May 26, 2014

Miracle #1: Ligia. Sister Zerkle and I are the only sisters in our district, so on Wednesday when we went to district meeting, the Elders surprised us by announcing that they were going to BLITZ our area that day! A blitz is when several companionships go to one area and tract or contact people to help that companionship find people. Our district is so good to us! Two of the Elders found a lady named Ligia. They called us after they found her and were so excited to tell us about her! They told us they set up an appointment for Saturday at a coffee shop, but they didn't get her address or phone number because she is living with her sister and didn't feel comfortable giving out her information... Usually appointments like this aren't super solid, but she was there! And she was so prepared! Man. It was one of the most spiritual lessons I've taught on my mission. She talked about how she was about ready to give up on God, and then she met those two young men and hearing this message opened her heart again. It was absolutely incredible!

Miracle #2: Tiffany. Sister Zerkle and I were in a town house area talking with people and I was talking to the Zone Leaders on the phone about something and she went and talked with a lady standing nearby. The lady turned out to be a less active member that was baptized at 13 but hasnt been to church since high school. She now has three children and one on the way. Her oldest son, he's 6, had asked her earlier that same day if they could go to church. Then Sister Zerkle talked to her. Coincidence?! No way. The crazy thing is, things like this happen all the time! (Another quick example of crazy miracles is a recent convert in this area relapsed back into smoking and hasnt been out to church for a few weeks. He was at a very low point in his life and was sitting on a bench downtown praying. When he looked up he saw us crossing the street. And he called out to us and we were able to meet with him and help him out...Not a coincidence either.) Anyway Tiffany ended up coming to church with her children and we're going to start meeting with her regularly to help her become active again.

Miracle #3: Dominique. On Saturday we dropped by a former investigator named Dominique who has been going through some very hard trials. She pretty much broke down and told us to come back later that evening. We were thinking all day about what we could do to help her. We decided we would just read the Book of Mormon with her. When we went back that evening she was making dinner for her four small kids and her house was insane! The kids were running around and being crazy and she was frustrated and just wanted some quiet time, which is pretty much non existent for a single mom of four kids that is out of work. We read Moroni 7 with her (which is my favorite chapter!), and at first the kids were eating and complaining and were being rowdy, but after they finished eating, one by one they trickled in and sat down with us. The oldest two were learning to read so they joined our reading circle. The spirit in that home changed from one of contention to one of peace and love. It was an incredible feeling. A familiar feeling. As I was using a temple pass along card as a bookmark to guide the oldest daughter, Ahmya, and help her read, I reflected on the many times we had family scripture study in my family. I was overwhelmed with the Spirit and gratitude. We finished with a kneeling prayer offered by Ahmya and it was powerful.

The Church is true. The Church is so true! I am grateful for the Gospel in my life and my membership is the true Church of Jesus Christ.

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

"Spiritual light cannot be discerned by carnal eyes." -Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

PS. I went on exchanges in Kingston this week and they had a jar of Nutella that was bigger than my head!! It was insane! It was fun to be back in Kingston for a day :)

Mission Leader Conference 4.30.14

Things I've Learned

May 20, 2014
It was exactly a year ago today that I stepped off the plane in Toronto. Man. What a year it has been. Here are some things I have learned (or relearned) in the past year:

• My Heavenly Father, my Savior, and my Comforter are real. They are three separate beings but They all love me personally and are united in their purpose to bring me home.
• Joseph Smith was not a perfect man, but he was called by God and qualified for the work he was called to perform. Through Him the Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the Earth. The Priesthood was restored through him. I have a testimony of the Priesthood.
• The Book of Mormon is the word of God and contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel. I have found more answers, peace, and direction from reading the Book of Mormon than any other book because it is the most correct. It is a light and a liahona.
• THE TEMPLE IS THE PLACE. Covenants are essential.
• "Happiness is not for the chosen few, but for the few that choose it."

I don't know if I can actually sum up everything I've learned in the past year, but if I had to sum it up in three words, they would be: God is real. 

Two highlights of the week are named Al and Tunde. Al is from Trinidad and is amazing! We gave him and his four year old daughter, Miracle, the most spiritual chapel tour I've given on my mission and he accepted a baptismal date for June 15!! Pray for him though. Serious trials of faith have come up in his life since he made that decision. It just goes to show how prepared he really is and how much of a kingdom builder he will be. Tunde is from Budapest, Hungary and is a miracle! She was one of those "just one more door" miracles. We scheduled an appointment with her for Saturday, but she wasn't there. She called us the next morning and said she found the note we left and had been there 20 minutes later! She asked if she could come to church with us that day. We said "YES! Of course!" I hope I didn't sound too enthusiastic or over excited on the phone :) She came to church and LOVED IT! And she also came to the ward party last night for Victoria day and brought 4 or 5 friends with her!!! She's incredible. God blesses us when we are obedient. I know that for sure.

I hope you all have a great week!

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Sister Zerkle

New Market

                                                                                                                        May 12, 2014

Hello and happy day-late Mother's day! If you haven't been to motherhood.mormon.org you should definitely check it out! The video is adorable!

I went on an exchange in Newmarket this week and it was quite exciting! I got my first sunburn of the season! It's nice to have some color again :) Before that exchange I was having a small down moment and wondering why I am where I am and why I was called to be a sister training leader. That night when I was in Newmarket, I prayed and asked Heavenly Father those questions. The next day it was incredible to watch the answers unfold! She was going through many hard things that I have gone through on my mission and I was able to help her and leave her with commitments that gave her hope. The Spirit whispered to me that I am here for several reasons: 1) There are sisters that need my personality and experiences to help them learn and grow as missionaries. 2) I need this experience to progress and become the kind of missionary my Heavenly Father needs me to be. 3) There are people in the Oshawa area that need me to be their missionary. It's as simple as that. And it never ceases to amaze me how Heavenly Father uses my strengths as well as my weaknesses to bless the lives of those who I influence wherever I go.

While I was in Newmarket, Sister Zerkle was here in Oshawa and they met an INCREDIBLE man named Dave. He is a retired school teacher and is a history buff! He has read the Bible three times, but doesn't like going to church because of the hypocrisy that he sees there. She offered to come back the next day to help him do yard work because he is working on quite the project. I think he was a little surprised when we actually showed up the next day ready to work! It was incredible to watch service soften his heart. He was asking us questions about what we do as missionaries and the church while we shoveled dirt and placed patio stones. He let us teach him about the Restoration after we had worked for about an hour and a half. Because of his interest in history, he was intrigued to learn about the Book of Mormon and the group of people that left Jerusalem in 600 BC. He committed to read it, but he wouldn't commit to pray about it or come to church. But we know that he'll come around :)

We also had another unexpected service opportunity! We dropped by a member on Saturday night, but she wasn't home. The lady across the street was outside so we went and talked with her. We found out that she is friends with the member and that she had met with missionaries before!! After talking for a while, we offered to help her clean her house, and she was shocked! Her boyfriend was also shocked! We left to put on service clothes and were back in 15 min. She was so grateful. She lived there with her boyfriend and her three kids and his three kids and works and is going to school, so her housework gets put on the back burner sometimes. Her home was beautiful for mothers day! She asked questions about that the church services are like and said she might come. She didn't end up coming but we know she felt the Spirit while we were in her home.

Another miracle! As we were walking down the sidewalk yesterday, there was a lady in a baseball cap approaching and I was all ready to talk to her because as missionaries we talk with everyone! I was caught off guard when she looked up and said, "Well it's the missionaries! How are you sisters? Where are you from?" She obviously knew who we were! Through our conversation we she told us that she is from Winnipeg, her dad is a Bishop there, she was given the choice to be baptized when she was 8 and said no! She still hasn't been baptized, but wants to someday when she's ready to live the commandments and live in harmony with the Gospel. Isn't that insane?! She's met with missionaries before, but was open to letting us come talk with her. She has only been in Oshawa for 10 days and said her dad told her to find the church here, but we found her first :) He has been praying for her. I could feel it. We talked for about 20 minutes and when we walked away Sister Zerkle and I were still trying to process what just happened! It was an overwhelming sign that I am where I am supposed to be and we were exactly where we were supposed to be in that precise moment! 

I hope you have a fantastic week! I love this gospel. I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I love my companion. And I love being a missionary!! 

Love and Prayers, Sister Felix

Quote of the Week: "Our full potential is not on this earth." -Sister Zerkle (She said this while we were talking with someone and the Spirit burned it into my memory witnessing of it's truthfulness!)