Temple Day

Yesterday was temple day; therefore e-mails were postponed until today. My companion and I were the only sisters in our session, besides one senior couple, so it was a little different from last time where I got to see other sisters from the mission. But it was a good day nonetheless. We found some Christmas paper in our apartment, and wrapped up the tadpoles the elders left in our apartment, (they are technically frogs now) and “returned” them on temple day. It was great.

I feel like I don’t really have much to write home about this week. One of the recent converts talked to her husband, and he has agreed to take the missionary lessons! So that’s exciting.

Our baptism scheduled for Saturday is all planned and she passed her interview! So that’s another good thing. We taught her about tithing this week, which I have observed can be a make or break it commitment when teaching people new to the church. But her parents were very active in the Catholic Church, and paid a 10% tithe there. Soon after they committed to do that, they saw a lot of blessings come from it, so she was willing to accept that commandment. I loved that story. It is such a neat thing to realize that whenever people obey a commandment of God, no matter what denomination they belong to, blessings follow. Likewise, another sister was telling me a few months ago, that whenever there is faith, miracles follow, regardless of denomination. Heavenly Father is merciful to all his children, but yearns for them to have more blessings, and more light and knowledge.

I’ve shared this scripture with investigators a lot lately.

D&C 78:17

Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

As the prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said (in paraphrasing), come with the truths you grew up with, and add unto it!

We went to enrichment this week, so we could try and get to know more ward members and a non-member came and asked us to take the lessons! She wants to join the church. So that was kind of neat.

There was also a less-active member of the ward that we had planned on visiting this week. In direction with our Mission President’s counsel to plan our weeks out 10 days in advance, we planned to visit her during the end of the week. Earlier in the week, we met with a ward member who advised us that she was someone she didn’t recommend we visit. So we changed our plans. Instead we decided to tract. We ended up tracting into this woman, even though we had no idea she lived on the same street we had planned to tract! We got to share a scripture with her, and it was visibly clear that she felt the spirit. Later, when we looked at our planners, we noticed that we had tracted into this woman at about the same time we had originally planned to! Heavenly Father worked it out so that we would see her that day; even though we “thought” we had changed the plan.

I LOVE tracting. I never thought I would say that. In fact, I remember telling President Anderson during my first interview, how hard it was for me. But, you get to testify rapidly, and sometimes, run into people who are searching. You also never know what will happen, or what lies behind the next door! Whereas, with investigators, you can come to anticipate their reactions to certain things. We had a wonderful day tracting on Saturday and found two or three people who seem interested.

I didn’t realize how tired you would get on a mission. I am constantly tired. I often think about when I will get to sleep next. I feel like my body has aged at LEAST 10 years. It’s awful. I hope people will recognize me afterwards. It’s quite tragic.

That is about all I have to say this week. Thanks for the letters. I got a TON this week! Pretty fun. Now the trick is finding time to respond.

Love,

Sister Waters