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!)